‘Guess I’ll delete everything': Employee retires and deletes all of client's files, company doesn't have a backup

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
May 29, 2024 7:00 AM EDT

To work in IT, you need an elephant's skin. This person recounted their struggles as an IT admin at a tiny MSP… and it wasn't pretty.

A former colleague of theirs, known for poor judgment, left behind a ticking time bomb: a client's infrastructure in shambles. The server ran an obsolete operating system, backups were faulty, and crucial data was stored on the same drive as the vulnerable OS. The client, averse to upgrades, exemplified the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, even when presented with evidence of malfunctioning systems. You can see where this is going.

This situation reached a boiling point when the client's data vanished. Can't say I didn't see that one coming. The blame landed on… surprise again… the IT admin who had replaced the incompetent dude. Well, that just wouldn't do! Why should he take the fall if he wasn't responsible for it in the first place? Scroll down to read what happened.

Then, here is a story about a teenager whose sister stole their mother's pocket money that was supposed to get him home from an exam.

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  • 01
    888 "I'm retired now. Guess I'll delete everything!"
    via Canva
  • 02
    Welp, I'm retired now! Guess I'll delete everything
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 03
    A while back I shared a story about a guy who wanted the admin password so he could install some malware on his work pc. Not too long ago I had to handle his "retirement", so yeah, you guys called that one. Problem is that I'm still handling a lot of tech debt from the previous guy who handled this client's infrastructure, this was a real piece of
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 04
    work. I'm talking 10yo server OS thats EoL 3 yrs prior to me starting there and nobody will fork out the cash to upgrade it, busted filesystem ACLs from a botched recovery of a ransomware attack several years prior, the client being firmly of the mindset of "it just works so dont touch it"... you know, just normal small msp sysadmin stuff.
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 05
    Anyway, Client reaches out to me in a panic one monday morning. Turns out our favorite idiot "retired" and nobody thought to tell me to lock down his pc or make sure he didnt do anything stupid... like delete the entire shared folder. Now about this system - The backups... dont work. I've been sounding the alarm on this for months and everyone just goes "yeah thats a problem, we need to bill the client for a new solution, ill get onto that hmmmmmmm never".
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 06
    Fortunately for this client, a few weeks back I had made a complete copy of his entire share folder to put onto a different drive, but never finished moving shares across nor had I deleted these files (he has 3 raid arrays, but someone in their infinite wisdom thought that the best place to put all company data was on a split partition on the OS array. I hope the guy I replaced got put in an asylum).
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 07
    Fortunately I was able to recover most of the files for the client but he tried to blame me for this, which I swiftly 180'd with a dozen emails of me hounding my boss and him about how these backups are busted and I need this and this and this to fix them because your server is woefully out of date and everyone expects the latest and greatest software to run on decade old equipment and cost literally nothing.
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 08
    Anyway, I'm looking for a new job, it's only a matter of time before this place gets hit by a ransomware attack and the client's stubbornness and my boss's eagerness to please is going to result in bus sized tire marks all over my torso. (Quick aside to anyone who's about to comment about how I need to get my manager or my HR involved - this MSP is tiny. I'm signed on to be I.T. Support but I do everything. I might as well be self-employed. Trust me when I say the answer is to wash my hands clea
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 09
    Capt_Blackmoore · 18 hr. ago Zombie IT Yeah you I have it right, get the fɩk out of dodge. I hope you have provided yourself with copies of all your communication as i would expect this employer to come after you with a lawsuit, when you have only done as allowed. 297 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 10
    MrDeeJayy OP. 17 hr. ago A sysadmin's job on an L1 Tech Support salary nah plan is to get this client's server infrastructure up to basics and then bounce. I've convinced him to pay for gcloud coldline weekly snapshots with a 2yr retention policy, and his new server runs win server 2022, his company data is on a seperate array to his OS and I'm confident thats going to be just fine for now.
