First, I hate the term “soft” skills. I prefer we call them essential or non-technical skills or even essential non-technical skills, as that would be more accurate and not have implications about difficulty. I firmly believe these skills are crucial even in normal times. …
For campus IT, “back to school” holds an entirely different meaning for the Fall 2020 semester. On this episode of SolarWinds® TechPod™, Head Geek™ Liz Beavers is joined by Jenny Reeves, operations program manager for a K-12 school in Atlanta. They’ll recount the Spring journey as schools pivoted mid-semester to virtual classrooms, applying lessons learned as many schools …
The IT community has left its indelible mark on me—the sum of my experiences has led me to where I am now. I’m constantly impressed by IT’s creativity and ingenuity. No matter the circumstances, the time of day, or the hurdle, IT pros show …
This year has been a real whirlwind, hasn’t it? On top of all the 2020 world craziness, I started a new job this year as a Head Geek at SolarWinds. Yes, that’s my real job title. This year sheds new light on IT Pro …
Ben Zoma said: “Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: ‘From all who taught me have I gained understanding’ (Psalms 119:99)” Pirkei Avot (The Wisdom of Our Fathers) 4:1 This is a meditation on inclusion, inclusiveness, being open-minded, …
When IT professionals change jobs, it isn’t always a smooth and easy transition. Let’s say you worked somewhere else for a couple of years and got used to the environment you worked in. It was your kitchen; you knew what was in each drawer …
Different IT organizations have different needs. The one-man shop might find the best success with open-source software, while enterprises often need something a little more. But occasionally you’ll see an enterprise using open-source or something designed for a small to medium-sized business. This can …
The movies are filthy with examples of artificial intelligence. Some, like the first Terminator, are evil. Some, like the Star Wars droids, work for the good guys. And so many of them are flatly iconic—Blade Runner (both of them), 2001: A Space Odyssey, War …
As networks become more distributed and complex, it’s becoming ever more challenging for IT professionals to track all the events happening on their networks. Still, it’s vitally important to do so—logging activity on an agency’s network is critical to determining who’s on the network, …
IT professionals talk about automation… sometimes ad nauseum. We generally understand its value, even if we’re tribally divided by the specifics of its application. For civilians, automation is a catch-all for using technology to wield skills and abilities outside their experience (like placing an …
