Shotgun in the server room??

[twoblink]

My friend told me about his "quiet" little group of sys admin and friends who are trying to get their bosses to "approve" keeping a shotgun in the server room.

The story goes, that a lonely sys admin is doing upgrades at like 2am, by himself in the server room. The entire building is empty, just him. Some guy knocks on the door, and asks for a light, and the sys admin gives him a light. No big deal. The second night, same thing, but this time, they talk for a little bit, the guy outside asks normal questions like "Wow, here all by yourself? I work next door, me too!" Etc..
Third night, the guy comes knocking for a light... and brings a gun, and a few friends. They haul off basically the entire server room that night. $600K+ In servers and hardware.

So my friend is trying hard (as he works late at night, alone, in a big server room) from having something like this happening to him, so he asked me to ask THR if anybody knows of any companies that have a gun in the server room?

It seems like a good idea to me personally.. Some serverrooms are worth more than the company!

 

[Darrin]

When I'm in the server room, there's a gun. When I'm not in there, no gun.

Why a shotgun? My server room is about 15x15. The server room door is mostly glass on top, so very easy for someone to bust open with a chair and let him/herself right in. If the shotty is 10 or 15 feet away, what do I do?

Personally, I think your friend should just have a handgun. I do phone system upgrades and such at night and prefer my gun to be on my person. Not just in the server room, but when I use the restroom down the dark hall, or going to my car, etc...

Anywho, that's my $0.02.

 

[c_yeager]

Regardless of practicallity it sure would be cool to have a shotgun mounted against the wall in your server room like in a glass case like a fire axe. I would do the same thing just to be the envy of all the other departments.

 

[twoblink]

Why a shotgun? One of the reasons is the "I hope I don't have to fire at someone" factor. My cocking of a handgun might not even go noticed (or if I'm shooting a glock, there's no hammer cocking)

Where ask, I can velcro a shotgun on the rackmount rails fairly easily, and a nice shotgun shuck in a small server room might do enough to scare the perp away.

He's in the PRK, that's why the CCW is not so easy to get as an option :banghead: But the PRK code says a gun can be on premise if it's approved by the owner of the company.

Also, it's just COOL.

 

[PAshooter]

Although I have nothing against guns, I have another solution.

All alone in the building in the middle of the night and a guy knocks on the door. Don't open the door. Problem solved.

 

[Kamicosmos]

Our server room is behind many many secured doors, with no access to any outside areas, even the ventaliation systems are isolated from the outside.

My company, and the client we maintain, don't allow handguns, or any guns, on site. MO doesn't have concealed carry.

In my situation, the entire campus is very secure, so I'm not going to have anyone running into me, but if MO passes CCW, I would probably have a handgun with me on weekends after hours...I figure as long as it's concealed, and no ones around....what they don't know...

If I worked at a less secure facility, I would still go with a personal weapon that I carry on me at all times, and not rely on a shared weapon. You come in at two am. What if the afternoon guy was fiddling with the shotgun, and had moved it, or unloaded it or something? Then if you did need it....would suck to be you if you couldn't find it or something...

 

[RTFM]

mdshooter
That's what I was thinking.
Pistol as a back up, but why is another person wandering in your building in the first place?
No security doors from one office area to the next???
I dunno' just my .02

 

[ysr_racer]

...doing upgrades at like 2am, by himself in the server room...Some guy knocks on the door, and asks for a light, and the sys admin gives him a light...

Kind of dumb thing to do, don't you think?

 

[Mike Irwin]

Want to know something?

I'm not paid to do security for my company.

I always had a gun on me when I worked late at my old place (and I could have been fired for it, but the "security" guards were a joke).

But if someone comes barging in with a gun and just wants equipment, they can have it.

If they want to harm me, I'm going to do my best to harm them first and worst.

But I'm not going to start a gunfight if all they want is replacable computer equipment and software.

 

[10-Ring]

Agree, don't open the door! Use the natural barricade of that door to your advantage and don't open yourself to attack especially if you're alone & help would be a long time coming. Give the guy a book of matches & tell him to go away.

