I'm truly, totally, completely shocked ... that Windows is still being used on the server side.
A bunch of enterprise services are Windows only. Also Active Directory is by far the best and easiest way to manage users and computers in an org filled with a bunch of end users on Windows desktops. Not to mention the metric shitload of legacy internal asp applications...
I know this has nothing to do with my home computer, but this just further affirms my decision to switch to Linux earlier this year.
Copilot just forced itself onto my personal machines again so it's just typical Windows fuckery all around.
You thought you were in control?
Our server, comrade.
When the OS becomes the virus
Since rolling back to the previous configuration will present a challenge, affected users will be faced with finding out just how effective their backup strategy is or paying for the required license and dealing with all the changes that come with Windows Server 2025.
Accidentally force your customers to have to spend money to upgrade, how convenient.
Congratulation, you are being upgraded. Please do not resist. And pay while we are at it.
Uh, if they didn't ask for it, how is Microsoft going to make them pay for it?
Since MS forced the upgrade, you should get 2025 for free. That would probably be really easy to argue in court
Ah, but did you read the article?
MS didn't force it, Heimdal auto-updated it for their customers based on the assumption that Microsoft would label the update properly instead of it being labeled as a regular security patch. Microsoft however made a mistake (on purpose or not? Who knows...) in labeling it.
Then it's still on Microsoft for pushing that update through what is essentially a patch pipeline
Misleading title. It was installed by a third-party updater, Heimdall, but MS labeled a Windows 11 update wrong.
They labelled an OS version upgrade as a security update.
Yet another reason to not do auto-updates in an enterprise environment for mission-critical services.
In an enterprise environment, you rely on a service that tracks CVEs, analyzes which ones apply to your environment, and prioritizes security critical updates.
The issue here is that one of these services installed a release upgrade because Microsoft mislabelled it as security update.
Should still be doing phased rollouts of any patches, and where possible, implementing them on pre-prod first.
For security updates in critical infrastructure, no. You want that right away, in best case instant. You can't risk a zero day being used to kill people.
Pre-prod is ideal, but a pipe dream for many. Lots of folks barely get prod.
We still stagger patching so things like this only wipe some of the critical infrastructure, but that still causes needless issues.
Wrong.
Microsoft labelled the update as a security update
Do system administrators still exist? Honest question. I was one of those years ago and layoffs, forced back to office bullshit drove me away
I knew a guy with almost that exact resume, except he told me it was chickens. He worked in Lagos during the week and went back to his chickens in rural Nigeria on the weekend.
I think they call them devops now.
I still prefer sysop.
Same.
yes, but we spend most of our time in meetings with cloud service vendors now.
I haven't been inside the server room for a month.
I only go in the server room to t-pose in front of the giant air conditioner to cool off.
I'm not necessarily talking about being in the server room, I'm talking about more like doing power shell stuff and the stuff you would think system administrators do. They are still teaching active directory in IT classes in college
Yes, this is still a crucial job role for most organizations.
There are dozens of us (working for MSPs because in house doesn't pay as well and companies are cheap and want to outsource that cost center)!
I switched from an MSP to a unionized in-house position, doubled my salary and my days of paid time off.
I worked for a classic MSP a while back, barely lasted 3 months. Such a toxic environment, tons of pressure to spread yourself thinner and thinner.
It was one of those places where you were expected to be there an hour early, stay an hour late, and work through your lunch.
Even though that's illegal, it was never explicit, just one of those, wink wink type things. But the workload was always so heavy, you couldn't stay on top of everything unless you were working 50+ hours a week.
And of course, all salary, no overtime or double time for weekend work.
I do internal IT now, much better. Trying to get my own one-person shop going to eventually be fully self-employed. Actually, it would be really cool to become a worker-owned co-op, but that's still a faint dream.
Currently in an MSP. It's all on the company culture as to if it's shit or not. We're fully wfh with no plans to move back to the office.
Overtime is never forced. If we have to work through lunch because all hell is breaking loose, we're practically encouraged to leave an hour early unless the CEO is allowing ot and we want it. No pressure either direction.
If users are rude or generally hard to deal with, manager has our back in dealing with them.
Pay isn't top dollar but there's trade-offs
You'll let us know if they're hiring, right? Right!?
Nice! I've job hopped a few times and tripped my salary in 5 years and am at a unicorn msp with unlimited PTO and management that cares about employees.
I wish I could find a union IT shop, but nothing around that I've seen available. Happy to hear my first statement isn't as universal as my experience suggests!
"Unlimited PTO" is a meaningless term, and a trap.
I have 42 days of PTO per year, plus 13 state holidays.
I have a right to take those days off, they can't be denied by anyone.
And if I don't take them, my team lead will have a talk with me in October at the latest, because the company would get in legal trouble if I didn't get them.
With "unlimited PTO" you have no such right to any amount of PTO.
Sure, you could try to schedule lots of PTO, but it can just be denied ("not possible right now"), or if you take too many, you're just fired.
Plus they don’t have to book the liability on the balance sheet!
That's my job title.
It must have been the same fun as when back in 2012 (or 2013?) McAfee (at least I think it was them) identified /system32 as a threat and deleted it :)
One of the few things that accursed software actually got right!
Crowdstrike moment
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
