I’m currently working for three different organisations, all in the public sector. For two of them I have access to their networks.

Organisation 1 - I have a profile set up on my laptop and I connect using VPN. When I’m in that profile the laptop works just as it usually does, and I can see the files in my administrator profile. The data stick function works - which is something I make use of all the time. I can work offline and write emails and then send later. (However, the laptop had to spend quite a lot of time ‘being configured’. I used to think that customer service training only need apply to front line staff, but after having to deal with a monosyllabic person who didn’t really seem to know what he was doing I changed my mind to thinking that *everyone* needs to have some idea on how to talk to other people).

Organisation 2 - I connect using CITRIX which at first I quite liked. However, data stick doesn’t work and I can’t send email attachments. Transfering files is a real pain. Unfortunately I need to do this because the system has crashed twice in the past six weeks, both times for over a couple of days - denying me any access to the work I’m trying to do. Once I’m in their view of the world, I can’t access anything else on the laptop. This may seem a small point, but it makes version control of files much harder and it’s more complicated to work while on the move.

Org 1 - working on basis of more openess, and it is easier to get stuff done. Org 2 - more rules based which makes what should be simple tasks more complicated than they should be. Be the worst bit is that Org 2, despite their very rules based approach, are chronically poor at PAYING ON TIME!!!!!