(no subject)

[bzarcher]

Well, that was a fun 2 hour meeting!

It really wasn't too bad. The joys of having a department that gets along pretty well.

One thing that came out of it, though, I'm kinda iffy about. It's just a proposal, at this point, but still...

With the upcoming rework of our PC vendor contract, they're starting to get a lot of offers for on-site support. Between that and some local companies offering on-site support and doing hardware support, they're seriously considering phasing out our internal hardware support and giving it to vendors.

I can see goods and bads in this. One particularly is that it could really reduce the chances that I'd have a chance at a longer term position here. I may not have to worry about that anyhow, but it comes to mind. Plus, I really can't decide if this is the right way to go. Fellow techies reading this, can you guys give any input if your workplaces or nearby shops have done something similar, and how it worked out?

Comments

[remotesensing.livejournal.com]

The big problem with outside vendors handling your hardware support, esp. in a university environment:

Accounting for costs.


I guess at a smaller school like Wooster, it'd be hard to justify keeping hardware techs around fulltime without giving them other duties.... but unless the administration sets the terms for the support contract down in stone, you're not going to be able to fully account for all the costs.

An inhouse tech would see a broken video card, and be able to make the judgement call that since it's Professor $So_and_so's desktop, they only use it for email, replace it with a surplus card from a recently retired machine. Most outside vendors are going to say: Order new card. Bill University for new card. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

I'm actually taking that and forwarding it up to my boss since she asked for concerns and stuff if we thought of them. Thanks!

[remliel.livejournal.com]

Outside vendors are interested in one thing: Money. They will try to rope you in on a contract at low costs for a year, then slam you with massive costs when you try to renew.

They don't always have your best interests in mind, and are less efficient in terms of recycling usable older parts.