Mike Norwood continued

How has it been different working here than where you worked before?
I see the biggest difference in working here as opposed to other companies is that I now have only one network to maintain. Prior to coming here I was supporting as many as 20 different networks of varying architectures, operating systems and softwares. Another benefit is just being able to watch our systems run. And they run very well, with the odd exception on occasion. Providing support to clients as I did before meant that most of the time if I was on-site they were experiencing a problem. I would correct whatever issue was affecting them and then move on to the next client that was having a problem. This meant that for the most part I was only seeing computers that were behaving badly. After a while you begin to wonder if computers are working for us or we are working for them. I guess bottom line is that here at CGH things are way more relaxed.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
I can't really say what I enjoy the most about my job. I don't necessarily think that I fit the Webster's definition of techno-geek but I absolutely love working with computers. From setting them up and making them function for my own amusement to configuring them to provide services to users, it all just rocks.

What's the strangest question you've been asked when it comes to computers?
The strangest thing I have ever been asked...hmmmm. Well I had a client who phoned in a support call for their server. Once onsite the user told me that he had some months back purchased a battery backup for his server and that he wasn't sure but he thought that it had not worked right for him from the day he put it in. He complained that it just constantly beeped and that when the power in the offices blinked or went off his server shutdown anyway. I go to check the battery out and just like he said, it was constantly beeping. Took about 10 seconds to find the problem. The server was still plugged in to thte wall and the battery backup system that he had purchased for the server was sitting in the floor beside the server and was plugged into itself.

What's your average day at work like?
Average day at work. A nice energy drink on the way in to wake up.  Check email and phone messages to make sure there are no fires that need my immediate attention. Then it’s on to check the server logs and make sure everything is 5x5. I spend some time browsing technical sites to make sure we are keeping up with the trends in tech as well as monitoring security sites for threats to our network that I need to be aware of. The rest of my day is peppered with support calls from users and time spent studying computer and network related material.

What's the one thing everyone should have installed on their computer?
Well unfortunately in the Windows world in which we live you just cannot get by without a strong antivirus/adware package. It is an absolute must have.

What do you enjoy doing in your off time? Any hobbies? What do you enjoy doing when you get home from work?
I guess my hobbies would be golf here in AL and when I can get out west to see my brother snow skiing. Nothing much like being in powder up to your eyeballs screaming down a run at Breckenridge or A-Basin.  Those are mostly my weekend adventures. Through the week I am pretty much working on or playing with computers even when I am not at the office. My wife is convinced that if I could put a USB port in the side of my head that I just might. Don't get me wrong, I do take the occasional night off from computer systems to have a few drinks with the guys and unwind a bit. But what can I say, computers are just fascinating.