Hasheen Wilson:System Administrator @ Youngstown State University
Date Submitted: Oct. 2006
Arrive at work and open the door peeking at the phone to see if VM indicator light is on; if so I am hoping that nothing has occurred over night (ex. Server crashing) that would turn your good morning into a frenzy. Boot up mission control (my computer) because I have my network configured to control the majority of my functions through Remote Administration. My network consists of Windows 2000 and 2003 servers running various applications incorporated with Active Directory along with approximately 800 desktop computers; 85% XP Professional SP2 and 15% Windows 2000 and 98.
Upon logging into my computer, I check my email to see if there are any major outages that may impact the end users, also to notice if any clients are experiencing problems (assuming the problems are not email related to prevent the email of course).
Connect to my servers to check for any security breaches and to ensure that scheduled task(s) have performed successfully. After verifying the environment is running appropriately, I read a few tech informational websites for industry updates and potential threats that would affect daily operations (viruses, Trojans, etc.,). If there is not any threats, (which is traditionally unusual) then I proceed with my normal daily operations in which I will describe later. However, if not so lucky I'm daunted with the task of finding a fix and deploying the fix across the network. One cannot place a time frame on how long this task might take being that every case has to be explored separately. However, the objective is to secure the network ASAP without crippling the end users from performing their duties.
As a Systems Administrator there is never a dull moment in performing your daily operations, whether it is fielding phone calls from clients seeking technical assistance or technical advice to researching and testing the latest technological advancements to enhance the end user experience.
If you are the prototype that enjoys a profession of change and challenge, then exploring this profession will fulfill your expectations. The reasons being the only consistency in the IT arena is inconsistency because every new day brings new challenges... and that's what I do!
Upon logging into my computer, I check my email to see if there are any major outages that may impact the end users, also to notice if any clients are experiencing problems (assuming the problems are not email related to prevent the email of course).
Connect to my servers to check for any security breaches and to ensure that scheduled task(s) have performed successfully. After verifying the environment is running appropriately, I read a few tech informational websites for industry updates and potential threats that would affect daily operations (viruses, Trojans, etc.,). If there is not any threats, (which is traditionally unusual) then I proceed with my normal daily operations in which I will describe later. However, if not so lucky I'm daunted with the task of finding a fix and deploying the fix across the network. One cannot place a time frame on how long this task might take being that every case has to be explored separately. However, the objective is to secure the network ASAP without crippling the end users from performing their duties.
As a Systems Administrator there is never a dull moment in performing your daily operations, whether it is fielding phone calls from clients seeking technical assistance or technical advice to researching and testing the latest technological advancements to enhance the end user experience.
If you are the prototype that enjoys a profession of change and challenge, then exploring this profession will fulfill your expectations. The reasons being the only consistency in the IT arena is inconsistency because every new day brings new challenges... and that's what I do!