So yeah - if I were to show him how to install Runviewer that would - (not going to use the expletive) - make him more angry than if I go over his head with the owner.
If this IT guy has that kind of totally unhelpful attitude, your company doesn't need him. When I was with NEDC-NO and our IT guy talked about Access, I told him it was by request of a particular manager and he was free to talk to that manager to determine priorities. I worked with the guy to the point that I met about 95% of his objections about security issues. At that point, he bought in and told me I had to manage my corner of the world myself, but he wouldn't block me. The key was that he knew the project had major support from above and that there was no faster, better way to get the job done that didn't involve buying 3rd party software that would become a cost factor AND a different kind of security factor, since at that point the solution would be one not built at our office, and he would be MANDATED to run it anyway, with NO say in how it was operated. The writing was on the wall for him.
Here is your question to ponder: At what point does your job become so terribly burdensome (because of this chowderhead) that you don't want to work there anymore? You have an obligation to yourself first to be honest with your boss about why you are having trouble. This is a terrible decision to face, but the truth is that if you don't face the problem, it will sit there and chew on your
toches until you don't have one any more. At what point do you go over his head? Try letting HIM go up the line about the project and find out for himself.
Ugh........scheisse (can I say that on here? lol)
Just toss your hands in the air and say, "Ach! Scheissen, nicht schiessen!" But seriously, if the built-in dirty-word filters don't give a rat's patootie then neither do we. Well, at least neither do most of us.