It’s well known that IT administrators’ work has no end. They are the first to ensure that the uptime, performance, resources, and security of the computers he or she manages in an organization meet the needs of the users, without exceeding the budget.
Recently, Ipswitch’s (News - Alert) Network Management division conducted a survey that involved more than 140 IT administrators in the United States who shared their pains, passions and the kind of hard work they put in. Ipswitch also polled IT administrators in Germany, France and the U.K.
Ipswitch's “Red Shirt Survey” showed that more than 37 percent of IT admins were happier when the user appreciated his or her hard work and 34 percent of IT admins felt that they were happy if users rebooted their machines before asking for their help. Also, 15 percent said that they would be happier if users shared details about the applications they’ve downloaded on their laptops.
“An IT administrator's work is never done. They are on the front lines, and oftentimes the first to take the hit. They spend far too much time troubleshooting and reacting to problems associated with crucial technology their fellow employees rely upon to innovate, collaborate and do their jobs,” said Ennio Carboni, president and general manager at the Ipswitch Network Management division.
It’s just not computer and its problems. IT admins were also asked as to what makes them happiest to watch and play outside of work. Some 28 percent said they loved to watch the hit TV show “The Big Bang (News - Alert) Theory” followed by “Star Trek” (20 percent) and “Game of Thrones” (11 percent).
“We continuously ask our customers what drives them, and what drives them nuts, in order to help make their jobs easier,” Carboni added. “While we've sent the request for X-ray vision technology to our R&D department, many of the other issues can be solved with network monitoring software and a simple recognition of just how hard their jobs are.”
Since 39 percent of admins surveyed stated that they spend from 40-60 percent of their time responding to network or user problems, good words of appreciation are always welcomed by them.