You may be wondering -- what exactly is System Administrator Appreciation Day? For the past 15 years, the last Friday of July has been a day dedicated to those who make everyone else’s job easier by making sure IT needs are met and everything is running smoothly.
Yes, System Administrators (SysAdmins) install and maintain everything from LANs to WANs and the Internet and intranet -- but you probably know them as the first person to call when your computer freezes or you can’t access your email.
Daily Challenges
While BYOD and the increased availability of productivity applications are meant to make employee’s lives easier, all these additional endpoints need to be monitored for uptime and security purposes -- meaning more work for the SysAdmin.
Although today’s technology has its challenges, it’s usually the users who make SysAdmin’s jobs most challenging. Since most companies have employees with different levels of IT proficiency, they often get urgent requests that can be fixed with a simple solution like restarting a computer or adding new batteries. I have to admit, I’ve asked these types of questions before, and chances are -- so have you!
However, despite our daily questions, SysAdmins don’t get the credit they deserve. If everything is running smoothly -- we often don’t spare them a thought. However, if dangerous malware or spyware makes its way on to the network, it can obliterate a whole system. Or if your PC fails to function for a considerable amount of time, it inhibits productivity. Without the intervention of the SysAdmin, downtime can result in significant financial damage for the company.
What SysAdmins Really Want
While cake and cards are great, what they really want are the tools to make their lives easier. An IT management tool is an example of a solution that reduces workload and will surely keep SysAdmins happy all year round. Here are just some of benefits of using an IT management tool:
- Monitor devices proactively -- With IT management tools, parts of a system like online state, disk health, CPU and memory usage are automatically checked and the admin is notified when a certain threshold is exceeded. Proactive alerts means issues can be fixed fast, and often before it’s able to impact performance quality -- giving SysAdmins peace of mind.
- View all deployed assets within seconds -- As discussed above, more and more devices are being hooked up to a network, and SysAdmins need visibility into these endpoints. With an IT management tool, a user can generate reports on all hardware and software, as well as show what version software is and when it was installed or last modified. These reports make it easy for SysAdmins to keep track of hardware and eliminate the inherent risk of using out-of-date software -- especially when employees often ignore those pesky pop ups that ask if you want to install the latest version.
- Protect devices against malicious software -- With anti-Malware tools SysAdmins can rest easy knowing there are automatic scans in place, which look for threats such as viruses, Trojans, rootkits and spyware 24/7. And, if something unusual is detected, it will be quarantined and the right people will be alerted immediately.
Don’t wait until next year -- run and thank your SysAdmin and take a second to watch this fun video by ITbrain that shows how not to show SysAdmins your support.
Kornelius Brunner is Head of Product Management, ITbrain