 

[scottgun]

In theory it sounds sort of cool. As a practical matter, a shotgun wouldn't be a good idea in your server room. Does the server room have a lock on the door? Is it not accessible by the general public.? These questions are not only related to your personal safety (working late at night), but also relates to computer security. If you kept a shotgun in the server room and the thieves come by when you aren't there, they have stolen your servers and your shotgun.

Now I've thought about shooting practice in my server room with a shotgun, but I don't think that is covered under warrantee.

 

[DWS1117]

I always had a gun on me when I worked late at my old place (and I could have been fired for it, but the "security" guards were a joke).

I work as a "security guard" and that is absolutely true. We are not much more than door men. Make sure everyone is wearing thier I.D. badge, unlock doors, and baby sit the cleaning crew in the evenings. We are arrmed with the ever so lethal Motorola! Yippie.:banghead: If something were to happen our SOP is to call our supervisor first and THEN the cops. either way WE are screwed. We are not even trusted with our own security computer system, but we are trusted with the key to every door in the facility including the CEO's office and liquor cabinet. Yeah it's a joke, but it sort of pays the bills.

We have 4 server rooms and all 4 of them are deep within the facility and to get to any of them one would have to go through no less than 4 access controlled doors. So a gun in the server roms would be pointless.

 

[BerettaNut92]

I think he'd be better served by a handgun...that way if they try to sneak in while he's going potty (or intercepted to and fro the potty) he'll at least have it on him.

 

[twoblink]

I think it's all good in theory guys; but I've gone to visit my buddy at the serverroom at 2am before. Don't open the door? That's fine. If you have a decent server room, it should have good security. But what if you step outside for a smoke like most of my friends do?

Probably a CCW would serve him best... He's not so convinced "Because I work in a server room at 2am" will get him one though.

 

[BerettaNut92]

Probably a CCW would serve him best...

If the boss approves, the CCW point is moot if he stays on the premises while packing. Shotgun or handgun, he won't need a CCW on private property.

Tell him to move to Orange County

 

[illuminatus99]

if someone knocks on the server room door at 2am they didn't call you first they can stay outside. that said, I always carried when I worked at a datacenter in spite of the fact that there were two secure doors and a palm scanner between me and the outside. if someone can get through all the security and bullet resistant doors I'm not going to get in their way.

 

[tommytrauma]

Although I have nothing against guns, I have another solution.

All alone in the building in the middle of the night and a guy knocks on the door. Don't open the door. Problem solved.

Bingo! Having a gun around is not a substitute for basic security measures. It wouldn't occur to me to open the door to give a stranger a light in the middle of the night, and if someone is foolish enough to do such a thing, a gun isn't going to keep them safe.

 

[Cosmoline]

Server ninjas?

I don't know. Just something about the vision of the little gnome-like fellow in the server room with a gauge in his hands I guess it would cut down on guff from the executives!

I think the better bet is to get the company to allow everyone to carry concealed as long as they've got whatever permits are needed.

 

[twoblink]

He's pretty close to convincing the boss to give him the A-OK on the carrying while working ALONE.

Everybody needs a gun while they are in the server room..

Condensation question; is that usually a problem? Most server rooms are colder than butcher's freezers...

 

[sm]

My responsibility is to myself. I have placed shotguns and other firearms around a business ,( I had a stake in) the mdse was insured, its just the BG's sometimes had a habit of shooting people or taking hostages.

Those places that did not keep firearms around like I had done, again were insured...and I again carried my own "insurance". Their business, their insurance...still my butt tho'.

CRSam said it best " One never knows the where or when of next encounter".

There is a model 37police mod that has been dusted off more than shot, its probably 30 yrs old...has a stupid PG...I want it...we had no servers, but I have grabbed, whilst hid behind one way glassand other times...dust and all...I would put a full stock on it ...relations are strained-at best...someday...maybe...but a 37 is comforting at 2 in the morning and someone decides to start cutting a hole in the roof and your waiting for the calvary

 

[twoblink]

As most sys admins sit like 120 hours a week; what do you guys think then? Something small, like a Keltec? It would seem to me, serverroom confrontations is almost 99% theft; and so do you think a .22LR pocket pistol would suffice?

Also, what are we looking at in terms of volume in dB of a gun fired in a server room with small space all enclosed??