Computer Maintenance Survey: Your or IT Dept???

I have been very curious whether SolidWorks users do their own computer
maintenance, installs, debugging, & dealing with virus-adware-spyware
software...or NOT.

Can you answer quickly for a self-informative survey of this SolidWorks
group hereabouts?

1. Yes, I manage-Fix everything.
2. I handle SolidWorks software installs
3. I handle all software issues on my Desktop/Laptop
4. No, the IT guy does it all.

I will tally the results after a week.

Thanks - Bo

 

I have had both. And when I had both the IT guy had enough and just
game me the keys to the city. It's much easier to do it your self then
to make the IT guy have to get off his arse to help.

KMaren

 

We have 7 seats of SW, all installed and maintained by myself. We have
4 workstations in engineering which were spec'd by me. The remainder
are our older workstations trickled down through the company. I
handle/try to handle anything SolidWorks related. Everything else is
in the hands of IT. There are probably another 40 computers, some of
which also use SW Viewer. I maintain the latest versions of Viewer and
eDrawings on the server for anyone requiring them.
As for the system I use everyday, I'll try to handle any non SolidWorks
related issue and ask for help from IT if I can't resolve it.

Rich

 

I have a pretty good situation here in that I pretty well have free run of
whatever, but also an IT dept that considers my knowledge & expertise
valuable. It's also a 2-way relationship in that they are good at what they
do. We each have our own areas of what we do & know better than others, but
work well together. If it's a SW issue, that's me. If it's a SW issue
that's related to hardware, or other software, that's mostly us. If it's an
ACAD issue, I try to avoid it.

WT

 

we have a consultant who takes care of networking/security; I do everything
else

 

1 - Another one man band who has to do it myself.

When I go to companies to make recommendations, I usually try to get a
sense about their IT departments. Sometimes you get lucky and get IT
people who understand that they are there to help, that the company
doesn't revolve around them. Most of the time, IT folks, good or not,
don't understand what engineers need (best exemplified by the ng poster
a month or so ago who advocated game cards and 17" monitors for CAD users).

I think it's best if the IT dept has someone dedicated to engineering,
or better yet someone inside engineering who understands IT. Most of it
isn't that difficult.

Matt

 

1. manage everything, occasionally I even set up other companies systems.

John Layne
www.solidengineering.co.nz

 

i am inbetween a 1 and 2. i do a lot of computer stuff and i also do a
lot of setup. but i also keep 1-2 IT staff going constantly to
implement what i figure out. so that just makes me a demigod. i
support < 20 seats of SWx and show users the rest of the story in
Windows beyond the basics. CAD setup is always beyond the call for IT
people, i wish it was otherwise. i could better spend my time actually
doing work. iQ

Did you notice that IT people and cousin it, both speak the same
language. I am sure that they say the same about us.

 

1.absolutely everything - build,install,manage,debug and fix.

My frustration with SW bugs, late sp, and regressions killed my interest in
new releases for the very reason it takes up too way too much time to mess
around with for a solo. Got off the update band wagon and it helped a lot
with productivity.Now there isn't a compelling need to keep up with all SW
issues every day. Will pick the time to come back when it seems like there
are a good number of features I could really make use of and wait for its
sp5. The software is functionally v.good - if only it worked better out of
the box and SW had their act together.
Sometimes I think it would be nice if I was in a small company that had a
specialist IT person to remove the overhead from my productive day. At
other times it is an interesting pursuit that brings variety and challenge
....+ and - in everything I suppose.

 

I wish I could get off the upgrade band wagon, unfortunatley when my
customers upgrade so do I.

John Layne
www.solidengineering.co.nz

 

We often handle minor non-SolidWorks issues ourselves, but our IT guys have
the primary responsibility. We also have to get their agreement when we buy
new workstations. It's OK, they're good guys.

Jerry Steiger
Tripod Data Systems
"take the garbage out, dear"

 

We have a small company here (4 SW seats) and:
1. I try to fix everything
2. I handle the SW software on all 4 seats and the eDrawings viewer on the
other computers in the office
3. I handle all software issues on my Desktop/Laptop
4. We have an external IT guy for the server, network and security issues

\/\/im

 

Wim, reviewing all the other dozen plus posts, it is OBVIOUS, that all
replies above noted that the users replying handle their own
workstation &/or others to for installs and maintenance.

That "self-help" attitude goes from single designer-users to larger
groups.

Only the network activity has some IT help, and that is likely
companies which are a bit larger.

I hope SolidWorks personnel read and copy this string of replies and
takes into account that it is key single users of SolidWorks who keep
their product running right in all the myriad ways it takes to make
that happen.

Then SolidWorks management has to make those key user's lives easier
and more consistent to keep them in SolidWorks for the long haul.

Bo

 

I did it all since 98+. I do it now with another. Works out pretty well
until MSoft changes OS.

1, 2, 3.

 

Same here