You don't need to specify a decryption key to back up the databases, but you also can't just disable encryption either.
What you need to do to backup a TDE-protected...

I'm in a similar boat to you, in that I have no control over the setup / backup of my databases except by contacting the person who admins our "enterprise"...

So a bit more digging today on this problem turned up a Connect item from about 2006 reporting the same problem.
The OPENQUERY "hangs" sometimes (in the case...

Well this is going to be a fun week to patch...
Security software is saying "PATCH NOW!"
Ops guys haven't downloaded the patches to their storage location yet...
Microsoft Security...

Back on the topic of the day / week, I was wondering this morning if and how bad Spectre / Meltdown is going to affect Oracle databases.
I don't have...

ARGH!
What a *lovely* start (or, perhaps more appropriately, NON-start) to the day...
Go out to the garage to head in to work, car won't turn over, battery barely is...

The majority of my days tend to be not-busy.  I'm what most would term a "production" DBA, so it falls on me to make sure the servers are running OK,...