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 11
    Someone with a little more expertise might find some ways to improve but honestly they need someone to just... go in there and overhaul everything. So much s. is done the wrong way and there's too much push back to get things done the right way. Without going into too much detail, Password 01 is a real password someone uses. (EDIT: no actually that isn't their real password but it might as well be) 117 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 12
    mafiaknight 17 hr. ago 418 IM_A_TEAPOT It's "P@$$w0rD!!!" Isn't it? That is a real password I actually saw in person. 35 Reply Share MrDeeJayy OP. 9 hr. ago A sysadmin's job on an L1 Tech Support salary No, sadly its not that complex. When I first started working with this client they all had the same password. I've since taken the liberty of saying "ohh sorry I don't have your password saved, I can reset it remotely with a random password, I'll CC it to <the payroll person> so she can print it
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 13
    _Terryist 18 hr. ago Strike out on your own. If they call, bill them at 10x your current hourly rate (or $120/hour, whichever is greater) with a 40 hour minimum, prepaid. If they bite, it's good money. If they don't, it's good for your soul. 91 Reply Share ozzie 286 17 hr. ago If bro is only getting paid $12/hour, I hear McD's is hiring. 47 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 14
    MrDeeJayy OP. 17 hr. ago A sysadmin's job on an L1 Tech Support salary I'm being paid $27/hr but the going rate is $35-45 for what I do. $27 is the bare minimum they're legally allowed to pay me. I will say the advantage of this place I will miss is the ability to largely choose my own hours. Like for the past week I've had literally no work but I still get paid for at least two days work. That said though, no work and all play makes MrDeeJayy a very bored boy. 62 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 15
    _Terryist. 17 hr. ago $270 an hour would probably be about right as an independent contractor, assuming it's just labor 28 Reply Share MrDeeJayy OP. 17 hr. ago A sysadmin's job on an L1 Tech Support salary on average independent contractors around these parts bill $60-$80 per hour, 2 hr minimum, and then throw in cost of fuel, parking, and lunch. 20 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 16
    Cygnata 18 hr. ago They should be suing the guy who deleted the files. 32 Reply Share TrippTrappTrinn · 18 hr. ago That would cost them the money they should have used to fix the backup. And all the person need to say is that he thought these were his copy of the files, and if they are important, where is the backup?
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 17
    MrDeeJayy OP. 18 hr. ago A sysadmin's job on an L1 Tech Support salary I believe there will be repercussions for this guy, but I'm not privy to those details. 26 Reply Share jasapper 10 hr. ago I've already rebooted (last month) Heh I'm guessing all of the references to "retirement" in quotes suggests you were hinting about it not being entirely voluntary. That would explain the "oops, did I do that?" deletion but underscores how dumb they were to not include you in the lockdown phase. Sounds li
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 18
    Iamonly 17 hr. ago Remember, when you live under the bus long enough you learn to dodge the wheels. Time to roll out the way. 14 Reply Share ...
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 19
    PolloMagnifico 18 hr. ago Please... just be smarter than the computer... Nah, if you're doing all the work, you need to sit the owner down and have a discussion about making at least half the money. He's basically running your business for you. 13 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 20
    MrDeeJayy OP. 17 hr. ago A sysadmin's job on an L1 Tech Support salary I mean, he does manage the contracts, payments, billing, and sourcing equipment plus he has a warehouse full of refurbished equipment i can deploy on short notice, so he's not exactly bringing nothing to the table. But yeah, his eagerness to please but his hands-off attitude does mean I'm sticking my neck out more than I should be on matters he should be sticking his neck out on instead. 17 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy
  • 21
    flecom 16 hr. ago Computer Custodial Services what makes you think it was the previous guys fault everything was old and sh. if they would not let you make it not old and st. "y? some people just say f ck it not my problem and collect a check after a while, you'll get there too trust me 3 Reply Share
    via u/MrDeeJayy

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