Truth in IT
    • Sign In
    • Register
        • Videos
        • Channels
        • Pages
        • Galleries
        • News
        • Events
        • All
Truth in IT Truth in IT
  • Data Management ▼
    • Converged Infrastructure
    • DevOps
    • Networking
    • Storage
    • Virtualization
  • Cybersecurity ▼
    • Application Security
    • Backup & Recovery
    • Data Security
    • Identity & Access Management (IAM)
    • Zero Trust
    • Compliance & GRC
    • Endpoint Security
  • Cloud ▼
    • Hybrid Cloud
    • Private Cloud
    • Public Cloud
  • Webinar Library
  • TiPs
  • DRAW

PDQ: IT Admin Workload Doubled, Salary Stayed the Same

PDQ
10/02/2026
0 (0%)
Share
  • Comments
  • Download
  • Transcript
Report Like Favorite
  • Share/Embed
  • Email
Link
Embed

Transcript


Same salary, no conversation. When there were two of us, Jamie took help desk, I took infrastructure. Alternating on-call, one of us always off. It was a system. Now the help desk queue is mine, infrastructure is mine, on-call is every weekend, and the DR test scheduled for September has been moved to when I have time. Here's the math. Together we handled 340 tickets a month. I'm now handling 290 alone. That sounds like progress. It's not. It means 50 tickets a month are either passed SLA, closed without resolution, or never opened, because users have learned that raising a ticket takes longer than just living with the problem. Here's what's not in any report leadership will ever see. Security patch, three weeks in queue, untested. DR plan, last touched six weeks ago. Nothing catastrophic has happened yet. I'm doing the job, but I'm making choices every day about what doesn't get done, and nobody is asking me what those choices are. One day something on that list will matter very much, and I'll be the only one who knew it was coming.

TL;DR

  • A co-admin quit and was never replaced, leaving one IT admin to absorb both help desk and infrastructure responsibilities at the same salary with no discussion.
  • The ticket math looks almost acceptable on paper — 290 handled solo versus 340 shared — but 50 tickets per month are silently failing, closed unresolved, or never raised at all.
  • Critical risks are accumulating invisibly: a security patch untested for three weeks and a DR plan untouched for six weeks that leadership will never see in any report.

Summary

This short, narrated Reddit story puts a human face on a systemic IT staffing problem: when a co-admin leaves and isn't replaced, the remaining administrator silently absorbs the full workload with no salary adjustment and no formal acknowledgment from leadership. The narrator lays out the math plainly — two admins previously handled 340 tickets a month; now one handles 290, but that apparent efficiency masks 50 tickets per month that are missed, closed without resolution, or never filed because users have given up. More critically, the hidden costs are invisible to management: a security patch sitting untested for three weeks, a disaster recovery plan untouched for six weeks, and a DR test indefinitely deferred. The video closes with a quiet warning that resonates across the sysadmin community — the admin is making daily triage decisions about what doesn't get done, and no one in leadership is asking what those decisions are. When something on that silent list eventually fails, the admin will be the only person who saw it coming.

Chapters

0:00 - The Co-Admin Leaves
0:16 - Full Workload, Solo
0:25 - The Ticket Math
0:43 - Hidden Risks Leadership Won't See

Key Quotes

0:32 "That sounds like progress. It's not."
0:34 "It means 50 tickets a month are either passed SLA, closed without resolution, or never opened, because users have learned that raising a ticket takes longer than just living with the problem."
0:54 "I'm doing the job, but I'm making choices every day about what doesn't get done, and nobody is asking me what those choices are."

FAQ

Why does the ticket count dropping from 340 to 290 actually represent a failure rather than efficiency?

The 50-ticket gap isn't being resolved — those tickets are either past SLA, closed without a fix, or never opened because users have learned that submitting a ticket takes longer than tolerating the problem. The number looks better on paper while the underlying service quality has deteriorated.

What specific risks are going unaddressed in this scenario?

The narrator identifies a security patch that has been sitting untested in the queue for three weeks and a disaster recovery plan that hasn't been touched in six weeks. The DR test originally scheduled for September has been indefinitely postponed to 'when I have time.'


Categories:
  • » Data Protection
Channels:
News:
Events:
Tags:
  • Security Operations
  • Best Practices
  • Getting Started
  • Compliance & Governance
  • IT staffing
  • Sysadmin burnout
  • Workload management
  • Help desk operations
  • Disaster recovery
  • Security patch management
  • IT compensation
  • Organizational risk
Show more Show less

Browse videos

  • Related
  • Featured
  • By date
  • Most viewed
  • Top rated
  •  

              Video's comments: PDQ: IT Admin Workload Doubled, Salary Stayed the Same

              Upcoming 360 View Events

              • Nov
                19

                360View: Govern, Secure & Recover Your Microsoft 365 Environment

                11/19/202601:00 PM ET
                More events

                XStreaminars (watch here)

