Battling Productivity I
As a fire alarm and door security tech at the University of Arkansas I must keep up with technology so that I can maintain the systems I am charged with repairing.
The man that hired me challenged me to "Treat these buildings as if your daughter lives there!" I have taken this challenge as a motivator to make sure the fire alarms and security are good. We don't run a bank but must deal with thousands of residents that are there to get their education and move on. While there are a few knuckleheads, most obey the rules and fit in nicely. It is always a balance of security and convenience.
As a member of the maintenance department, I must work as part of the team. I like this concept. I give advice on what I think is the best way to do things and get advice from others. To fit in a team, my training as a servant leader has served me well! Over the years, I have been able to keep the doors working and the fire alarm false alarms to a minimum.
When I first started the Information Technology department (IT) was well run. They understood the idea of using technology to allow us to do our job more efficiently to keep the students safe and the building systems running smoothly. Over the years, as new IT techs have come on board, the atmosphere has changed.
One of the things that happens is that the IT department has a large turnover of personnel. Many graduates of the University end up working at the University. The pay is not as good as they can make in the business world, so they pad their qualifications and then move on. As such, we see the new administration doing things differently than the older regime.
We also had a security breach that took place. The new Chanceller made the mistake of allowing the IT department to be over many of the other departments. To them it made sense to make up rules to limit access to technology. This change in allowing technology to run the maintenance department instead of helping the maintenance department has caused me to lose some of the important use of technology to manage the fire alarms and access control. My experience with technology is the same experience I have had with government. They must implement rules to run instead of being a help they become a hindrance. Instead of serving they become the master! Both must reminded that they are there to help those that want to do right serve and glorify God! We don't work for them, they work for us!
I have a remote maintenance computer that resides on a virtual server. The IT department is responsible for maintaining this server. On this server there is special software that allows me to see and control the fire alarms in our residence halls. This allows me to see what is going on without going to the buildings. It is a great tool.
One of the bad rules that the IT department claims is that only IT departments may have administrative access to software. Because they have limited my ability to use the software it has become harder to control the fire alarms in our buildings. I used to be able to change the time and date remotely, but now have to go to every building to make these changes. I used to be able to reset the panel so that the test timer is sent in daily. I again must go to each building to do this.
I don't need Admin access to the server! I just need it to use the remote software! I am the only one on campus that uses this software! I have been to the factory school to receive training on this software! I cannot convince them to allow me to use this technology to allow me to use my time efficiently.
I will henceforth think of IT as Ignorant Technologist!
The contractor that provides this software has also limited my ability to use some of the features. There is a part of the fire alarm code that states you must be on the site to control the fire alarms. I not only believe this, but I practice this. It is a good rule.
I used to take my laptop to the building and to the floor I was working on. I was able to flash the strobes to test them while I watched them flash. It was so convenient to be able to control them for only a short time on the floor I was at. They won't give me access to the parts of the program that allows me to do this.
At this point technology is mastering productivity! Stay tuned!
