1

Hello,

I just recently started a new job.

I’m very overwhelmed as I’m the first IT here as they never had one.

They went with a consulting company to do all their work for them before me.

I was left no network diagrams or any information about how everything is actually setup.

I tried to go in the server room but it’s a mess. I feel like a complete failure.

I have reached out to the consulting company but they are very very slow at getting back to me and aren’t much help.

Does anyone have any suggestions or words of advice? This is my first real job out of school.

Thanks

47 Spice ups
2

Start documenting physical things then move on to configurations.

15 Spice ups
3

Spend some time walking around and if you have a map of the place, document where everything is. Also grab models and serial numbers of equipment as you see it. Install Spiceworks, or similar like LanDesk, to get an inventory. Start documenting as you go and backing up configs and, even though it should be done, verify that the data is being backed up and verify that you can restore data.

11 Spice ups
4

They do not have any NAS or backup server.

1 Spice up
5

Find out where they are saving their data, log into it and see if they are using a cloud backup solution. If they are not, I would start with getting the business onto some sort of backup and start that first. Equipment can be replaced, that data will make or break a business.

8 Spice ups
6

Breathe.

Think of the whole network as a string and just start from the backend and work you way to the clients. You don’t have to do this all at one. Break it into manageable chunks.

16 Spice ups
7

They are just on my back about Active directory / terminal server and NAS without me actually knowing the network first.

2 Spice ups
8

Verify the backups first thing. No matter how bad it gets, it’s fixable if you have backups.

After that, document the systems. Avoid fixing or improving if possible, as any “mistakes” you find may be quick hacks to prevent another problem you can’t see yet.

Once you are documented, then you can start planning what needs to be done.

7 Spice ups
9

Make sure that you get all the necessary passwords, if the company is terminating the consultancy firm,

If they are terminated make sure that the password are reset

As other spiceheads have said documentation is the key

Checked to see if there is also a fixed asset register for all of the equipment and check them off as and when you find the equipment

Good luck, and don’t forget you can always reach out to us spiceheads for advise.

7 Spice ups
10

jBd5eVa.gifFirst get your backups figured out and fixed where necessary. Make sure that management understand that backups should be top priority. No backups and a crash or ransomware and it could mean bye bye company :pensive:. The rest can come at a later time.

4 Spice ups
11

I’d start with AD. Look at how they’re setting up user accounts and how their OU’s are structured. Then look at their GPO’s and start to figure out how they’re all set up. You can go to target machines and run rsop.msc in cmd to get a snapshot of what is being currently applied to that session.

Then look at Exchange. Do you have an on-premise server or 365?

That stuff will affect the users quicker if you don’t learn it. The network is up and running and you will want to take a deep dive into it but right now you need to get the day-to-day stuff under control before you can do that.

6 Spice ups
12

Find out what’s important. Then back that up. After that I’d work my way from the demarc inward to all of your endpoints. Write everything you see down, organize it in whichever way you prefer, make a diagram, then fix it! Good luck!

3 Spice ups
13

You will have to be patient and let them understand that this will take some time to get things figured out. They can’t expect you to hit the ground running (Even though they will). It seems to take me a couple of months or more to figure out a new environment, even with someone helping you it takes time.

4 Spice ups
14

I would start with a nice deep breath and start making a plan that starts with making backups and checking them, then fixing anything else. And remember making backups includes documenting how things are/should be. If you have a solid plan to propose to management they are more likely to get behind doing things your way, show to them that your plan is in their long term best interest and that you can’t change anything until you have a way to revert your changes. Trust me, the first time you try and change something in a production network it will break everything unless you have something to fall back on.

2 Spice ups
15

You don’t have to fix everything at once. But you do have to fix Active Directory. A house without a foundation will crumble.

As for the no backups thing. I too like to live… dangerously.

6 Spice ups
16

Make backups priority 1 or else someone will request this song for you when Al crashes or gets encrypted.

4 Spice ups
17

rest assured 100% that by week 4 you will have a totally different feeling.

Even for us seasoned pro’s the first week seems a total wash.
it really takes 2 weeks to get up to speed…
and even longer before you can confidently have control over your dominion.

10 Spice ups
18

I’m six months into my current post and I still have lots to learn (very new tech), even with 20 years in the industry!!

Note: I’m not a MCSA/MCSE/CCNA

2 Spice ups
19

A Lot of the guys above have given some great advice, but i would like to refer to this.

Firstly, the server room being a mess, this can be corrected over time, might need some out of hours cabling work that you can just do as/when, get the important stuff done first.

But, Secondaly and MOST importantly, you are not a failure, you have a big job ahead of you, did you cause the problems? No, Are you trying to sort the problems?, Yes

This means you are not the failure, that would be your predecessor for not keeping their housework clean.

FAct is by the rough sound of it, this would be a hard job to walk into for anyone, regardles of experience, but being just out oeduction, it will feel like you are going to drown in the companies failings.

I would concentrate on putting a timeline in place (work on maybe a 12 month timeline) then Just sit down with your bosses, talk about the timeline, where you are at, at moment in terms of infrastructure / backups / software / requirements, and then how you are going to work through the problems over the coming months, this will give them something to be happy about, planning… and for yourself it means you can face the problems , in small byte-size chunks (pun intended)

But remember, when planning be realistic, if it is going to take 8 weeks to do a job, dont put 6 weeks becuase it looks better, put 10 weeks, allow for problems/contingency time, but then also if you finish in 8 week it looks good to bosses.

But, i will end with just 2 things.

Planning, Planning and Planning…

and more improtantly

you are not a failure, you are the one who has been left in the sh!t

23 Spice ups
20

It seems like these people hired a driver but they don’t know where the cars are and where the keys are, the insurance, etc.

Otherwise you would have a proper handover.
I also saw companies that hand over thousands of randomly named and scattered files and folders and think you have all you need.
When in reality many of them are just junk or impossible to search.

Agent Ransack could help with in-files searching.

Don’t worry, it will take months, it’s normal.

3 Spice ups