It’s Sysadmin appreciation day! What exactly are you appreciating?
The primary duty of a system administrator is the upkeep and ongoing operation of computer systems, especially servers—and that job description means they are responsible for elements like uptime and security that are essential to the health and functionality of computers, networks and the ability of many people to do their jobs. By nature, a sysadmin has to be a jack-of-all-trades. Their responsibilities are vast and can vary on a daily basis—and at the drop of a hat. They are problem-solvers and fixers.
Because of the wide-ranging nature of their work, sysadmins sometimes focus on one area—databases; networks; security; web admin; storage—and many are self-taught in the overall discipline, which requires a cyber Swiss Army knife’s worth of skills. As per the xkcd cartoon, the stereotype of a sysadmin is an incredibly dedicated, resourceful and implacable worker.
The most well-known system administrator is Edward Snowden, who used his abilities and access to expose the NSA’s massive surveillance programs. Many consider Snowden a hero in the fight for information privacy and the ongoing battle against government spying. Snowden demonstrated that one sysadmin can change the world.
There may be a sysadmin working at your company right now. It may even be you! You should show your appreciation for the tricky, relentless work they do every day to keep our computer systems running smoothly. Give them a hug or a high-five, take them out for a drink. Pat yourself on the back and bask in the #SysAdminDay hashtag, if you’re the day’s hero.
Here’s some of the ways social media has been trumpeting sysadmins today:
Happy #SysAdminDay! pic.twitter.com/UgjXOo95WP
— Núria (aka [email protected]) (@nilska) July 31, 2015
#SysAdminDay – It's the same day as normal; except you feel slightly more powerful when you close the same ticket for the 10th time.
— Ben Ten (0xA) (@Ben0xA) July 31, 2015
should you buy your sysadmin a beer? #SysAdminDay pic.twitter.com/sImE9xHTLf
— Matija Rijavec (@matijarijavec) July 31, 2015
"You have become immune to caffeine." #6WordHorrorStory #SysAdminDay
— Micro SF/F stories (@MicroSFF) July 31, 2015
https://twitter.com/embed/status/627038643287408640
How many different ways could the password cracker order a beer? #SysAdminDay pic.twitter.com/TpH4844ens
— Google Workspace (@GoogleWorkspace) July 29, 2015
OHOOO. In fact I did get a #SysAdminDay cake today o/ pic.twitter.com/igaJYcr874
— Сталкер Commander1024 (@Commander1024) July 31, 2015
Happy #SysadminDay, fellow ops types.
May your pagers be silent, and the silence not be false negatives in your monitoring stack.
— 90% Snark by weight (@curiousbiped) July 31, 2015
#SysAdminDay is just days away! What's your #SysAdmin Superhero name? Retweet when you find yours! pic.twitter.com/pipNR5Ievx
— SolarWinds (@solarwinds) July 28, 2015
Happy Day!!! #SysAdminDay #SysAdminAppreciationDay @chinosoliard @sysarmy @Vampii @jpdborgna @villadalmine and more.. pic.twitter.com/5fZxOfvFH1
— Marcelo Cazon (@S4ndm4n666) July 31, 2015
https://twitter.com/embed/status/627168542052470784
Thanks for all you do, sysadmins. Wishing you silent pagers and full glasses.
Image: xkcd