                • Oct
                  27

                  See It. Stop It. Contain It. Lateral Movement Defense in Action

                  10/27/202611:00 AM ET
                  • Oct
                    28

                    EnvZero: Near-Zero Time to Resolution--Live Agentic Remediation for Failed and Drifted Infrastructure

                    10/28/202601:00 PM ET
                    More events

                    Industry Events (Sponsor Hosted)

                    • Oct
                      15

                      Risk in Real Time Demo Series: Virtual Patching: Protection at the Speed of Exploitation

                      10/15/202611:00 AM ET
                      • Oct
                        20

                        Harnessing Data Governance for AI with Cyera and Snowflake

                        10/20/202611:00 AM ET
                        • Oct
                          27

                          Maximize Security, Value, and Returns on Your Microsoft Investment

                          10/27/202611:00 AM ET
                          • Oct
                            27

                            The HUMAN Experience: Real-Time Insights into Page Intelligence

                            10/27/202601:00 PM ET
                            • Oct
                              28

                              [APAC:] Secure AI Everywhere: Visibility, governance and protection for the agentic era

                              10/28/202601:00 AM ET
                              More events

                              Upcoming Webinar Calendar

                              • 10/15/2026
                                11:00 AM
                                10/15/2026
                                Risk in Real Time Demo Series: Virtual Patching: Protection at the Speed of Exploitation
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/1372/risk-in-real-time-demo-series-the-autonomous-era-orchestrating-a-resilient-enterprise/
                              • 10/20/2026
                                11:00 AM
                                10/20/2026
                                Harnessing Data Governance for AI with Cyera and Snowflake
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2137/harnessing-data-governance-for-ai-with-cyera-and-snowflake/
                              • 10/27/2026
                                11:00 AM
                                10/27/2026
                                Maximize Security, Value, and Returns on Your Microsoft Investment
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2178/maximize-security-value-and-returns-on-your-microsoft-investment/
                              • 10/27/2026
                                11:00 AM
                                10/27/2026
                                See It. Stop It. Contain It. Lateral Movement Defense in Action
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2182/see-it-stop-it-contain-it-lateral-movement-defense-in-action/
                              • 10/27/2026
                                01:00 PM
                                10/27/2026
                                The HUMAN Experience: Real-Time Insights into Page Intelligence
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2139/the-human-experience-real-time-insights-into-page-intelligence/
                              • 10/28/2026
                                01:00 AM
                                10/28/2026
                                [APAC:] Secure AI Everywhere: Visibility, governance and protection for the agentic era
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2125/apac-ensuring-comprehensive-security-for-ai-applications/
                              • 10/28/2026
                                06:00 AM
                                10/28/2026
                                [EMEA:] Secure AI Everywhere: Visibility, governance and protection for the agentic era
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2127/emea-ensuring-ai-security-across-all-platforms/
                              • 10/28/2026
                                01:00 PM
                                10/28/2026
                                [AMERICAS:] Secure AI Everywhere: Visibility, governance and protection for the agentic era
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2126/securing-ai-across-the-americas-strategies-and-insights/
                              • 10/28/2026
                                01:00 PM
                                10/28/2026
                                EnvZero: Near-Zero Time to Resolution--Live Agentic Remediation for Failed and Drifted Infrastructure
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2179/envzero-near-zero-time-to-resolution-live-agentic-remediation-for-failed-and-drifted-infrastructure/
                              • 11/04/2026
                                11:00 AM
                                11/04/2026
                                Aligning Agentic Intent: Understanding Your Agents' Purpose vs. Their Actions
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2158/aligning-agentic-intent-understanding-your-agents-purpose-vs-their-actions/
                              • 11/05/2026
                                02:00 PM
                                11/05/2026
                                HUMAN Dialogue: Embracing the Era of AI-Driven Consumers.
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2160/human-dialogue-embracing-the-era-of-ai-driven-consumers/
                              • 11/05/2026
                                02:00 PM
                                11/05/2026
                                Reclaim Your Evenings: Leverage Data Intelligence to Minimize Risk and Boost AI Adoption
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2172/reclaim-your-evenings-leverage-data-intelligence-to-minimize-risk-and-boost-ai-adoption/
                              • 11/19/2026
                                01:00 PM
                                11/19/2026
                                360View: Govern, Secure & Recover Your Microsoft 365 Environment
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2076/360view-govern-secure-recover-your-microsoft-365-environment/
                              • 11/19/2026
                                01:00 PM
                                11/19/2026
                                Zendesk Deep Dive: Get the work done faster with Employee Service AI Agents
                                https://www.truthinit.com/index.php/channel/2181/zendesk-deep-dive-get-the-work-done-faster-with-employee-service-ai-agents/
                              Truth in IT
                              • Sponsor
                              • About Us
                              • Terms of Service
                              • Privacy Policy
                              • Contact Us
                              • Preference Management
                              Desktop version
                              Standard version