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Stefano Marinelli
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe  ·  activity timestamp last month

I'm working on some interesting stuff this morning, and I'm really enjoying it. So far, no calls about yesterday's issue, which is reassuring.

But I did get a new call, awaiting a follow-up: a few months ago, I sent a (low-cost) quote to modernize a network stuck 20 years in the past. This included new routers, 4G failover (which they currently lack), transitioning from a PPTP (!!!) based VPN to WireGuard, and using IPsec and/or WireGuard for site-to-site connectivity (which is currently handled in a way I'm embarrassed to even mention).

I've been managing some servers for them for a few years (not in the right way, IMO, and there's a plan to fix that too), and they were enthusiastic about my project (and how cost-effective it was, thanks to choosing the right hardware).

Today's call: a colleague who works with them told me they're reviewing a quote this morning for a "professional", "AI-powered" (and hyper-expensive, with recurring fees) firewall because my proposal is supposedly "too basic to be effective".

If they go that route, that's their choice, but I'm always baffled by how the grass is always greener -trusting the first stranger who shows up with buzzwords and pointlessly expensive products.

On the flip side, this afternoon I have an on-site visit with a potential new client who, and I quote, "prefers to spend money on consulting for open-source products than on useless licenses".

Just for that attitude alone, I'm going to offer them extremely favorable terms if the premises are right.

Anyway, it's only 9:20, but the day is already shaping up to be quite interesting.

#IT #SysAdmin #Consulting

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Jana 🔜 39C3 (DECT 5262)
@jana@social.jsteuernagel.de replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@stefano AI powered firewall… Oh my…

btw. what setup do you generally use to do 4G backup?

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Stefano Marinelli
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@jana it depends. If it's a simple 4g failover and the coverage is good, a MikroTik hAP ax lite LTE6 is more than enough. Otherwise, a MikroTik Chateu or, if the client has other devices, I use them, too.

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Jana 🔜 39C3 (DECT 5262)
@jana@social.jsteuernagel.de replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@stefano I see, so I assume that device then also acts as the router and does the failover?

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Stefano Marinelli
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@jana I'm usually using them only as 4g routers. I'm usually managing the failover at a higher level, using the main router (so directing the traffic to the 4g one only if the main routes are down). Sometimes I use the 4g as a "power up" solution, when clients have some traffic spikes. Sometimes, I send all the "guest" traffic to 4g, to keep the main traffic paths empty

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Jana 🔜 39C3 (DECT 5262)
@jana@social.jsteuernagel.de replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@stefano Okay, makes sense. Thanks :)

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EF
@EF@mastodon.bsd.cafe replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@stefano don't work in IT but the project is technical, very large and full of people that do not understand their 'choices' have concequences on others plus long term costs etc., making the deliverable more complex, worse and the price eye watering with less functionality.

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fedops 💙💛
@fedops@fosstodon.org replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@stefano "ai"-powered firewalls >>> next-gen firewalls. Of course. Should've thought of that.

Good luck with your leads! 😀

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Stefano Marinelli
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@fedops "ai" powered firewall will listen to all the Zoom calls and inject "this meeting could have been an e-mail".

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fedops 💙💛
@fedops@fosstodon.org replied  ·  activity timestamp last month

@stefano the premium version will then also terminate the call. 😂

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