LOL. Well at first I did not want to keep this thread going the way it was going
but... I have decided to respond with this, SO You did ask for this long and annoying
explanation:
The time I spend reading security materials, listening security lists/news groups and
security books is on my own time and not my clients' (but they should). First of all,
when I show up to a client site I never show up with documentation only with some of
my own written reminders. been 13 years in the IT business so I am not stupid and far
from being a fraud
Without advertising myself as Unix guru, I was asked (by these same customers) to
install Unix servers running mission-critical apps and I dare any Unix experts out
there to find wrong doings (the point being I was prepared in the first place and THEY
TRUST that I would be prepared and anyway they are always ready to share the cost of
my learning curve BECAUSE THEY TRUST ME!). These customers have for most of them been
long time customers (at some of them I am in the top 10 oldest "employees") so I must
be doing something right. My clients always know that there is a leaning curve for
some of the stuff they ask me and they rather have me in and pay for some learning
than chance it and hire a so-called or wannabes SOMETHING.
So this being said, what I will probably do is set things up (network/firewall
policies and everything) and have a third party audit my work (the first one at least,
depending on the results).
So there!
Thank you for your concern.
Jean Morissette
Senior Network Engineer
MCSE.MCNE.CCNA
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Capelli [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 1:44 PM
To: 'Eric'
Cc: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: RE: marketing hype
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eric [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 1:39 AM
> To: Peter Capelli
> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: marketing hype
>
>
> Peter Capelli wrote:
> > I think that you are doing your clients a grave disservice by making
> > recommendations about products and technologies with which you have
> > limited experience. Your best bet is to refer your clients
> to another
> > firm that knows what they are doing. Best case, this is
> bad judgement.
> > Worst case, outright fraud.
>
> Nonsense. The only way fraud would come into the picture if he made
> bogus representations to the clients that were untrue. There is no
> indication that he has done so.
Bogus representations like, say, that he (or she) was a security expert?
He was asked to be a security expert. He said that he wasn't, but he
would take his clients money to make a recommendation. If I pay for a
security expert (or any other expert) to come in and help me, they
better know something about security!
>
> As far as bad judgement? Only if it is clear that he is not up to the
> task. And that does not appear to be the case.
In the original message, he said he had no experience except that of fw
installation.
>
> Have you ever been a consultant? I was one for several years. One
> of the more interesting parts of the job was that I was constantly
> called on to do things that I had never done before. I learned a
> hell of a lot keeping up with the demands of the job -- far more than
> if I'd sat back and refused to try to extend myself. The customers
> came out ahead, too, and they appreciated it.
This is true in a limited sense. You would not have been hired
if you didn't know what you were doing. You need a base set of
knowledge to do the job. As new requirements come up, new technologies
and techniques must be learned, I admit. But not on the customers
clock! You, when you were a consultant, should have been constantly
keeping up with new trends and technologies *on your own time*. That's
why people pay you! No ramp up time to learn new things, with no real
world experience to back it up. Now obviously, you can't know
*everything*, so of course some learning goes on at the customer site.
But not all!
For example, If you sold yourself to me as a security expert, I
hired you, and you showed up for the first day of work with a copy of
"Firewalls for Dummies", you'd be out of there! And yes, I'd seriously
consider civil charges for misrepresentation.
>
> Eric Johnson
>
Pete Capelli - NSEC - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Those who would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserve
neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin, 1759
PGP Key ID:3AD72805
-
[To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
"unsubscribe firewalls" in the body of the message.]
-
[To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
"unsubscribe firewalls" in the body of the message.]
