At my office, there are two ways to remotely access the network. Via the dialup server or via Citrix. For a very long time, only Very Special People got Citrix, the rest of us were stuck with dialup. Which is fine, if I can work from home when the weather goes to shit, I don’t much care if it’s a slow connection and ties up my main phone line. Except that they have now shutdown the dialup server. And it’s gonna snow tomorrow. And I have to work.
Realizing this earlier in the week, I inquire as to Citrix access in case the weather is shitty. I watch boss fill out the forms. Today I inquire as to the status and she says that they didn’t have enough lead time. I call Bullshit. Not on her, but quietly to myself, as I know it doesn’t take any real amount of time to setup a Citrix account on their end, and it’s a thin client I can download myself here at home. This means the form has gotten stuck in some damn inbox somewhere. So I’m talking to my buddy in IT and bemoan the fact that I have to work this weekend, the dialup server is no more, which means I have to get into the office no matter how crappy it is, since they couldn’t get me Citrix in time. He says, “Send me a list of all the apps you need, and let me see what I can do.”
Within a couple hours, I have instructions on how to get it installed here, the account is setup and all is right with the world - and the form is still in someone’s inbox awaiting approval.
I was able to get it installed and tested here tonight with no problems whatsoever and it just goes to show, sometimes you just have to know who you can quietly bitch to in order to make things happen, and it pays to be nice to folks, cause then they’re willing to help you out. A big ol’ thank you email has already been sent out to those responsible.
And OMG, it is SO much better than the dialup server was.
