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Systems administrators around the world are being celebrated July 26 for their behind-the-scenes work in keeping the networks of the organizations running smoothly, as part of the loosely organized and whimsical 14th annual SysAdmin Day.
“Your network is secure, your computer is up and running, and your printer is jam-free. Why? Because you’ve got an awesome sysadmin (or maybe a whole IT department) keeping your business up and running,” according to the SysAdmin System Administrator Appreciation Web site, which is sponsored by several IT companies to highlight the 2013 event on July 26.
“Wait … what exactly is SysAdmin Day?” the site asks. “Oh, it’s only the single greatest 24 hours on the planet … and pretty much the most important holiday of the year. It’s also the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to the heroic men and women who, come rain or shine, prevent disasters, keep IT secure and put out tech fires left and right.”
To reward those systems administrators on their special day, the site suggests such recognition as cake and ice cream, pizza, cards, gifts, words of gratitude, custom T-shirts celebrating the epic greatness of systems administrators, balloons, streamers, confetti and more.
“On this special international day, give your system administrator something that shows that you truly appreciate their hard work and dedication (all day Friday, 24 hours, your own local time-zone),” according to the site. “Let’s face it, system administrators get no respect 364 days a year. This is the day that all fellow system administrators across the globe, will be showered with expensive sports cars and large piles of cash in appreciation of their diligent work. But seriously, we are asking for a nice token gift and some public acknowledgement. It’s the least you could do.”
SysAdmin Day was first created by system administrator Ted Kekatos on July 28, 2000, according to a report in Wikipedia. “Kekatos was inspired to create the special day by a Hewlett-Packard magazine advertisement in which a system administrator is presented with flowers and fruit-baskets by grateful co-workers as thanks for installing new printers. Kekatos had just installed several of the same model printers at his workplace,” the story reported. Since then, SysAdmin Day has been celebrated on the last Friday in July.
Many other companies and organizations have created their own special SysAdmin Day events and Websites to acknowledge the special day.
At Dell, the company’s KACE systems management appliance division is holding its third annual SysAdmin Day contest, according to a post on the Dell Corporate Blog. Entrants are being asked to follow @DellKACE on Twitter, take photos of their IT desks at work, then tweet the photos to @DellKACE using the hashtags #SysAdmin #SysAdminDay #ITMess4Success, according to the post.
“We’re thanking our awesome SysAdmins who help us reset our passwords for the fifth time, keep us calm when our Excel sheet goes crazy at 12 a.m., and give us working tools so we can do great work,” said the post.
Prizes for the winning entries will include an Alienware laptop and five SysAdmin Survival Kits that include items such as a 145-piece computer toolkit, 64GB USB drives, Nerf guns and more.
Systems Adminstrators Get Recognition July 26 on SysAdmin Day
Another SysAdmin Day contest is being held by ManageEngine and its partner sponsors, “to say thank you to our relentless super heroes,” according to a post on the company’s Website. “Show them you care. Nominate them for a contest.” Entries will be judged on the stories about the systems administrators, as well as by the number of “likes” or comments that they receive, with additional points for videos and photos. The entry with the highest number of likes and comments will be selected as the winner. The contest closes at 2:59 a.m. EDT on July 26, so you’d better hurry to participate. First prize is a $1,000 Amazon gift voucher or a $1,000 iTunes gift card.
Netwrix is also holding a SysAdmin Day contest, with an Apple iPad Mini going to the winner, according to a post on the Netwrix Website. “Walking in your shoes is never easy and sometimes not even funny,” the post says of systems administrators. “But we just want you to know that all your efforts are appreciated and on the 26th of July we’ll do our best to make you feel like it’s your second birthday party this year.”
Entrants are being asked to submit photos of themselves doing their daily work, and the winner being chosen by receiving the highest number of “likes.” Entries will be accepted until July 26 10 a.m. EDT, with the winner being announced at noon EDT on July 26. The contest is open to systems administrators in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands.
Digium is also celebrating the day by creating and sharing several free SysAdmin Day graphics that systems administrators can use on their digital signatures or social media pages. “Get the recognition you deserve on SysAdmin Day,” the company states on its special Web page created for the event. “We’ve been working hard to make sure you are shown the love on this SysAdmin Day! Download them all or pick your favorite one, and then share them on your Facebook page, other social media outlets, or even in your email signature! Our hope is that by sharing these graphics, others will see that the world simply can’t exist without hard-working SysAdmins. Businesses and networks depend on you.”
Brian Ferguson, product marketing manager for Digium’s Switchvox devices, told eWEEK that this is the first year that the company has participated in SysAdmin Day.
“We love our sysadmin guys,” he said. “These people live in the shadows and they only come out when we need them badly” in offices around the world.
Someone from DeadTroll.com back in 2005 even created and produced a humorous and insightful YouTube video with his “System Administrator’s Day” song.
There’s even a Facebook page set up to remind people to participate.