This should be a vendor's first rule when inviting 1,200 IT pros to a seminar about securing data and protecting personal information: Make sure you protect the personal information of the 1,200 professionals you're trying to impress.
How did Verizon do in that regard on Tuesday? They failed miserably ... and not just once.
David Williams, technology coordinator for a Texas school district, alerted me to the situation because he had read my recent post -- "Run-amok Verizon robo-caller torments 1,400 customers" -- which recounted the nine phone calls in 24 hours that were received at my house last month.
"I had something similar occur today," Williams writes. "In a period of three hours I received 14 e-mails promoting Verizon's 'Secure the Information. Secure the Infrastructure' webinar series, and three e-mails promoting their '2008 Data Breach Investigations Report Road Show.' "
The excessive volume of e-mail wasn't the half of it, though.
"Considering their content (about data-breach seminars), I thought it very humorous that the TO: field of the e-mails contained over 1,200 e-mail addresses: 17 e-mails times 1,200 addresses equals more than 20,000 chances for leaks."
Williams did more than merely chuckle, though, he tried to be helpful by forwarding to the Verizon sender a pair of links -- "Sins of The Internet: Not Using Bcc," and, "Use BCC field when addressing mass mail."
Wrote the miscreant in reply: "I apologize for the inconvenience and lapse in judgment by not using the BCC field."
Contrition, however, failed to stem the flow of seminar invitations into Williams' inbox.
"You've got to be kidding," he wrote to the Verizon guy shortly thereafter. "I have received seven more duplicates after this response."
Verizon again: "We (are) having issues with our (Microsoft) Exchange server and I am working with our help desk to correct the problem. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Verizon's "Secure the Information" lecture series includes a segment called, "Are you prepared for data loss?"
I presume that's where they'll be covering the art of the apology.
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Diluting the blame?
Verizon again: "We (are) having issues with our (Microsoft) Exchange server and I am working with our help desk to correct the problem. I apologize for the inconvenience."
"Quick! Blame Microsoft!
Phew, that was close...we might actually have to take responsibility for our mistakes."
I think I know what the Exchange problem was...
the problem was that it was functioning properly.
Verizon is run by IT losers
I admin a systems administrator mailing list and Verizon kept bouncing emails to Verizon customers on our list for six months after I repeatedly complained. I was told by their support to call their network admin in New York. When I got him on the phone, I found his English language skills to be rudimentary and his knowledge of how to admin a mail server much to be desired. The crowd of Verizon hardhats that follows Verizon mobile customers in the advertisements must be all mentally handicapped. "Verizon, it's DUH network"
I agree
I would have to agree. Verizon's technical expertise with regards to network and enterprise apps management is pretty thin. And when they realize that they don't have the expertise in-house, they go outside to the LOWEST BID. (Then when that doesn't work out, they switch gears and go outside again, to another LOWEST BID.) It boggles the mind.
Depends on which Division
Are we talking about legacy Verizon (as in former GTE, Nynex) or Verizon Business? Verizon Business (former MCI) does a pretty good job with managing IT infrastructure from my own experience. The legacy Verizon is a different story and I would agree with you if that's who we are referring to...