JAMES1@NUHUB.ACS.NORTHEASTERN.EDU ("James E. Jones") (12/02/88)
Barry Shein mentions a Computerworld article on the perils of downsizing for MIS types: > Downsizing means replacing your impressive-looking, power-sucking > mainframe clunker with a bunch of PC's because the latter actually get > the work done faster/better/cheaper. The problem they allude to (and > has been approved by FUD, Inc) is now that you are in charge of a > bunch of dumb ole PC's who wants to pay you six digits anymore to help > folks change floppies and fight christmas tree virii? I'm not sure wheither the the MIS managers are crying or laughing when they think about the downsize problem. Managing 10 or 20 PC/Macs isn't really a chore, but the firm that pays the VP/MIS six figures is probably going to have 1000+ PC throughout the company. Consider these problems: 1) The MIS people were getting used to increased budgets for more pc support personnel; now they must deal with level funding or even cut backs. 2) Why does the company even need support? Well, remember, the salesman/engineer/manager type just wants to run the program. They don't want to (and *can't*) waste time figuring out why the new hardware widget won't work or what is the wordprocessor command to do what they want. The user wants hand holding. 3) Politics. The VP/MIS either knows or has people that knows what is the best software/hardware to buy for the money. But how do they get the rest company to fall in line? Answer: they usually get mixed up in a turf war that they lose. Then instead of support one good spreadsheet program they must support 3 or 4. (I am assuming that the programs are good. A little optimistic...) 4) PCs breakdown, especially those used by people who don't know much about them. If you're dealing with 10 or 20, no big deal, but how about 500? Especially when a salesman calls you to say "I've got a customer waiting to close a deal and my PC won't work! Fix it *now*!!" You have the same problem with multiple PC vendors too. 5) Personnel. We are witnessing this problem at my job. People who really know what they are doing are expensive. And they usually are working for someone else anyway. What most firms must do is hire and train a person for the job (another expense and headache for VP/MIS), wait for the learning curve to rise to a useful point, then hope that the person doesn't leave for a new, higher paying job too soon... 6) Data. Not only are you worried about software compatability, (exchanging spreadsheets, for example) but there is a concern about whose numbers are being used. The central office? The division? Your local network? Which one is "correct"? Also, transferring between PCs, between PCs and Mainframes, and between Mainframes (the West Coast insisted on getting DEC computers -- you stayed with IBM; more politics), in other words, networking. 7) Etc. (this place is for problems I haven't thought of but I'm sure other people will) Hmm. Maybe they'll be laughing *and* crying. The MIS people won't have to worry about job security -- as long as they keep hopping, er, changing with the requirements of their job. There is a problem, though. The Macintosh/NeXT user interface revolution may remove the need for handholding. That leaves just maintenance (still a big jobs for a large firm), networking and political stuff (compatability, etc.) over which they have little control. More risk for the MIS person, but not too bad. Better learn more about communications/networking, though. > So they replace > you with the boss's pimply 17-year old kid and productivity really > goes up (for everyone but you.) That's why they better keep hopping! The kid may know more about PCs than the 20 year IBM MVS/CMS/etc,etc. programmer. And he can sling the jargon with the best of MIS types (not to mention the rest of us -- let's not discriminate :-) ). > -Barry Shein, ||Encore|| James E. Jones, Jr. internet: james@vaxe.coe.northeastern.edu phone: (617)437-4430 The above message represents my opinions alone! It's not anyone else's fault!
mike@pmafire.UUCP (mike caldwell) (12/03/88)
In article <8812012204.AA09769@multimax.encore.com> JAMES1@NUHUB.ACS.NORTHEASTERN.EDU ("James E. Jones") writes: >Barry Shein mentions a Computerworld article on the perils of downsizing >for MIS types: > > > 3) Politics. The VP/MIS either knows or has people > that knows what is the best software/hardware to > buy for the money. But how do they get the rest > company to fall in line? Answer: they usually > get mixed up in a turf war that they lose. Then What I observe is that MIS can't agree amount themselves what is the best hardware/software to buy. When this happens how can they convince the rest of the company. When it comes to computer hardware some of us wouldn't touch anything that had three initials (and the software is looked upon with greater disdain). Others won't buy anthing that doesn't have three initials. > 5) Personnel. We are witnessing this problem at my job. > People who really know what they are doing are expensive. > .... > wait for the learning curve to rise to a useful point, > then hope that the person doesn't leave for a new, > higher paying job too soon... This is a really simple problem to solve. If the person is worth keeping, pay him what it takes to keep him. If he isn't worth keeping, let the other poor company pay him what he isn't worth. Since what we are saying here is that I trained, I shouldn't have to pay him anymore, the questions that begs being answered is who learned the stuff. That is a skill that companies often underrate. If it was easy to train someone you wouldn't complain about training them. >There is a problem, though. The Macintosh/NeXT user interface revolution (A revolution with three letters, what heresy {:)}) > >> So they replace >> you with the boss's pimply 17-year old kid and productivity really >> goes up (for everyone but you.) > >That's why they better keep hopping! The kid may know more about PCs than >the 20 year IBM MVS/CMS/etc,etc. programmer. And he can sling the jargon with >the best of MIS types (not to mention the rest of us -- let's not >discriminate :-) ). Here, Here. If the kid can handle the job, let him have it and if not, you really don't want to be working for that company anyway. >James E. Jones, Jr. -- Mike Caldwell Paths: ...uunet!bigtex!pmafire!mike | ...!ucdavis!egg-id!pma386!mike