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So, our IT department has become increasingly millitant over the last few weeks....slowly restricting access to various websites etc. Generally I'm okay with this as it's pretty rare that I look on you tube at work for something work related (it has happened in the past though). However, they've now gone and blocked Skype! Anyone aware of any layman work around to get it up and running again? I use it a lot for keeping in touch with people - some of whom are former colleagues who (thankfully) are happy to stay in touch and answer questions relating to their old projects that I have been left with! It's a massive global company, so I'm sure they're taking their instructions from on high and me raising a ticket will make no difference.
If I can't get it to work, I may end up calling the talking clock in Australia and rack up a ridiculous international telephone bill until they give me it back......
[i]It's a massive global company[/i]
who no doubt have strong policies about people who try and bypass controls they place on web access?
Load the skype app on your mobile and use that.
True I suppose....I have some crappy PAYG phone here, so I will not being paying for the data out of my own pocket. Might just submit a ticket to IT moaning and then cite lack of Skype access as a reason for missing every delivery date until they bring it back on line (the delivery dates are ludicrous and never met anyway). Seems very short-sighted for an international company......
me raising a ticket will make no difference.
If restriction have been put in place, IT can't change things unless they have a reason to, support/requests from end users is the best way to get changes implemented. To often a "us against them" attitude helps no one, and restriction will have probably been implemented due to a few idiots taking advantage of the system previously.
So, our IT department has become increasingly millitant
IT just implement the policy they are told to, they don't make the policies.
Skype is, or can be, pretty hungry on resources - ISTR something about it latching on to high-speed connections.. Can you use Lync instead? what's their problem with Skype? Can you use email?
the other thing you could do is to leave your pc at home on and then use one of the free remote desktop apps like TeamViewer to access that?
We have lync - but it only works internally so you can't use it to speak to customers, vendors, former colleagues etc etc. I very rarely use it's video / calling features - usually just as an instant messenger. I've raised an IT ticket - will see what happens.
PS. I know they're only following orders but it's getting increasingly more annoying as more and more stuff is locked down. Some of it I can understand (no body needs access to Netflix while "at work") but other restrictions seem to be of very little merit to the company - it just costs more money in time and forces people out of the door if they feel they've been left without the tools necessary to do their job efficiently. For me, it's not being able to get hold of former colleagues to get the 2 second "oh I did this 6 months ago", which otherwise takes days to work out......I know it's a bit odd - but we're all riding mates and it's a small world / industry and we're all happy to help each other out.
Could be a Compliance issue, there are products out there to handle the recording and archiving of skype but maybe the compliance lot don't want the extra oversite so asked to pull it instead.
You can Skype them, but you can't phone/txt/Viber/WhatsApp them?
Any VC suites? Pretty sure ours can connect to a Skype client (or more precisely they can call in unless they have known IP and port forwarding etc.), but you have to use the bridge rather than direct
the other thing you could do is to leave your pc at home on and then use one of the free remote desktop apps like TeamViewer to access that?
Not tried it, but I reckon that might laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag a bit!
whats wrong with using the dog and bone?
[i]Not tried it, but I reckon that might laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag a bit! [/i]
I assumed he was using skype chat, not voice calls?
Might just submit a ticket to IT moaning and then cite lack of Skype access as a reason for missing every delivery date until they bring it back on line (the delivery dates are ludicrous and never met anyway). Seems very short-sighted for an international company......
Why dont you speak to the IT Manager and discuss the implications. Alternatively speak to your line manager and explain why you think it should be allowed. There is usually a reason why decisions like this are made and you will be easily found out if you try to circumvent it. Maybe IT can suggest another way (that they are happy with) that will allow you to get the same result.
We have lync - but it only works internally
Lync does allow you to contact people outside the business however it may have been limited or you may have a limited version.
public wifi? better phone/tablet job done?
If that is locked down then a cheap sim for all you can eat data too, if you also then work in an area with crappy signal, set fire to things and use smoke signals!
Ideally; change jobs and work in IT with un-restricted access to your own machine, then you are the master of your own destiny 🙂
If you have a genuine business case for using Skype then grow a pair and speak up.
Its "stoooopid" users like you who don't grasp the fundamental need for IT stability which is often what forces IT to implement the restrictions you now complain about.
I'd go down the route of approaching them and asking nicely citing your legitimate reasons for its use.
If they've had a new filtering system in place they might not know Skype has been blocked by it as it's usually a side effect more than a direct move.
If it's work related then just pick up the phone and work can pay. If it's not work related then quit your bitchin. The problem with Skype is it's evasive by design and it gives IT security and compliance people a bit of a headache. It's been blocked because it generally carries little legitimate business use and lots of hassle but I'll let you argue that with them.
As others have said use your phone/tablet/3G for personal stuff incl Skype. Nice clear separation of the boundaries and they're unlikely to take your personal phone off you unless you build centrifuges for a living.
I've done similar in the past (old colleagues re old projects) but simply had to email, or phone. Felt a bit awkward TBH although they were happy to help.
Does your employer know you're contacting former colleagues to ask about old projects? Sounds less than ideal, if you leave will the new guy have to contact you to get in touch with these former colleagues?
The problem with Skype is it's evasive by design and it gives IT security and compliance people a bit of a headache
+100
I get it's not ideal - it's just handy as it allows "collaboration" across companies I suppose. It's true that some conversations are not work related but the majority are. It's also not strictly necessary for me to speak to them - but since we're mates it seems a bit pointless spending days trying to work out what they did and why when I can just ask. But unfortunately data on mobiles is a non-starter and I can't really pick up the phone and call them at work as it's a bit grey. Likewise, I guess they can't be seen calling in for help from outside the company on new projects. Everyone know's this is how it works, I suppose it's just under the spotlight more.
I'm also in the US where as they're in the UK so seems unnecessarily expensive.....but I guess the department charges $100/hour on the timesheets so two days of me digging is like $1,600 versus a $20 phone call.
Skype is banned for us, even though our IT policy is pretty liberal. It's a fairly shifty bit of software - the code is obfuscated so you can't be sure what it's actually doing, and I think there's some licensing issues too.
there are so many alternatives to using skype these days on a business device, and with mobile internet/hotspot availability/speeds there's really no reason to bother moaning about the lack of access from work.
As you say it's a grey area so at the least they probably want to ensure that should anything happen they have total deniability. I'd just suck it up and contact them from a personal device from a coffee shop or similar.
As above. Feed in your requirements through your line manager to the appropriate business team who will assess it and potentially provide a solution. If they don't know there's a business requirement then they won;t facilitate it. Of course, if there's no business requirement then really, get back to work. That's not a trite comment, the business does not supply IT to you so you can piss about on the internet.
In big companies the IT team are just the implementors, not the policy makers and unless they are told different, they'll apply the policies they are told to. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just because the policy setters want to flex their muscles but because there's a business impact to not doing so.
Skype then. I block it because of bandwidth more than anything else.
Skype is a bit weird as to what it gets up to. Even though I don't believe it does the supernode stuff any more it does seem to eat bandwidth and rack up connections. Still not sure about it
Most places I've worked at have had a policy that generally restricts streaming access, but will allow certain security groups to stream if there is a genuine business need. Sounds like you should talk to your Information Security bod.... If you have one