OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing

1 site - 3 servers - 40 ws - 60 people - 1 IT person

Gary Polvinale
Denton ATD

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
We have two full time degreed IT professionals on staff here at ASPI. We
have about 180 employees.

Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing

After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
We have myself and a network Admin. He's does break fix work as well as
manages the network. He had limited experience before he came but has
learned fast. I'm the IT Manager and I normally take care of Vantage,
Programming, Document Imaging, and any network admin work that is our of my
Network Admins skill set. We also monitor and support a sister company's
satellite plant. We have 32 Vantage users and 20 Data Collections users.
We run Terminal Services, Exchange, SQL Server, SMS Server and Vantage 5.1.
We also have a very needy Engineering Department where we support Catia on
RS6000's, Mechanical Desktop, AutoCAD Inventor and two Oce printer/plotters.
We have about 70 PC's total.
Thanks
Jeremy Leonard
IT Manager
K-T Corporation


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Lipham [mailto:pml@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:31 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


We have two full time degreed IT professionals on staff here at ASPI. We
have about 180 employees.

Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing

After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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83:HM/A=1182689/R=0/*http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/990-1736-1039-335%0D%
0A>

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
4 sites - 3 states - 4 servers - 72 pc's - 1 AS/400 ... Currently 120
employees ( 240 - 2 years ago ) ...

2 IT people 2 years ago - now 1

How much do you spend per year for your "Computer Consultant" ?

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

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<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=228862.2128520.3581629.2225242/D=egroupweb/S=17050071
83:HM/A=1182689/R=0/*http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/990-1736-1039-335>


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
We are somewhat smaller (1 plant, 140 emp, 60 PCs, 4 servers) and have one
full time IT person (me). Used to have an assistant but he got RIF'd. You
ought to be able to justify a PC/Net Technician for less $ and continue to
handle the admin/strategy side. If you wern't doing the "technical" stuff
how much more value could you add to the company elsewhere? That's the
usual way to justify an addition.
-Todd C.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT

<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=228862.2128520.3581629.2225242/D=egroupweb/S=17050071
83:HM/A=1182689/R=0/*http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/990-1736-1039-335>


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
In my experience our title should be Comptroller!

Edward F. Fox, Jr., CPA
Controller
Maxson Automatic Machinery Company
Phone: 401-596-0162 x110
Fax: 401-596-1050
www.maxsonautomatic.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Rick,

....just my 2 cents.......I work at a tool & die company. It is rare to have an IT person such as myself in this type of environment. Before I came along the company that I work for (like yours) also used a 3rd party company for any IT work but on an as-needed basis as well. The owner of the company saw a need for improvements everywhere in the company and that included technology. So, I was brought on.

I would say that with the amount of locations, servers, and applications that you guys are running you definitely need an in-house IT person. The company I work for only has 1 location, 45 employees, and 2 servers. So, to me it's amazing that your company doesn't have an IT person!

The upgrade of Vantage, let alone maintaining 5 servers throughout 3 locations can be quite involved and unnerving if you're not comfortable supporting all of that on a full-time basis. Yes, the initial cost to keep an IT person in-house can be high, but IT people have a tendency to see room for great improvement (cost-saving) benefits for a company and be aware of the latest technical innovations (cost-saving) that most users are not aware of.

Okay, I'm climbing down from the soap-box!

Wendy Bowen
Network Administrator
Schmald Tool & Die, Inc.
Burton, Michigan


----- Original Message -----
From: Ludwig, Rick
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:36 AM
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Rick,

I was recently hired as IT Manager to manage 3 locations with 6 servers at
the head-end, and 2 in each remote location. Our remote locations are
running Citrix to connect to the Vantage dbserver. I have about 60 nodes
company-wide with approximately 300 employees (including labor). I had no
experience with Vantage before coming on board. Like yourself before my
arrival the CFO was taking care of all IT related needs. (I am new to
manufacturing) In my opinion if technology is strategic part of your
business you really can't run it wihtout a full-time IS person.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by
myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on
staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our
company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server &
one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that
our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with
Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my
thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Todd-

Thanks for your response! Good thought! We have been toying around with
the idea of adding a cost accountant in order to enable us to better gauge
our manufacturing cost via Vantage. If I were to pick my poison, I'd rather
double as the cost accountant vs. the IT professional!

Thanks!

