Okay, I'm quitting the company I work with, on VERY bad terms. To highlight... I came in as a systems administrator but was given tasks like 'oh help stuff envelopes', cleaning closets, and other mundane tasks. Okay, so that's not so bad.. But then the owner of the company yells at the vice president in front of everybody; then the VP comes and yells at me. The unprofessionalism that exudes from here is uncanny and besides, I'm not learning ANYTHING which is what my primary concern was anyway, just to get experience.
Their network runs at 10mbps on HUBS. We log into three Novell servers -- all varying versions and hardware. One of them is a 386 (yes, 3-8-6 we log into), another is a 486 and we have one really nice PowerEdge server from Dell, which is barely used at all, and we paid $20k for. Additionally, EVERYBODY logs in with ONE username. There is no security on the network for anything. There are no user groups on the NDS Tree, and since it's a singular user... really it's moot anyway. The conventional wisdom would be to make baby steps, perhaps upgrade our obscenely old hubs to switches so we run 100mbps on the network. It's a big step forward and doesn't cost a whole lot. My boss however (the VP) thinks we will get to that in about 4 or 5 years. Fine. When I got here there was no updates done for the Windows PCs (ie, Windows Update), most computers had NO antivirus software or obscenely outdated versions/definitions. The firewall here is (brilliantly) set up outside our network so it really doesn't manage any packets coming and going... it's just pretty looking in the rack. Our 'server room' consists of a regular room with an air conditioner.
Now revenge.. I've been pretty poorly treated here both in pay and in communication, and the level of rudeness in a professional environment is something I've never experienced before. Owners yell at VPs in front of employees. The owner has OCD (no joke, he seriously does) and stops all actual 'work' to tell us to 'line up these boxes they aren't straight'. Most of the management here has never had another job, which is to say that they took this job out of college and have never changed, and don't know the landscape of what a professional environment is.
That said... how can I get revenge, and should I do it? I admit there is a great feeling of satisfaction in 'sticking it to them'... and this is why I contemplate it. Anyways... the entire company runs on pirated software. And I don't mean a few copies.. I mean 50+ copies. We buy one license for Photoshop, Illustrator, etc... and install it on 50 PCs. The only thing we are legit with liscencing is Windows XP, since we buy computers pre-loaded with it. There is a 30 page document that details how to set up a PC which includes using a single key for every PC when we only have one license (or in many cases, NO licenses) for software.
So I was thinking that after I left, I'd file a report with the BSA.ORG (Business Software Alliance) and let them go thru an audit. My guess is that they'd owe over $200,000 in illegal software plus whatever else they may claim damages for. I mean figure with every PC running $10k in software with Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator, Office, Winzip, Acrobat, and more well.... it's pretty simple to see it would be a huge chunk of change.
So what do you think? Should I stick it to them, because of how I've been treated, or should I let it slide? I am a pretty quiet person and it takes a lot to make me mad, but trust me, by working here and getting yelled at and degraded for things you did not do well -- you'd feel just as pissed as me.
Let me know your opinions.
Their network runs at 10mbps on HUBS. We log into three Novell servers -- all varying versions and hardware. One of them is a 386 (yes, 3-8-6 we log into), another is a 486 and we have one really nice PowerEdge server from Dell, which is barely used at all, and we paid $20k for. Additionally, EVERYBODY logs in with ONE username. There is no security on the network for anything. There are no user groups on the NDS Tree, and since it's a singular user... really it's moot anyway. The conventional wisdom would be to make baby steps, perhaps upgrade our obscenely old hubs to switches so we run 100mbps on the network. It's a big step forward and doesn't cost a whole lot. My boss however (the VP) thinks we will get to that in about 4 or 5 years. Fine. When I got here there was no updates done for the Windows PCs (ie, Windows Update), most computers had NO antivirus software or obscenely outdated versions/definitions. The firewall here is (brilliantly) set up outside our network so it really doesn't manage any packets coming and going... it's just pretty looking in the rack. Our 'server room' consists of a regular room with an air conditioner.
Now revenge.. I've been pretty poorly treated here both in pay and in communication, and the level of rudeness in a professional environment is something I've never experienced before. Owners yell at VPs in front of employees. The owner has OCD (no joke, he seriously does) and stops all actual 'work' to tell us to 'line up these boxes they aren't straight'. Most of the management here has never had another job, which is to say that they took this job out of college and have never changed, and don't know the landscape of what a professional environment is.
That said... how can I get revenge, and should I do it? I admit there is a great feeling of satisfaction in 'sticking it to them'... and this is why I contemplate it. Anyways... the entire company runs on pirated software. And I don't mean a few copies.. I mean 50+ copies. We buy one license for Photoshop, Illustrator, etc... and install it on 50 PCs. The only thing we are legit with liscencing is Windows XP, since we buy computers pre-loaded with it. There is a 30 page document that details how to set up a PC which includes using a single key for every PC when we only have one license (or in many cases, NO licenses) for software.
So I was thinking that after I left, I'd file a report with the BSA.ORG (Business Software Alliance) and let them go thru an audit. My guess is that they'd owe over $200,000 in illegal software plus whatever else they may claim damages for. I mean figure with every PC running $10k in software with Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator, Office, Winzip, Acrobat, and more well.... it's pretty simple to see it would be a huge chunk of change.
So what do you think? Should I stick it to them, because of how I've been treated, or should I let it slide? I am a pretty quiet person and it takes a lot to make me mad, but trust me, by working here and getting yelled at and degraded for things you did not do well -- you'd feel just as pissed as me.
Let me know your opinions.