Ever had a server crash and watched your manager scramble for an answer?
It’s a scene that plays out in countless IT departments. A server that has run perfectly for years suddenly fails after a routine patch. The manager steps in, looks at the problem, and blurts out the first plausible explanation.
“Ah, it must be the patch! That’s the last thing that changed.”
The problem is, the real cause might be something entirely different, like someone updating the boot device without telling anyone.
For the manager, this kind of detail often doesn’t matter. Their focus is on quick answers and keeping their superiors happy. As long as the problem eventually resolves, nobody looks back.
For the sysadmin, though, reality is harsher. Systems don’t care about reporting lines or deadlines. They respond only to correct commands, correct configuration, and correct wiring of bits and bytes. If something goes wrong, it must be traced and fixed, often under pressure.
Cold, Heartless Computers
Take the failed server as an example. The cause could be:
- A simple hardware failure
- A software problem, like a patch conflict
- An unauthorised change, like the boot device being updated
The first two are usually easy to fix. The third can cause long-lasting issues and requires careful investigation to trace who did what and why.
Best Practices to the Rescue
This is where proper systems shine. Identity and Access Management (IAM) and audit trails can save a sysadmin hours of stress.
- IAM ensures only authorised personnel can make critical changes.
- Audit trails record who did what, and when, in a tamper-proof way.
What Managers Should Say
When faced with an IT incident, resist the urge to guess. Instead, try:
“We are investigating the issue. It could be hardware, a software misconfiguration, or a security incident. All necessary systems and best practices are in place to get to the bottom of it.”
This response keeps the superior confident and avoids spreading misinformation. It buys the sysadmin time to actually solve the problem.
Bottom line: Being great with servers doesn’t mean being great with people or decisions under pressure. Great sysadmins keep systems running. Great managers keep people calm and make smart decisions under pressure. Just because you can fix a server doesn’t mean you can handle an incident gracefully.
