This week, in honor of IT pros everywhere, CompTIA recognizes your skill, dedication and your contributions with IT Pro Appreciation Week 2016, which concludes on July 29 with the 17th annual IT SysAdmin Day. We thank you, the IT professional, for your behind-the-scenes work that completes our projects on time, fixes our near disasters and keeps our clients happy.
Seriously, we love IT pros, and we hope that you know it. This week, use hashtag #WeLoveITPros to share all the reasons why an IT pro is the hero in your office. While you’re hashtagging, enter our contest to win gadgets, gifts cards and a Pimp My Cube IT cubicle makeover.
“Today we helped [a client], and when I left the office I got the nicest email saying, ‘Thank you so much. I’m so grateful,’” Deb Longacre, vice president, Weidenhammer, said. “That direct feedback is so worthwhile.” Weidenhammer has more than 220 IT professionals on staff and has provided consulting and technology solutions for its clients for over 35 years. Longacre runs a business unit of IT experts, business analysts, developers, architects, consultants, creative designers and graphic artists.
Longacre has a diverse mix of clients in many different businesses, all of whom she helps to grow and change by taking them into the digital world. “I’ve been exposed to so many different businesses,” she said. “We can see similarities in two problems and understand how we might apply a solution in a different environment. When somebody uses what you’ve done and you can see that it helps them, there’s no better gratification than that.”
By doing so, she’s cultivated lasting relationships with her clients. “I spoke recently with a staff member who I’ve worked with for many years in design and implementation,” she said. “His company has been actively using the application we designed for six years, and he told me it’s a core piece of their business. When I think, ‘I participated in that company’s success or growth,’ that’s immensely gratifying.
“He sent me an email to tell me he’s taking another job and he wanted to make sure he had given me his contact information. He said, ‘I’m going to this other company and when I get there. I believe there are ways you can help me help them.’ That’s the best feeling in the world.”
Delfin Vazquez is a senior systems administrator for Drayer Physical Therapy, an owner and operator of more than 130 outpatient physical therapy clinics in 13 states. Vazquez works for a lean, tight-knit group that keeps all of the backend systems running for the clinics. As a two-man team, there aren’t many others to bounce ideas off of. “When something is outside of your skill set and you’ve fixed it, and your manager knows that you helped them, that’s what’s really rewarding. Everyone expects you to do the stuff that you’re paid to do, but here there’s a lot of figuring things out and making it work. I’m able to perform a function that’s not run of the mill.”
Jay Toskey, relationship manager at SEI, sells products to banks and trust companies that support their clients. When he calls IT, there’s a problem. Most recently, there was a problem with a conversion. “I needed help from the people who built the system. I stayed at SEI with our e-delivery team until 4:00 a.m. They helped me fix every single problem so the conversion could get back on track,” he said. “The next day, I brought them donuts, coffee and a goody bag because I completely ruined their night.”
Remember the donuts and coffee this week for the team of people who keep your systems, projects – actually your entire company – running.
Jamie Marturano is a freelance writer based in Pennsylvania.
