

Ask HN: Transparency in IT? - peterwwillis

If you have a 'firewall team' you've probably run into this before: you try to run some new app or install some new server or connect to a different network, and it fails. Now you've got to start troubleshooting it and at the same time send the firewall team an e-mail to see if they might have a rule blocking your attempt.<p>It would be nice for anyone to be able to look at firewall rules, software deployment/repositories, and account/service access across the network. Does anyone have a simple process to introduce transparency in the operations/network side of their business?
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eitally
There are lots of very good (security) reasons this information tends to be
kept under wraps. The best thing to do is to involve the security and networks
teams in your project at the planning phase so you can identify collab points
before they become problems. Yes, I have faced this many, many times and it is
incredibly frustrating, especially in controlled environments.

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pasbesoin
It also helps to earn their trust. It has to be _earned_ , though, and this
takes time and ongoing collaboration.

Even then, a good team won't break the rules for you. They may, however, be
more willing to explain them and to consider rational adaptations.

Generally speaking (more for non-startup environments, I guess), getting along
well with your Operations folk can be as much of an aid to your work as
anything else. Good ones aren't much interested in bullshit (or bullshitting),
though, in my experience; the normal workload already provides sufficient
quantities of that.