Rick Ludwig


-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Caughey [mailto:caugheyt@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:41 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing

We are somewhat smaller (1 plant, 140 emp, 60 PCs, 4 servers) and have one
full time IT person (me). Used to have an assistant but he got RIF'd. You
ought to be able to justify a PC/Net Technician for less $ and continue to
handle the admin/strategy side. If you wern't doing the "technical" stuff
how much more value could you add to the company elsewhere? That's the
usual way to justify an addition.
-Todd C.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT

<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=228862.2128520.3581629.2225242/D=egroupweb/S=17050071
83:HM/A=1182689/R=0/*http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/990-1736-1039-335>


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
We share a number of similar characteristics, four plants 180 employees
comparable network layout. IT staff of two, me and primarily a
technician/Access guy. The technician handles all the PC and printing issues
and some limited network related tasks. My primary responsibilities are to
oversee and manage all informational systems and keep all aspects of Vantage
up and running. I grew into my current position and am primarily self taught
with no formal education or technical training. Given my limited experience
and education I too contract the bigger projects out to a consulting firm
who also provides support when issues present themselves that are over my
head. I perform all of the upgrades and application of patches and handle
all security matters. We also have an individual that wears the hat of
Vantage Guru who handles most of the day to day Vantage issues as well as
creates all of our specialized reports. This arrangement keeps me very busy
and works well for us.



In Christ

Randy Vander Galien

IS Manager

Heartland EPS



-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing



After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
We're running 3 servers, and have around 40 desktops. The manufacturing
manager doubles as the network admin, while I act under the Operations
Manager as the Vantage tech, report writer and programmer, assisting the
network administrator as needed. Most of my time is spent writing reports,
though I'm also writing a few simple solidworks add ins and file management
utilities.

We also have a certified consultant who does our major server work.

Thaddeus

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Smith [mailto:mark_smith@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 7:48 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


Rick,

I was recently hired as IT Manager to manage 3 locations with 6 servers at
the head-end, and 2 in each remote location. Our remote locations are
running Citrix to connect to the Vantage dbserver. I have about 60 nodes
company-wide with approximately 300 employees (including labor). I had no
experience with Vantage before coming on board. Like yourself before my
arrival the CFO was taking care of all IT related needs. (I am new to
manufacturing) In my opinion if technology is strategic part of your
business you really can't run it wihtout a full-time IS person.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by
myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on
staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our
company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server &
one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that
our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with
Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my
thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
4 plants in 2 countries
250 employees
9 servers or various function
160 workstations
27 Vantage
55 Data Collection
15 Citrix remote users
1 degreed IT professional (me)
1 partially degreed apprentice/protegee
never a dull moment... Priceless!
;)


-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
Hi Bob Christian here Gasser & Sons inc.
I'm in a similar position I am the controller and computer "guru" also. I
have 2 servers 37 users and a total of 100 employees. Sometime I am swamped
with computer stuff when I should be doing controller things, like today I
should be preparing the monthly statement but I am fighting a virus. The
owner helps me a lot new installs etc
I also use an outside cons. but he knows vantage so he is great Mark
Charamut at Caesar Development Sometimes
I get nuts but it keeps me out of trouble
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ludwig, Rick" <RickL@...>
To: <Vantage@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:36 AM
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


> After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by
myself,
> I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on
staff
> - either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
> computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
> in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our
company
> makeup:
>
> * Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
> * 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
> corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server &
one
> Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
> * 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
> Citrix to connect remotely)
> * We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
> third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
> * We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that
our
> beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
> always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with
Vantage)
>
> Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my
thoughts
> to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Rick Ludwig
>
> Corporate Controller
> Metal Spinners, Inc.
> Angola, IN 46703
> DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
> FAX (260) 665-5327
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
> (1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
> (2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
> (3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
Thanks for your comments! That's just what I needed to cheer me up after my
failed attempt to migrate to 5.1! I was hired knowing that I would be
taking on SOME computer responsibilities (basic networking & setting up
users, restarting servers, etc.), however, in my nearly 3 years here, we
have moved from an old legacy system supported locally by a computer
consultant, to Vantage supported by yours truly! I've been told by Misha1
that we are only using 25% of Vantage's capabilities. One of my management
goals is to increase our use of Vantage (data collection, implementation by
our other location still on the legacy system, G/L interface, etc.),
however, without a local computer support person familiar with our network &
Vantage, the problems fall back onto myself! As you can see, I'm still
letting off a little steam!!

