Stupid customers 3

[goombawaho]

Customer 47
January 2014 - Remove malware from new customer's PC. Customer is known to have ample money.
Advise customer that outdated AVG Free isn't worth much in terms of virus protection
Customer totally ignores my suggestion to purchase "real" A-V software for his five person office
November 2014 - Customer gets Crypto Locker malware killing all the files on his computer. NO backup.
Humble IT person STRONGLY recommends Symantec this OR Mcafee that - anything.
Customer ignores suggestion even after losing all his data to Crypto Locker
Am I dreaming? How could they be this dumb? Arrogant?

Customer 63
November 2013 - discuss replacing old Dell PowerEdge 830 server running Windows 2003. Put in place in 2006.
Customer says "great idea". "We'll do it in spring 2014 after our busy season is over"
Spring 2014 leads to Summer 2014 leads to Fall 2014 No response on replacing server
Winter 2015 Customer says "We'll do it in spring 2015 after our busy season is over"
Are you kidding me? Going into your busy season with a nine year old server. Granted the RAID 1 with new drives was installed in 2012, but a 9 year old power supply/motherboard.

Customers - you can't live with 'em and you can't shoot 'em. Or well, it's not advised.


"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[goombawaho]

My customer GOT cryptolocker or whatever similar malware with AVG Free installed.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[Martin999]

To be fair, Symantec AV is vastly improved from what it was, it was completely re-written 2 or 3 years back from memory - if it would have protected from CryptoLocker I don't know, but then again, I've seen Nod32 miss a virus that had been knocking around for ages - at the time this happened, Nod32 was regarded as one of the best available.

Odd really, I was given a laptop that was absolutely riddled with virus / malware - it required a few different products to be sure as possible it was clear (instructions were to fix not rebuild) - oddly enough, the only vendors product that was finally able to clear up the remaining few, was Symantec.

 

[philhege]

I've had Avast detect stuff that gets by Symantec.

-----------
With business clients like mine, you'd be better off herding cats.

 

[goombawaho]

HELP! My thread is being hijacked to an anti-virus discussion.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[philhege]

This thread has been infected by the virus "HijackThread.LOL". There are no known anti-virus indicators.

-----------
With business clients like mine, you'd be better off herding cats.

 

[goombawaho]

Annihilannic did it.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[Annihilannic]

I'll consider myself moved to the isolation vault. ;-)

Annihilannic
[small]tgmlify - code syntax highlighting for your tek-tips posts[/small]

 

[edfair]

Manager's desktop showed the cryptolocker splash screen when I logged out of the terminal emulator. I asked what happened. Seems she recognized that she was hit and warned the owner to not click on the email attachment. Owner clicked anyway.

I get to build up 2 hard drives and swap them out next week.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[audiopro]

I am a programmer and not a sys admin but I have a question for you guys.

Is there a reason why you don't set up your servers to make frequent backups of data, in a secure remote location (not the damned Cloud!), so that if there is a serious failure, all data can be restored and you can gloat , to your clients, how brilliant you are?

Keith

http://www.studiosoft.co.uk

 

[strongm]

What servers? This thread seems to be talking about PCs

And "frequent backups of data, in a secure remote location" has a cost associated with it. SME or sole trader customers may do a back of the envelope risk analysis and decide against spending the money.

 

[goombawaho]

Now my thread is really hijacked!!!!!

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[edfair]

Now my thread is really hijacked!!!!! "
Sorry goom , but I've got to reply.

audiopro's comment:
"Is there a reason why you don't set up your servers to make frequent backups of data, in a secure remote location (not the damned Cloud!), so that if there is a serious failure, all data can be restored and you can gloat , to your clients, how brilliant you are? "

Well nightly, as many as 4 locations locally, one permanent, to be taken offsite daily.
With 7 customers following the plan it saved their bacon 1 time in more than 10 years, that with a backup machine available their system came back up 45 minutes after it failed, travel time included. With that accolade and $1.50 I got a cup of coffee.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[audiopro]

Sorry, my mistake, I assumed that as business users they would have some sort of web presence and the servers which host their company website could also be used to store their off site backups.

Keith

http://www.studiosoft.co.uk

 

[audiopro]

Most people pay for insurance and hope they never need to claim on it.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, what was the question again?

Keith

http://www.studiosoft.co.uk

 

[goombawaho]

It was about my feelings and venting about stupid customers not taking my advice on replacing servers or buying anti-virus. But "not having good backup" would be at home here as well, so no big deal. And I do have "stupid customers" that have refused to implement any backup even after cryptolocker malware whacked all the files on one computer.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.