Vireen Ptcha was on the third floor of the server campus, preparing the Cisco Catalyst 6000 for the IOS, Internetwork Operating System, upgrade so that the Firewall Services Module could be added when it arrived later in the week. Two switches had failed recently and they had ordered the parts from Cisco last week but hadn’t received them yet. Vireen had pulled the two older Catalyst 6000 switches from an unused network closet to replace the failed switches. Network traffic had slowed considerably without the two switches and clients were complaining. They were behind in the rollout of the new hardware to enhance CPS. Corporate headquarters, located in Monterey, California, had delayed the purchase of the new equipment without explanation.
Now corporate wanted IT to “move forward with the original plans, minus the new equipment.” Minus the new equipment? Corporate, as usual, was disconnected from reality. It was what got them into this whole mess in the first place. Vireen told Alan, the Director of Operations, it wasn’t possible to achieve the same results without upgrading the network first. Just get it done, that’s Alan had said. Vireen had put in four older switches to handle more incoming traffic, but it was akin to forcing more cars onto a two lane highway. You might have more cars but they weren’t going anywhere fast. You’d have to build a big freeway to handle more traffic. That’s what the switches would do build a bigger, faster highway for internet data to travel on. Improvements to the network meant more clients and more money for iClanSoft. Now two switches they retired last year had failed. Vireen had managed to replace the one, but the second was DOA.
Vireen had phoned Alan on his Blackberry Tour from the adjacent server room.
“So when will it be fixed?” Alan asked.
“We’re waiting for parts,” replied Vireen.
“Do you have any parts or is it all on order?”
Vireen had searched all six floors looking for any spare parts he could find to repair the switch. “The parts are on order, I think. We had to send the request to Corporate. Corporate said they would handle the ordering.”
Alan paced his two story condo the Montclair district of Oakland. His black lab, Sheba, laid on a large blue dog mattress near the stone fireplace. “Why didn’t you just place the order with Cisco directly?”
“The credit cards aren’t working.”
“I thought they were turned back on?”
“That’s what I thought.”
“So what did Monterey say?” Alan shifted the phone to his left hand while he reached into the clear plastic container to scoop out a cup of food for the dog.
“They said that there was a mix-up, some problem with the credit card company. The bills were paid late so the cards were turned off. Supposedly the payments are caught up and the credit cards are back on. But the last time we attempted to use them, they were declined.” Vireen exited the room and shut the door. The A/C unit had whirred to life to keep the room at a brisk 74 degrees. “I called Corporate last month about the problem. They called back and said it would be two weeks and the cards would be active again. In the meantime, they would handle any purchases we needed to make.”
“Isn’t that what they said last month, two weeks and the cards will be active?”
“Yeah, I’m just going by the information they’ve given.” Vireen’s forehead was wet with sweat. It was a balmy 85 and the sun was just setting. Vireen walked to the kitchen across the hallway and grabbed a paper towel and wiped his face.
“This is ridiculous,” exclaimed Alan. He bent over and poured the food into a bowl that on a tan rubber mat with bones imprinted around the border, sitting on the floor underneath the newly installed wooden shelves. “Who knows what the hell is going on? They’ve been telling us virtually the same thing for the past two months. Supposedly the bills were paid and the cards were turned back on.” He straightened up and slammed into the bottom shelf. “Shit!”
“I called Corporate back day before yesterday and let them know we’re waiting for parts,” Vireen said quickly, catching the sharp tone and remark. Grabbing a clean white mug with the letter CPS and the company logo printed on it from the sink, Vireen filled three quarters of the way with cold water from a cooler. “Corporate is now saying that we’ll be getting new cards.”
“I think it’s something else. Why else would they want to give us new cards?” Alan rubbed his head and walked back over to the kitchen counter and stared out the window, his red BMW sitting in the driveway.
“I agree. I think it’s something else too.” Vireen took a long gulp of water and sat down at a white table with four white chairs around it. “Yeah, so now we have to wait another two weeks. Honestly, I’m not sure the network can handle any more traffic. We can’t add new users.”
“It’s been two weeks every time and that started, what, two months ago? There has to be more to this.”
Vireen finished the water, walked back over to the sink and sat the cup down. “Alan, we can’t handle any new users. Corporate wants this upgrade done, the switches can’t handle the traffic, and now I’ve got an unusable box I have to pull. I don’t have the parts to repair it. What do you suggest I do?”
“Don’t say anything to Corporate. Just keep the box in the network room. We’ll tell them the upgrade is done.”
“What do we do when clients start calling and complaining? Lie?”
“I’ll handle it. Just keep your mouth shut and finish up the Saturday maintenance. Monitor the routers and switches, keep an eye on the traffic hits and keep me in the loop.” The dog had lumbered over to the bowl and was happily slopping up the food. “And Vireen?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t tell anyone about the second box failing. Not til I talk to Corporate myself.”
“Ok,” replied Vireen. He took a deep breath. “I’ll call you if…,” but Alan had already hung up. Vireen got up and walked back over to the server room. This is one giant mess, he thought. I gotta find a new gig. He walked to back row and picked up the Fluke EtherScope. He placed it in the green and orange tool bag on the floor. He gathered the screwdrivers and other instruments, placing them gently in the tool bag. Thirty minutes later he was driving westbound on the 580 highway in his yellow 2001 Volvo C70 with the hard tops removed.
Nine years Vireen had been with iClanSoft and until the merger last year, his job had been the envy of every 33 year old network engineer. An impressive salary, flexible hours, a gameroom at work, free snacks, a new laptop every other year, bonuses and the list didn’t stop there. The last Christmas party was thrown at the San Francisco Hilton with a complimentary open bar, lobster tails, hors d’oeuvres, duck pate, and suites for anyone who couldn’t drive home. iClanSoft was a blowout success, storming the payroll market with innovative services. The latest was CPS – Cloud Payroll Services. Employees of clients swiped a badge at their location and the time was recorded at iClanSoft. What was different about this setup was that it went directly over the internet and there was little equipment to buy. You simply used a regular computer station and purchased one piece of hardware for under fifty bucks, a badge reader made especially for iClanSoft, which was pre-configured with their URL and an IP address for the client. No more payroll department which meant less overhead, less cost, and more efficiency for the client. Perfect for nearly every company due to its ease and savings, a real attractive package to CEO’s everywhere in today’s financial atmosphere.
Rumors of impending layoffs had run rampant two months after the merger was complete. Eight months later, moral was at the lowest point Vireen had ever seen it. Now there were issues with making necessary purchases to support the business. Even when it started, there had been a plausible explanation: the company had switched all the purchasing power to only the vendors that the parent company Signify had when it took control over iClanSoft. This included the corporate credit cards used to make emergency purchases for any support issues to the clients that arose, such as this latest network problem.
Vireen exited Lakeshore Avenue and headed east towards the Oakland Hills. He reached over and pushed the first preset button, tuning the radio to 740 AM. The announcer was just finishing the traffic report, informing drivers to avoid southbound 880 at Hegenberger due an A’s game letting out at 8:30pm, just ten minutes ago. Weather was up next, Vireen slowed down for a light, then made a right onto Mandana Blvd. He was getting ready to turn onto Carlston Avenue when the broadcaster interrupted with breaking news. Nelson Morgan, CEO of iClanSoft had been found shot to death at the company headquarters.
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