Management5 Funny (Yet Serious) IT Mistakes that Ministries Make
Let’s admit it. Even the brightest of the bunch fail (or at least stumble).
And we’re supposed to be like the technological-elite (but we can’t tie our shoes). It is what it is, right?
Here are a few things that I’ve experienced in my short-life as an “IT Guy” that I’ve seen take a significant toll on Ministries and Non Profits.
Ready for a little digital confession time?
1. Saying NO (or Yes) to Open Source
We all are passionate about something and oftentimes it’s this passion and interest in a particular that can really do the most damage. Being dogmatic about Open Source (or Closed Source) is bad either way.
Being open to using Open Source Technology can be a great thing. Having the right policies in place (justifiable policies) for not having it is just as good too.
Be open to change and be aware. The “best” solution isn’t always the one you’ve been doing all the time.
2. Mismanagement of Your Control Problems
We are, by nature, people who like to have things under control. The most common *grunt* heard from an IT specialist is probably something like this:
Urg… just let me do it.
Right? But there’s something to be said about partnering with those that you serve and educating and teaching them well. We want to create effective environments to work in, yes, but we also want to have “friends” at the end of the day.
3. Considering Everyone an “Internal Threat”
Yes, the hackers are out there and yes, they probably want to rip your IT infrastructure to bits (just kidding…) but they are not your senior leadership team and/or pastoral staff.
I’ve seen some crazies who have considered everyone in their organization more dangerous than the many-more external forces outside the walls of the spiritual haven.
This just ain’t right I tell you!
4. Forgetting the Basics: WiFi is Public, Unless You Make it Private
Did you know that hacking a WEP is easier than installing one? Yeah, you knew that already. Forgetting the “basics” of security will annihilate you.
And, you’ll probably deserve it.
5. The “Only This” Mentality for the Web
You’re probably a one-stop shop for both IT and Web. Yes, it’s tough and yes we have sympathy for your quandary, but be a man and just do it.
Especially in terms of the web, make sure you’re building the sites for more than just yourself. Perfect example is building sites just for Internet Explorer.
Shame on you.
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One issue that frequently comes up here with regard to open source is that it’s not always as cheap as it seems on the surface.
Supporting Open Source platforms can be insanely expensive if you’re not careful. If you’ve got mission-critical processes running on open-source platforms, you’re usually going to need an expert in-house (or on-call), or have a good support agreement in place with the vendor/developer. This is especially true for specialty software.
Dude, YES! That is very true.
On #2, you need to post some of those old SNL skits of Jimmy Fallon as the IT guy… “MOVE!”
I need to get some of those. Puahahaha.
#2 and #3 could also relate to those people who know just enough to screw something up. Not intentionally or maliciously, just accidentally.
haha. so true.
Somehow you just gave me incredible confidence and made me afraid to take my next step, all in one post. Both are needed when I’m learning about this stuff.
RE: #4
No joke. A skilled person can obtain enough passive traffic from your WEP-enabled router (assuming multiple clients are connected to it) and easily crack it in as quick as 20min.
Use WPA2+PSK and enable MAC filtering. Just do it.
For real.
I get easily frustrated with trying to access wifi at the churches and colleges I work at due to security. You make several good points here and I understood the security is worth being easily frustrated.
hehe. i had a good time writing that one.
We simply don’t provide wireless access to our LAN. Our wireless is wide open for all to see and use, with content filtering at the gateway. If our staff needs to get access to the LAN, they have a Windows terminal server they can access. Basically, it’s no different than at Starbucks or anywhere else with public Wi-Fi.
probably the best idea.
I’m afraid I do consider everyone an internal threat. Not because they will intentionally screw something up, but because if they have access to it, they inevitably will.
Operations can get a little mean sometimes… yes. But usually for good reason. The IT/Operations guy learns from past experience.
hahaaha.
I’m a control freak, and just know that if someone could potentially mess the network up, then it definitely will happen.
I sort of guess that unless you have a full time IT support staff member available, then you have to give people access to whatever they need, even if that means being slightly more loose on security.
Amen, brother. I don’t think #3 is actually a mistake, as long as you don’t treat people like enemies. There is a difference. End users ARE a threat to data, and protecting data is one of the main duties of I.T.. The key is to maintain policies and procedures that reduce the threat, while still keeping the resources available to ministry.
I see the main mistake we make in I.T. in this area is ignoring the need for training for our end users. GOOD training = threat reduction.
ah, good point. training is everything! do you guys have set training days? or is it all adhoc?
Unfortunately we typically only have scheduled training when we add a new technology that affects a large number of the staff. It is a personal failure of mine that we do not offer more regular training, but it’s hard to schedule something no one really looks forward to. It is an challenge to change people’s views of tech, and to make training interesting! Offering more training is one of the main things that I want to change about the I.T. environment at our church.
I made a mistake today. Nothing is working, the process has hung because there is nothing in the log file.
doh, that happens when logging is off.
> 3. Considering Everyone an “Internal Threat”
But that’s just the point – the vast majority of recognised stats point to the fact that it is inside the network that the bigger threat comes.
- lack of OS or App patching.
- lack of up to date A/V
- no methodolgy to mitigate when problems occur
- poor control over staff bringing in their own s/w or usb keys, etc
- poor control over staff creating their own networks that circumvent security
Let alone the issue of disgruntled or poorly trained staff ….
OK – so maybe this doesn’t apply so much to a church setup, but it doesn’t mean one should step backwards and allow the pastor unhindered access to do whatever they want.
Just my 2p.
Those 2 pence of yours are worth a whole lot more than 2 pence. Good stuff man.
peace | dewde