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README.md

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+# Tenets of IT
+*It is a good reminder to not overthink some problems. These tenets have been created over decades as a way of reminding ourselves of the things sometimes overlooked.*
+
+1.	Reboot, reinstall, replace.
+2.	Rebooting is a band aid. Figure out why you had to.
+3.	It's always DNS
+4.	When it’s not DNS, it’s MTU.
+5.	When it’s not MTU, it’s BGP.
+6.	When it’s not BGP, it’s LACP.
+7.	Under-promise, over-deliver
+8.	Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
+9.	Always implement two-factor-authentication, no matter how loudly the users complain.
+10.	Have the user show you the problem, often it is the user doing something in an unusual way.
+11.	Fast. Cheap. Good. You may pick one, two if you're lucky.
+12.	Never stop learning.
+13.	The Six Ps: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
+14.	It's always an emergency, until it incurs an extra charge
+15.	Everyone has a test environment, not everyone is lucky enough to have a separate production environment.
+16.	If anyone can't find the documentation it's not documented, if it's not documented it doesn't exist.
+17.	If you think it's going to be a disaster, get it in writing and CYA
+18.	Poor planning on a users part, does not constitute an emergency on yours
+19.	Fridays are read-only (aka - no changes on a Friday)
+20.	A backup isn't a backup until you've restored successfully from it.
+21.	Snapshots are not backups
+22.	If a backup isn't off-site, it isn't a backup.
+23.	If it isn't in a ticket, it's not getting done.
+24.	Treat all users the same, regardless of their last name.
+25.	It's never a "5 minute thing".
+26.	Security and ease of use.. rarely walk hand in hand.
+27.	Not my circus, not my monkeys.
+28.	Everybody lies.
+29.	Never ask a user a question that you can easily confirm yourself.
+30.	The fastest path to resolution first requires removing the user from the problem. (aka isolate layer 8)
+31.	You are replaceable at work, no matter how highly you think of yourself. You are not replaceable at home.
+32.	Never give a web developer/designer access to the DNS.
+33.	Own up to your mistakes. That way, when it isn’t your fault, people will believe you.
+34.	If you have to do something twice, automate it.
+35.	Never spend 6 minutes doing something manually, that you spend 6 hours failing to automate.
+36.	To make an error is human. To propagate an error to all servers in an automatic way is devops.
+37.	Skilled IT professionals will continuously be given more work, until they can do none of it skillfully.
+38.	Give me a new hire that is a blank slate and willing to learn, over a seasoned tech that hates this job and doesn't want to learn or change.
+39.	IT time is relative.
+40.	Yes it's free/cheap. No, it's not going in the server room.
+41.	You provide the problem and business case, let IT provide the solution.
+42.	IT's job is to solve people problems with technology.
+43.	Technology can't solve people problems.
+44.	Nothing is more permanent than a temporary expedient.
+45.	Fix the problem now, it's just going to happen again when it's less convenient.
+46.	If the network guys say it's not the network, there is an 80% chance it's the network.
+47.	Traceroute is your friend.
+48.	80% of the time CAPEX becomes OPEX when you can get 0% financing. Accounting HATES CAPEX.
+49.	If it doesn't log automatically make it log! Log's just spit out the answer for you!
+50.	There are some jobs and clients you must walk away from.
+51.	If you can smell the magic smoke, you’re already screwed.
+52.	"Working just fine" and "too screwed to log an error" look an awful lot alike.
+53.	The longer everything goes according to plan, the bigger the impending disaster.
+54.	Sales Engineers are a gift from heaven, they prevent salespeople from over-promising.
+55.	Printers have moods, most of the time that mood is 'Fuck you'.