Houston, we have a problem

This cartoon (2009), was the reaction of a weird response from our service desk while we were doing a database upgrade on the weekend. My job was to do the final test on production. But, my VPN didn’t work anymore. When I reported the problem to our internal helpdesk, they responded by clarifying that they do not provide any support over the weekend. Although I could test anyway, I had no possibility to join the conversations between DevOps, Developers and the IT-Manager. Somehow I still managed to get them send me their news and instructions to my private email account, but still I received only half the information and I wondered what the company does if hell breaks loose? Do we still stick to office hours in such cases?

 But, I learnt, that I am not alone. The Swiss armed forces had a similar issue 2014 when a Boeing 767 flying from Addis Abeba (Ethiopia) to Rome was hijacked over Italian airspace and diverted to Switzerland [1]. The plane was escorted by an Italian and French fighter jet until the passenger plane landed safely at the Swiss airport Geneva. And where were the Swiss F/A-18 Hornets? Oh, their pilots work only from 8am to 5pm with a 30-minute lunch-break. This incident was broadly discussed in public and a lot of jokes made the rounds. But, in contrary to my case, the Swiss armed forces had learnt from this embarrassing incident and now provides a 24/7 service [2].

 

 

 

---

[1] Ethiopian Co-Pilot Hijacks Jet, Then Asks for Asylum in Geneva
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/world/europe/hijacked-ethiopian-plane-lands-in-geneva.html

[2] No more office hours for Swiss air policing missing
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/26815-no-more-office-hours-for-swiss-air-policing-missions