It's a well known fact that developers and tech support people typically don't get along. The developers want freedom to do as they like with their machines, while the tech support guys want to close everything down, mainly for security reasons.
Sometimes this can get quite ridiculous. I recently heard a story about a development team building a web app that required Firefox compatibility, yet they were not allowed to install Firefox on their machines! Another typical example which recently came up at TSS, is developers going to great lengths to disable virus scanning software because it makes their IDEs unbearably slow.
As always, solving this conflict requires a middle-of-the-road solution. I agree that giving developers unlimited privileges on machines that are connected to production networks is an unwanted security violation. Similarly it's unacceptable to bog down a development machine to the point where the developer can no longer properly do his job. One of the better solutions I have encountered is a separate development network. This development network is an isolated sandbox where the developers reign supreme without putting other parts of the network or organization at risk.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
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It's a continuous war between IT tech support specialists and developers. But in the end, what matters is how that middle-of-the-road solution affects the company's activity. Compromises can be made, there's no doubt about it. Both departments are necessary for the well-being of the company. None of them is more important than the other, one produces, while the other protects.
ReplyDelete"One of the better solutions I have encountered is a separate development network. This development network is an isolated sandbox where the developers reign supreme without putting other parts of the network or organization at risk"
ReplyDelete> All those in favor say “aye”. Those opposed say “no”
> Aye.