Thanks!

Rick Ludwig


-----Original Message-----
From: Wendy Bowen [mailto:wpursche@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:43 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing

Rick,

....just my 2 cents.......I work at a tool & die company. It is rare to
have an IT person such as myself in this type of environment. Before I came
along the company that I work for (like yours) also used a 3rd party company
for any IT work but on an as-needed basis as well. The owner of the company
saw a need for improvements everywhere in the company and that included
technology. So, I was brought on.

I would say that with the amount of locations, servers, and applications
that you guys are running you definitely need an in-house IT person. The
company I work for only has 1 location, 45 employees, and 2 servers. So, to
me it's amazing that your company doesn't have an IT person!

The upgrade of Vantage, let alone maintaining 5 servers throughout 3
locations can be quite involved and unnerving if you're not comfortable
supporting all of that on a full-time basis. Yes, the initial cost to keep
an IT person in-house can be high, but IT people have a tendency to see room
for great improvement (cost-saving) benefits for a company and be aware of
the latest technical innovations (cost-saving) that most users are not aware
of.

Okay, I'm climbing down from the soap-box!

Wendy Bowen
Network Administrator
Schmald Tool & Die, Inc.
Burton, Michigan


----- Original Message -----
From: Ludwig, Rick
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:36 AM
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by
myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on
staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our
company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server &
one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that
our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with
Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my
thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Let's summarize this, Rick;
- Multiple locations
- >150 employees,
- Citrix
- Vantage
- Expansion under way

- And no dedicated IT person? I don't think you should wait with contacting
the president about creating an IT position. As a controller, your plate is
probably already loaded as it is. I am sure you guys have been doing a
great job so far, but as your company grows, it would benefit from hiring a
full time IT person.

Just my $0.02

Paul Siebers

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Thanks for your response! We currently spend under $10k/yr., however, with
the upgrade to 5.1, data collection, and possibility of creating custom
Vantage reports (we currently do not use ANY custom reports), I foresee that
I'm going to become more of a computer tech vs. a controller in the future.

Thanks!

Rick Ludwig


-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:38 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing

4 sites - 3 states - 4 servers - 72 pc's - 1 AS/400 ... Currently 120
employees ( 240 - 2 years ago ) ...

2 IT people 2 years ago - now 1

How much do you spend per year for your "Computer Consultant" ?

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

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<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=228862.2128520.3581629.2225242/D=egroupweb/S=17050071
83:HM/A=1182689/R=0/*http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/990-1736-1039-335>


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
This is a great thread; it's nice to compare what other facilities do.

We have 2 main facilities; each has its own Vantage license and user
base. We also have another facility that uses Vantage from our main
facility remotely. In the past 6 months we consolidated 3 other
locations into 1 our corporate office but we still have 3 major
locations. Across these locations, I have 8 servers (overkill, but keep
in mind the consolidation. I even have a server with Vista on it, but
its not in use), 75-80 Vantage workstations with maybe 20-30 other
networked users but not using Vantage. I was hired 4 years ago at a
child company to help decrease the money spent on consultants. It took
me a year to prove that my effort could easily replace the 'comfort
level' everyone had with the consultant. The argument I heard often was
that an IT position wasn't a full time job so I needed to help out in
other areas. Long and short of it, I helped implement Vantage and I
help in sales whenever I can. This has progressed into the company
moving me to the corporate office and running the IT aspects of all
facilities. I have a person at the other 2 locations that are
knowledgeable in Vantage and know the difference between a CPU and a
stick of RAM to help me troubleshoot hardware issues remotely. My
duties are truly an IT role, anything to do with Information, both data
and voice it falls into my department. From troubleshooting a user who
can't print to reviewing all bills associated to phone, voicemail, data,
maintenance, and etc. With all that said, in my opinion an IT position
is easy to justify if you can compare a cost for a consultant and have
the IT person able to help out in areas when not doing IT duties. I
would definitely get data on a consultant's hourly charge and then do
the math at 5-10 hours a week for a year. In the Denver and Albuquerque
area, it's not crazy to see a consultant charge $100-$150 and hour.
$100 an hour for 10 hours a week is $1000!! I will stop now because I
recently had to argue this point with the CFO here and I can go on and
on about the justification.

