Computers Discussions

We haven't used anything like this. Sorry you're having trouble. Is there a special compartment in your nice black bag you can keep it in?

There is plenty of pockets in my bag - but I still think it's a pain in the but.  It actually is like a credit card so technically would fit in your wallet, but this is a work thing so I don't want to have to carry it in my wallet.

Overall the main reason I feel it's a pain is b/c now I have to remember the pin# for this card and I still have to remember various passwords for apps that it doesn't work with.... so it essentially just added 1 more password to my list!  No fun.

vivasuzi said…

My company is testing out this new Smart Card idea.  It remembers your passwords and they set it up so the only way I can log on is if the card is in. 

Anyway, I have been using this for a whole 2 hours and I think - it's freaking useless!  Pardon my french :) 

• First of all, I HAVE to have it in to log on, but I can't leave it in (won't fit in my bag if I do).  SO if I misplace my card on the way home, I'm screwed all weekend
• Second, most our Work apps use the same passwords, and the ones that don't are apps I NEVER access anyway
• Third, I still have to know my windows password in order to do some things
• Fourth, If I want a work website added, I have to call the help desk

Honestly, I am glad this isn't currently a requirement because so far it seems like more trouble then it's worth.  I can't wait to share my feedback!  I don't know how long they expect me to test but I've already decided to tell them next week I want it disabled - it's useless.  I am good with remembering my passwords, so for me, this technology "enhancement" is actually a burden.

What do you think about this situation?  Do you have other similar situations?  I just had to vent, feel free to vent about your own "advanced technology" complaints!

 

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Honestly, and no offense to your work or the people there, but this is one of the dumbest things I have heard.  So what happens if you don't have your card one day?  They have to replace it?  And how much are these cards costing the company?

Oooohhhh.... I thought perhaps keeping it in it's own compartment my help from having to fish for it or misplacing.  As for the pin I used to have a special list and keep it in my pocket. Hope it gets better. Good luck!

Yes spokaneman, they have to repace it if you lose it.  I have no idea of the cost- but to me it's not worth it.  Maybe worth it for someone who can't remember a single password, but for me, it's not.

Anyone else have complaints about technology they are forced to use?

I don't work but (I know this is super silly) we still really don't know how to used our iPod (:

I don't think the Smart Card is a (smart) idea. For one thing it is something else you have to keep up with at work. I used to work in a computer dept at a college specifically I was the help desk. The Smart Card is just going to add more work on everybody especially if it gets damaged, you lose it, you leave at home, need work website added (like you said), so on. Hopefully your company will not make this permanent. Good Luck! 

Well I already decided that as soon as I go back on Monday I'm gonna ask someone to disable the fact that it is currently required.  The girl was like "well if they steal your laptop but don't have the card, they can't log in" and I was thinking... if they steal my laptop I got bigger problems then whether or not they can log in and see my photos!  I think it's useless.

The funny thing is they are testing this a a solution to the password problem at work.  There are many different systems - a benefits system, email, purchasing system, etc etc, and all use different usernames and passwords.  There are a few that work with the windows login, but a lot do not.  So they are testing this thinking this is the way to go.... but I think the way to go is to fix all those systems so that they work with the same company username and password!  Don't you think?

I laughed at what the girl told you about if your laptop was stolen. I agree with you fix the systems. When I was working at the college, people got very confused and frustrated when you introduced something new to them. You know some are going to lose the cards. Keep us posted!

vivasuzi said…

My company is testing out this new Smart Card idea.  It remembers your passwords and they set it up so the only way I can log on is if the card is in. 

Anyway, I have been using this for a whole 2 hours and I think - it's freaking useless!  Pardon my french :) 

• First of all, I HAVE to have it in to log on, but I can't leave it in (won't fit in my bag if I do).  SO if I misplace my card on the way home, I'm screwed all weekend
• Second, most our Work apps use the same passwords, and the ones that don't are apps I NEVER access anyway
• Third, I still have to know my windows password in order to do some things
• Fourth, If I want a work website added, I have to call the help desk

Honestly, I am glad this isn't currently a requirement because so far it seems like more trouble then it's worth.  I can't wait to share my feedback!  I don't know how long they expect me to test but I've already decided to tell them next week I want it disabled - it's useless.  I am good with remembering my passwords, so for me, this technology "enhancement" is actually a burden.

What do you think about this situation?  Do you have other similar situations?  I just had to vent, feel free to vent about your own "advanced technology" complaints!

 

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Wow! This does sound kinda silly. Let me ask you this - Are there other people that could benefit from using the card? Maybe some people are having problems remembering their passwords, and your company feels this would save labor down the road?? That would be my only guess. I love technology, but I also feel it will get the better of us one day.

Well there are a lot of people who forget their passwords but it is because every system they create has another password and another username!  So they think this will help, but like I pointed about above, the solution SHOULD be to make it so one company username and password automatically gets you into everything you have access to.  They had said before that was the plan, then suddenly they decided to try out these cards which I think suck.

Like krislynn said, I know a lot of people will lose them.  It will be a disaster.  Luckily I'm just a tester, someone asked me to be one, I didn't really want to.  I had a bias against this idea before I was even given a card, and I almost can't wait to go to work Monday and ask them to turn it off.

My company uses something called I-Pass which sounds similar. You don't need a card but you have to log in to a special website. It's also only useful on certain applications,  I now have 7 different passwords to remember at work alone, which will change every so often. And the IT guy said we should not write any of them down either!

Yeah they always tell you not to write them down, haha.  My coworkers have them ALL written (usernames and passwords) either in notebooks at their desk or sticky notes ON THEIR COMPUTERS!  It just shows how dumb all these different passwords are.

I hate to buck the trend (ok, really that's what I live for, but...) if you can remember your passwords, they are not worth the brain cells they are imprinted on. 1"j8nINB4q4'M2_4;y&F)?(hn=|Ll&Jaz|nPJi'1 now that's a password worth using. But, if you can remember that, you're a better man than I... especially if you can remember similar strings for all the 10 - 20 passwords you need to remember. Using the same password for ALL places is a cardinal sin. Using a PW you can remember, is a cardinal sin (in general, but then again most people do not remember pi to enough digits to generate secure passwords!)

I forgot to say... If you were able to keep the laptop in the bag, WITH the card, and you lost it, what good would that be to the entire situation? Better to loose 1/2 the equation no? I for one am getting sick and tired of Gov. employees loosing unencrypted personal information in databases stored on laptops (and yes, I have received a letter from the DOD, informing me that my info was lost, but not to worry... why not worry? I don't know!) I do not know what you do for a living, but if you only have personal photos on the work laptop, I doubt you are the best person to use for testing. Unless they are researching security that even people who don't NEED security will use! If there is any non-personal information then the entire disk should be encrypted with AES or similar. The computational cost of using (for all intents and purposes) unbreakable encryption is VERY low these days, it is inexcusable not to implement it. Paranoia? You betcha!

There are easier solutions than Smart cards such as a RSA key fob with a revolving pass-code you use to log into the computer.  Another option is a full drive data encryption program like Unimaco and  Bitlocker  (Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions) But the thing we have to keep in mind is that security, though it may be a bother and a pain is necessary to keep company data safe.