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How to handle a non-trust situation

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by mmbarreca

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I'm not a manager but I work for a small company. The "IT" department consists of me and a part time hardware/networking technician. This person has very little experience but my boss is notorious for doing this so that she saves money. This techbasically spends her day e-mailing her BF for tech answers then spends days trying to get things to work. In addition, more problems have creeped up from her work so I am leery of any work that she does.

I am responsible for all of our support clients and handle two full software suites (healthcare-based) so while I can help here and there, a lot of times I may be working with a client's database on my PC. Since there are users on our network that are not as conscientious as others (they don't update their virus definitions and end up launching a virus, etc.) and since I have client data on my PC (I don't put this on the network), I'm very protective of the data that resides on my PC.

There are times when I am at a client site and when I return to the office, I can tell that someone has been on my PC (an e-mail is open that I know wasn't when I left, etc.). I've asked my boss if either she or the tech have been on my system and they emphatically deny it. Since I've already checked for spyware, I'm doubting that it's a hacker on my system.

I just changed my network password this morning as well as the administrator password on my PC (I have 3 client databases on my PC that I do not want touched). Does anyone have anyideas on how to handle a situation like this? I know the tech has responsibilities but I also have responsibilities to our clients.

5 replies

by maxwell edison

You said, "This person has very little experience but my boss is notorious for doing this so that she saves money." Could you clarify? Your boss is notorious for doing what?

To whom does this tech report?

Is this tech "friends" with your boss?

Do your responsibilities and hers (the tech) overlap?

And

Do you back up all that client data that resides on your own PC?

by mmbarreca

My boss is notorious for hiring inexperienced people to save money, then she will complain because things take too long to do or things get worse, etc. The tech reports to my boss and I would definitely say that they are not friends. Our responsibilities are not supposed to overlap but I have already had to fix issues that haven't been done after a few weeks of "research" by the new tech.

Yes, I always back up my data on my PC to removable media.

by bigabe

By going to Computer Management, Event Viewer and then under Security, in Windows 2000, XP and NT (If that is your OS) will give you a history of Success and Failure Audits. The success audits will show the username that authenticated and when. You may be able to track exactly who is accessing your PC.

For security's sake, I would be very concerned if other users are accessing your company PC, but if there are policies that state "Employees should have no expectation of privacy in their use of the Company's electronic systems." Then management may have all the right to access your information without your knowledge.

by mmbarreca

Since there is no written or even accepted policy as to whom can/cannot have access and since the tech can always log on as the network administrator, I enabled the password in my BIOS so now no one can get on, unless they know the password.

And if I sound paranoid, think about this: our tech has spent 3 days trying to get a mouse to work on a client PC. I also recently learned through another employee (whom does not want this tech on their PC either) that this tech has even less experience than was originally thought. The tech was NOT level 1 support at the Internet company that they came from: the tech was the receptionist. How's that for crazy?!

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