Thanks,

Jim MacMillan
IT Manager
Synergy Manufacturing
Work-303-790-9200
Cell-505-453-8704


-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing



After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by
myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on
staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks &
computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our
company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server &
one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are
using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting
our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that
our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with
Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my
thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






Yahoo! Groups Sponsor



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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder
and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
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<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder
and Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
1 Plant - Two buildings with offices in both.
2 Servers - 1 Snap (FileServer) - 1 Mail Server - 25 PCs w/ WinNT based LAN
20 Vantage Users
50 employees internal and 15 field crew
1 Data Collection (For clocking in and out, mornings and evenings)

My Primary job is in the Engineering Department (HA! HA!)
Our IT Department is me.
The Secondary Job includes:
Help Desk - which means if anybody, has any questions, about anything related to any software, they ask me.
Hardware installation/setup/repair and network setup - BLAH - BLAH - BLAH, you know the drill.
My training includes reading the manuals, help screens and paying close attention when someone with more knowledge shows up.
(Short Description = Hands On)
Any serious network or PC break downs we call a reliable local consulting firm who is capable of both hardware and software support.
Our consulting firm also has personnel trained in DB programming.
This has proved to be a great help when upgrading.
They do their magic on the servers and I deal with all the PC's

Bosses get real comfortable not having to pay for a college degree, when they have someone who can deal with 95% of the problems.
Frankly I can't say I blame them either.

It sounds as though you're on the edge of needing to hire a full time person, more for your networking than Vantage.
However once you have them, send them for some training in Vantage's idiosyncrasies.
You win all around.


----- Original Message -----
From: Ludwig, Rick
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:36 AM
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
No custom reports? That's passing up a huge benefit from the system. The
time I spend writing RB is paid back many many times over in measurable
savings. Heck, RB reports I've written directly led to several staff
reductions of people who spent all day keying info into spreadsheets for
reporting. Now the reports are automatic and/or on Vantage menus. Our
decision making has improved immensely from having quick accurate
information not otherwise available on standard reports. I think a full
time IT person trained in RB and Crystal who could also handle
hardware/network issues would be a very quick payback.
-Todd C.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 10:24 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


Thanks for your response! We currently spend under $10k/yr., however, with
the upgrade to 5.1, data collection, and possibility of creating custom
Vantage reports (we currently do not use ANY custom reports), I foresee that
I'm going to become more of a computer tech vs. a controller in the future.

Thanks!

Rick Ludwig


-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:38 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing

4 sites - 3 states - 4 servers - 72 pc's - 1 AS/400 ... Currently 120
employees ( 240 - 2 years ago ) ...

2 IT people 2 years ago - now 1

How much do you spend per year for your "Computer Consultant" ?

-----Original Message-----
From: Ludwig, Rick [mailto:RickL@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:37 AM
To: 'Vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] OT-SURVEY: IT Staffing


After a frustrating weekend of trying to convert from 4.0 to 5.1 by myself,
I was curious how many companies of similar size have an IT person on staff
- either part or full time? I am the controller and a CPA, but AM NOT a
computer guru (I've learned most of what I know about networks & computers
in the 3 years I've been here)! Following is a brief outline of our company
makeup:

* Manufacturer with 3 plants - total headcount of 160
* 5 servers company-wide (one at each remote site and 3 at our
corporate location - one running Vantage/data storage, one mail server & one
Citrix server) w/ LAN in place
* 35 desktops company-wide (20 using Vantage, 4 of which are using
Citrix to connect remotely)
* We are planning on implementing Data Collection and getting our
third location up and running on Vantage via Citrix late this year
* We do use an independent computer consultant for problems that our
beyond my "limited" expertise, but on an as-needed basis and he is not
always available to be on site when needed (he is not familiar with Vantage)

Before I approach the company president with my frustrations and my thoughts
to hire someone, I'd like your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

Rick Ludwig

Corporate Controller
Metal Spinners, Inc.
Angola, IN 46703
DIRECT (260) 665-2192 x225
FAX (260) 665-5327



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.> >
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages> >
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>
< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links> >

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
< http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> > .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>



Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT

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83:HM/A=1207826/R=0/*http://www.buywirelessnow.com/sonyericsson/handset_T68i
.asp>

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]