Kate finds this London Register story on a survey of IT professonals:
Dynamic Markets found that properly functioning email systems are so critical that 68 per cent of companies say users get irate within as little as 30 minutes without email access, and within just 24 hours of email system failure, almost one fifth of IT managers say that their jobs would be on the line. For more than a third (34 per cent) of CIOs and IT managers, a week without email is “more traumatic than events such as a minor car accident, moving to a new home, or getting married or divorced”, the survey found.
Really, guys. Get a grip.
While I’m sure the reporter’s sentiments will be the standard reaction, it makes sense to me. I’ve been in minor car accidents and, really, there’s little trauma involved. It’s annoying, but one has insurance and one does what one must–get a rental car, take it to the shop, etc. Moving, getting married, or getting divorced are planned events that one enters into voluntarily, usually with months of mental preparation.
Now, by contrast, having one’s e-mail connection go down is just aggravating as hell, especially for those of us with broadband access that expect 24/7 service. Indeed, if it’s not back on in a couple of minutes, I’m rebooting my computer and checking my connections. In about 10 minutes–screw 30–I’m calling my ISP and wanting to know when they’re going to get it fixed.
