It is something that a bunch of accountants would do so that they could justify spending some money {probably with someone else as well} but none the less it was obviously put together by nontechnical people and then they probably got the most junior person available to call it in so they wouldn't look like the fools that they actually are.
Or it is something that the Accounts Department is required to do when any "large" purchase is sent through. Sorry but I use the term "Large" here as a relative term as with a large company a 3 million DOllar setup wouldn't be considered as large but the people who where responsible for aquiring it but it ould sound large to their accounts dapartment as these people seem to think that the money is comming out of their own pocket rather than the companies and is a justified expence. If it was something like a bulldozer private jet then no problems but something as intangable as some computers well that is a toitally different story as these people think that one computer is the same as another and why use optical connectors when they have seen adds for 10 MBS network cards for a few dollars {After all they do the same thing don't they?} While you and I both know the difference these people just don't and whats more thay aren't interested in knowing the difference. I can remember giving a quote on a Dual Processor Server Software package to one company and when I went in and handed in the Quote I was faced with someone from the accounts department handing me the local newspaper with an add for a "Home Computer" without any OS or software and asked just why my quote was so much more. I tried to expalin just what the difference was but this person could only see the $ signs so I just gave up and suggested that they get a quote for a similar unit/software combo from the same company who where advertising such a good deal.
Well that normally would have been the end of things as I really didn't want a bar of them after that but a few weeks latter I got a phone call from an Insurance Company that I do some work for and was asked to have a look at a computer that had suffered a lighting strike. Well they dilevered this computer to me and it was to say the least a mess as there was hardly anythng reconisable inside the case but I wasn't quite sure about the lighting strike as there hadn't been any thunder storms for several months prior so for some unknown reason I pluged in a PS tested and applied power. Well there was a big bang and the PS tester was trashed and when I got to it with a multi metre I found mains power going into the case that explained the destruction but not just why someone would claim a "Lighting Strike." After my initial report I was told that the rest of the computers at this business where not working as well and I was asked to go there and report on these as well by their insurance company. Well it turned out to be the same company who I had given that quote to a couple of week previously and they got a similar computer made by the great competition so they saved some money from my quote even though they got a lower spec computer but better still it trashed their entire network as mains voltave went out over all the network leads and did a bit of damage to all the hubs and every computer in the building {but they did get a good deal on that server} and the people who claimed that a "lighting strike" was involved where the same people who made the computer in the first place it seems that they didn't want to take responsibility for their mistake by supplying an unbranded and unmarked Power Supply into the "New Server" which was responsible for trashing the entire system.
Now for the good news the insurance company naturally refused the claim and now I have the court papers and I'm being called as an expert wittness against the people who built the server.
If only you knew how much I tried to avoid this job when I found out who was involved. The company is now no longer trading as all their records where destroyed "They had no backup policy" as computers are good and never fail right? This is a perfect example of where a little bit of knolledge causes massive problems.
