If i take down someones network what are the penalties in Australia.

[Ducttape n Glue]

I'm old enough to remember when we had the first /HPCanons something like LS or LPT( my memory is gone) something or something printer engines in 1984 and we would go out on a service call and say well its not the hardware so it must be the software or the computer and then the customer would call the software guy and he would say its the computer and the computer guy would come out and say it was the software and the printer, well you get the idea, nobody back then did it all and the customers had to pay everyone or in some cases no one cus it was the fault of the something else so they did'nt want to pay for the call.
There was also what I think was called Errors and Omissions Insurance or some other liability insurance that the dealership added to their policy and that was suppose to cover them/ tech in just this very case, if you brought down a customers website or any other IT related issue they may have caused.
Our neighbor has an online retail store that does 3/4 of a million a year in business and his provider went down for 2 days and they blamed a tech doing work at the server. Well 3/4 of a million divided by 365 days x 2 = $4,109.58 on average and their insurance paid.
Recomendation: Buy the insurance if your a dealership that plays with the customers IT stuff. It should be part of your standard liability insurance policy, check.

[emujo]

I think the IT side is the absolute best possible facet of todays copier tech. With a little knowlege you can be very dangerous, but a well trained tech can look like a f***ing wizard and may account for the customers decision to add/replace their MFPs when the time comes. I personally think that 90% of the knowlege you need comes from OJT and that A+ cert you have is only to give you the basics. Most IT departments have little knowledge on exactly how a perphial must be set up to print/scan ect..and will rely on the tech to get things running smoothly. My best advice is to jump in and get your hands dirty, use these forums to ask questions and get answers to questions you know the customer will ask. Setting up a scan/print solution for a customer running the latest server may be daunting, but after a few times it becomes fairly simple. As long as we have techs that are afraid to work on the print/scan end of the MFP, I'm sure I will have a job. Emujo

[Ducttape n Glue]

I think the IT side is the absolute best possible facet of todays copier tech. With a little knowlege you can be very dangerous, but a well trained tech can look like a f***ing wizard and may account for the customers decision to add/replace their MFPs when the time comes. I personally think that 90% of the knowlege you need comes from OJT and that A+ cert you have is only to give you the basics. Most IT departments have little knowledge on exactly how a perphial must be set up to print/scan ect..and will rely on the tech to get things running smoothly. My best advice is to jump in and get your hands dirty, use these forums to ask questions and get answers to questions you know the customer will ask. Setting up a scan/print solution for a customer running the latest server may be daunting, but after a few times it becomes fairly simple. As long as we have techs that are afraid to work on the print/scan end of the MFP, I'm sure I will have a job. Emujo

I wholeheartedly agree. When my IT guy goes out and does an install and networks the customers printer , we look like heroes. We have gone in and saved clients from their own outsourced IT people who can screw things up just as well as the next guy, or they usually try and make it so complicated that the customer has to have them involved for every little change or add on.
Another thing, many of the younger techs grew up with this stuff and can whip around it like nothing. It's some of us older folks who really didn't keep ourselves up to date who suffer if we have to do it ourselves.
Don't let yourself fall behind the technology.

[fixthecopier]

I wish I knew more about the IT side. I pick up bits from my IT people, and will do stuff for them with phone support.. Just yesterday, I rebuilt someones fuser, they called back an hour later to say they could not print since I worked on it. I went back to check the basics, then told them I would send an IT guy next morn. The main thing that limits me is that my main customer is not allowed to print to my copiers, so I have few IT problems to solve. My belief is that the more you know, the more power you have.

[mrwho]

My belief is that the more you know, the more power you have.

Right on the nail you hit, my friend.

[/yoda]

[oldrn]

Another thing, many of the younger techs grew up with this stuff and can whip around it like nothing. It's some of us older folks who really didn't keep ourselves up to date who suffer if we have to do it ourselves.
Don't let yourself fall behind the technology.

I found this thread while looking for help on installing connected copiers on a network with a server. This older folk copier tech is having a tough time keeping up with technology. A small office supply business tech in an economically depressed area (depressed even before the recession) selling few multi-function machines makes it tough to find opportunities to learn or practice connectivity issues. I work in an office where the owner does not allow me to learn(much) on our small pier-to-pier network.( He knows less about networking than I do.) I am allowed to install print drivers on the service dept PC to test equipment but that's about it. If anything happens on the network, he doesn't consider it a useful learning experience. I went to a local college to learn inter-networking but did not get into servers. Even if our customers have someone doing their IT work, it would be good to know more about server environments. I could set up a server on my home network but don't know how many copiers I could get into my house to practice with... Any thoughts on training avenues for this 50 something year old tech who isn't afraid to learn?

[mrwho]

Most of the basic network experience you can learn is done while practicing. What I usually recommend to people when they ask me that is "Get a couple of PCs at your home and make your own peer-to-peer network, then do the usual stuff: share the internet between them, share your home deskjet or otherwise printer (if it has a network card it's a big bonus) and configure all your PCs to print to it, etc". That probably won't tech you much about networking the MFPs, but at least will make you comfortable setting up and troubleshooting common network problems and, while at it, you'll hopefully learn about IP addresses, DNS, gateways, subnetmasks, and what they are about.

[Venom]

Have the customer sit in front of the server and tell them which buttons to press...if it crashes...you didn't touch it

[tcs04]

I just LOVE it when the on site (Or external) IT guy says "I'll install the driver myself" because I KNOW the first call will be "WE can't staple" and the driver won't have the finisher set up!!... Or the LCT... OR the paper bank... Great way to gain points with the operator!! Just say "We won't charge this time and when something does go wrong remind them how you helped last time!

[D_L_P]

...the first call will be "WE can't staple" and the driver won't have the finisher set up!!... Or the LCT... OR the paper bank...

AMEN!

Very good advice about playing with your home network, MRWho. I have 2 computers and an inkjet printer and just setting it up to share 1 folder to transfer files was extremely helpful.

I agree with TheOwl, if their network is that important you probably won't be allowed near it. On the other hand if there is no in house IT staff you probably don't have much of a choice and they probably aren't going to be that inconvenienced if their server needs a reboot. But technically I know I'd be liable if anything happened so I just use my best judgment.