How to celebrate system administrator appreciation day

If you didn’t know already, 29th July is a very special day — it’s System Administrator Day. This is an occasion to express your thanks for the vital work that system administrators carry out around the clock. If you want to show your support and learn how to celebrate this important day, you’re in the right place.

Before jumping into the celebrations, learn all about the critical role that your system administrator plays within your business. Once you’ve caught up, think about how you might want to celebrate this special occasion.

What is System Administrator Appreciation Day?

System Administrator Appreciation Day, also referred to as Sysadmin Day, was created by Ted Kekatos (a system administrator himself) as a way to celebrate and thank system administrators around the world for all the work they do. The day was first celebrated in 2000 and has been going strong ever since.

If system administrators are doing their job well, you probably don’t really notice the essential work they’re doing on a day-to-day basis. For this reason, Sysadmin Day is a great time to take a moment, reflect on how they support your business operations, and extend your thanks.

What does a system administrator do?

A system administrator is someone who is responsible for ‘all things tech’ within your organization. Their role involves optimizing and streamlining the performance of all your IT services and systems across the board. Their work is absolutely critical to supporting all of your business’ IT operations. For this reason, their job is, by nature, 24/7.

Though their role is often multi-faceted, ranging from high-level cybersecurity strategizing to practical and logistic tasks such as laying cables, or replacing your printer cartridges, as we said above, if they’re doing a good job, you probably don’t notice everything that they do for you on the daily:

• Keep your network secure and stable
• Configuring and updating all of your systems
• Ensures all your equipment is running smoothly
• Patch management
• Hardware and software troubleshooting
• Minimize general disruption and downtime
• Carry out system backups
• Managing users (permissions, troubleshooting, etc.)
• Design cybersecurity protocol and monitor your network for attacks

It’s important to note that a system administrator’s exact responsibilities will depend on the size of their organization or respective IT department. Sysadmins working in environments with fewer resources usually take on more responsibilities than in organizations that can afford to divide and delegate between staff members more.

What skills does a good system administrator need?

Given the multifaceted nature of a system administrator’s role, they need a wide breadth of knowledge and expertise, including but not limited to:

• Familiarity with Linux, Windows, and Mac operating systems. They need to be able to confidently troubleshoot and manage devices across all three.
• Ability to address physical problems. This means knowing a thing or two about common hardware found in a professional environment.
• Confidence in managing, monitoring, and configuring networks. A system administrator needs to be able to take care of every and all network and system needs that may arise.
• Ability to communicate clearly and help end-users troubleshoot. System administrators will often find themselves helping end-users to solve a problem or address an issue. This requires breaking down technical jargon and explaining it in a manner that is accessible to even the most non-technical person.

How Atera can help System Administrators

Atera is an all-in-one RMM and PSA platform that is built specifically for IT professionals. The platform is designed to optimize and proactively enhance key workflows for system administrators, giving them the ability to remotely automate patches, troubleshoot, as well as manage and monitor client networks.

The high-level oversight that the Network Discovery feature gives system administrators means that they are able to gain a comprehensive understanding of their network status in real-time. The helpdesk and professional services automation means that even troubleshooting and billing are completely streamlined.

How to celebrate Sysadmin Day

Whether you want to go all in or opt for a smaller gesture, it’s definitely worth celebrating Sysadmin Day in some shape or form. Though you don’t need to make a big deal, it’s always worth demonstrating that you appreciate the contributions of your staff members and that you truly value their work. Here are just a couple of ways that you could consider celebrating:

Company-wide or personal email

If you want to mark the occasion on a company-wide level, why not send round an email publicly expressing your gratitude to your in-house system administrator? Hopefully, this will prompt your colleagues and employees to take a moment to do the same.

If you’d rather strike a more personal note, why not send your system administrator a private email expressing your thanks.

Buy your sysadmin a cake (or ice cream)

System Administrator Appreciation Day’s official website suggests a number of ways that you could ‘properly observe’ the occasion, including with cake, ice cream, or even pizza! If this doesn’t feel quite right for you, take a little inspiration, and perhaps organize some special treats for the entire office in honor of your system administrator.