City Servers Hacked

[patric]

Three weeks after the City of Tulsa's IT department thought the city's Web site had been hacked, the city has spent roughly $45,000 to fix the problem that didn't exist...
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Tulsans-upset-over-IT-hacking-blunder-and-costs/Ga8LKaV2Bk-7YbXBRBYuNA.cspx

But the alleged "hacker" was actually a consulting firm the city hired a year and a half ago to periodically scan the city's Web site looking for holes that hackers could find. In this case, the company found the hole.
...the city spent close to $20,000 mailing out 90,000 letters alerting people their information might have been stolen.
It also spent another $25,000 hiring an outside consulting firm to help fix the problem and get the site back up and operating.

The City of Tulsa is also looking to hire another outside consulting firm to help restructure the IT department to make sure it runs more efficiently and that this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

[sgrizzle]

The City of Tulsa is also looking to hire another outside consulting firm to help restructure the IT department to make sure it runs more efficiently and that this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

I'll do it for free, and I'm not meaning that maliciously.

[Townsend]

I'll do it for free, and I'm not meaning that maliciously.

It will take them years to check the box Scott.  I, as a tax payer, appreciate your offer though.

[Conan71]

How many people are on IT payroll?

And it took how long to figure this CF out?

[patric]

I'll do it for free, and I'm not meaning that maliciously.

The city has accepted free professional services in the past, I'd let Blake know.

[Gaspar]

I'll do it for free, and I'm not meaning that maliciously.

The city does not do free.  

If you were to say, "I will do it for $8,000," you'd have a better chance.


Just sayin.

[patric]

The city does not do free.  
If you were to say, "I will do it for $8,000," you'd have a better chance.
Just sayin.

Cough..Cough..Clark Brewster...Cough...

[sgrizzle]

The city does not do free.  

If you were to say, "I will do it for $8,000," you'd have a better chance.


Just sayin.

Fine. I'll charge $1

[Townsend]

Fine. I'll charge $1

Send them this with your $1 offer.



That way they may get the idea.

(inside joke btw)

[sgrizzle]

Send them this with your $1 offer.



That way they may get the idea.

(inside joke btw)

image didn't work, but yeah.

[Townsend]

TW FB post:

City leaders are launching an intensive review of the Information Technology Department in the wake of an apparent website hacking that turned out not to be a security breach.

[patric]

The city does not do free.

Actually I think there is a lot of truth in that.
There have been many times when a committee or group has been taken aback when consulting with me on municipal lighting because I do not charge or represent a vendor of some sort.

[Gaspar]

Actually I think there is a lot of truth in that.
There have been many times when a committee or group has been taken aback when consulting with me on municipal lighting because I do not charge or represent a vendor of some sort.

When you don't charge a fee, they question your motives and the value of your advice (because you have established that it has no value).  If you cause them to make a mistake that reflects badly on them, it looks even worse especially when public believes they took your advice over better advice simply because it was free.

Excuse my Randian nature, but offering something for nothing diminishes the general market value and the perceived quality of the product or service that you offer.  Over time both the product and the supplier become marginalized.

[Conan71]

When you don't charge a fee, they question your motives and the value of your advice (because you have established that it has no value).  If you cause them to make a mistake that reflects badly on them, it looks even worse especially when public believes they took your advice over better advice simply because it was free.

Excuse my Randian nature, but offering something for nothing diminishes the general market value and the perceived quality of the product or service that you offer.  Over time both the product and the supplier become marginalized.

That's why you can leave a clothes dryer on the curb with a "free" sign on it and it will be there for days.

Put a price tag of $50 on it and you can count on someone stealing it as soon as the sun goes down or your car leaves the driveway.

There's no perceived value when the cost is nothing.  Attach a price to it and suddenly it has value.

[Gaspar]

That's why you can leave a clothes dryer on the curb with a "free" sign on it and it will be there for days.

Put a price tag of $50 on it and you can count on someone stealing it as soon as the sun goes down or your car leaves the driveway.

There's no perceived value when the cost is nothing.  Attach a price to it and suddenly it has value.

First thing I tell my prospective clients is that my product is one of the most expensive on the market.  Then all I have to do is prove it's value.