I was a consultant for 13 years (technically I am now, but my check comes from the same source as my client, so it is not the same).  During that time, I had a few occasions where my loyalty was put to the test. 

Did I owe the client the honest truth? Without their trust in me, I would be out of a job.  They hired me for my expertise, and trusted my decisions.

Did I owe my company?  In other words, when the truth went against my company, did I "sit down and shut up"?

Fortunately, the episodes that created the dilemma came up only twice in 13 years.  But they were both hard ones on me, and even though relatively minor, I felt that my loyalty had to lie with the client.  As that was what they were paying me for.

Today, most of IT (information Technology) is outsourced.  So you can say that most of IT are contractors, and this is true.  But the difference in the last 10 years is remarkable.  Companies think they can get the same results by outsourcing, and save money.  The Commonwealth of Virginia (COV) is trying it.  But can they?

When the COV decided to outsource, all IT employees were given the option of jumping to the new company or staying with the state.  I stayed due to Retirement reasons.  But as the outsourcing got going, and the new company got its mitts into the pie, things started to go bad.  Not on the surface!  Rot does not work from the outside in, but from the inside out.

All of a sudden, data that was secure was open.  And when the people responsible for that data, former employees of the clients, now employees of the Outsource firm (contractor) started objecting, they were told to "sit down and shut up".  It did not matter that the data was exposed to potentially anyone out there (and if you know government, they got more data on you than anyone else!).  Sit down and Shut up.

But I was not with the outsourcer.  I stayed with COV.  So I started speaking up.  And I was told (due to the hierarchy) to "sit down and shut up".  As the old time JUers know, that I never do!  But I am also not a rat fink.  I am not going to run to the local paper and scream about the gaping holes now in the data security (besides the local rag is not worth the paper it is printed on).  I went to the clients.  I told them what was happening.  I showed them what was happening.  And they are actually doing something. Albeit they are not technical so it is hard for them.

We had a fiasco a month ago.  So much so that the person responsible (from the outsourcer) was actually fired.  I was told to "sit down and shut up" as I was the one that blew the whistle on him.  That was the thanks I got.

But we hope, right?  At least my message got out right?  So I hoped (but I am too old to believe).  So we met with the successor to the fired person and he showed us how all things were tight as a tic now!  Safe and secure!  He showed us printouts and diagrams!  But not the actual boxes.

So after the meeting, I checked on it.  And he lied to us!  A bald face blatant lie.  A lie so ridiculous a first year tech newbie would have seen it in 10 minutes.

So no, I am not going to "sit down and shut up".  I am going back to those non-technical people and tell them in non technical terms that their data is available to anyone with a grudge.  For the lesson I learned when I was a "REAL" consultant, is that if you do not be true to the people paying for you, you are worthless.  But this new firm seems to think that the opposite is true.  Sit down and shut up.

That is what they tell their employees, and have tried to tell me.  But sorry, my ethics will not allow me to screw a client just so my company can charge more, cut more corners, and basically screw the client.  When I was a consultant, the results were more immediate as if they found out I did that, they would have fired me on the spot.  but when you outsource, then it gets harder.  For all the people in the know - are forced to lie by the company higher ups.  So this is going to be a hard and long road.

But again, I will not lie to my client.  I may be the last honest consultant there, but I feel it is my ethical duty to be honest to the client.  No excuses, no cover ups.

And the worst part is, I appear to be in the minority. To be sure, some have decided they cannot "sit down and shut up" and have left.  The Outsourcer likes that as they have been trying for attrition (lay offs cost companies big time!).  They chose to leave instead of lie.  I am too old now.  I am tired of "leaving".  I am going to fight.  Until fired.

But I will not compromise my ethics for their profit.  No matter how much money they promise - it is never enough.

When you take a job, you agree to the rules set down.  But a consultant has 2 sets of rules.  One for the hiring company, and one for the hiring client.  And when a hiring company forces you to chose between the 2, then they are not an ethical or good company to work for.