SolarWinds, a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, is seeking nominations for its inaugural IT Pro Day Awards program,
which is designed to celebrate the contributions IT professionals have
made to their field this year. Winners will be announced during the
upcoming annual IT Professionals Day holiday on September 15, 2020.
"The
IT professional is the unsung hero of today's modern business, and the
global pandemic has elevated IT pros as essential workers-working behind
the scenes keeping global organizations performing and our lives
running smoothly, all while managing the challenges of remote work and
increased burdens on IT environments. Being an IT professional means
considering the unprecedented and constantly seeking ways to use
technology to solve problems, and this has never rung truer than in
2020," said Rani Johnson, chief information officer, SolarWinds. "We're
thrilled to introduce the IT Pro Day Awards as another opportunity for
all organizations and the global IT community itself to recognize the
technology professionals who keep us connected, productive, and ready
for what comes next."
Celebrated
on the third Tuesday of each September, IT Pro Day was established in
2015 to thank all those who keep the wheels of IT turning: system
administrators, network engineers, database administrators, information
security professionals, developers, MSPs, IT support techs, and a
plethora of other IT-related professionals. The new IT Pro Day Awards
program extends this annual celebration by recognizing IT
professionals-at any level of an organization-who have demonstrated
excellence in their profession this year (since January 1, 2020).
For
this first year of the awards, IT pros are welcome to nominate their
industry friends, peers, and colleagues in the following categories now
through August 31, 2020:
- Rookie of the Year: We
all start somewhere-and we want to pay special attention to the rising
stars of IT. This award recognizes an IT pro new to the profession who's
made an immediate impact, whether by developing new skills (technical
or otherwise), contributing to the success of a challenging project, or
driving measurable results for the business.
- Rockstar of the Year: This award honors
an IT pro or team who has gone above and beyond the typical IT call of
duty. They may have managed/executed on a shoestring budget, took on a
challenging request or led a project that generated tangible business
results, picked up extra shifts in response to strained staffing
resources during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, or committed their
free time to upskilling to have a transformational impact on their
organization.
- IT Mentor of the Year: This
award recognizes a seasoned IT pro who has supported and empowered
others to be successful by sharing their experience with their team(s).
This person regularly leads by example, helps foster growth and
development, and has shown sustained commitment to the advancement of
their organization through technology.
- Trailblazer: Part
of what makes IT so important to modern organizations is the
transformative impact new, innovative strategies and technologies can
deliver. This award recognizes an individual or team who has
experimented with or implemented something new and out of their comfort
zone. Did this person conceptualize the rollout of a DevOps approach,
test automation, or begin exploring the role of data-driven operations
in the data center? Highlight why their work qualifies as
"unprecedented" and its potential measurable outcomes.
Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of the SolarWinds Head Geeks and prominent industry leaders-Denny Cherry, Karen López, and Silvia Spiva.
The judges will evaluate nominations based on the achievements of IT
pros, including specific challenges, project or technology
implementation hurdles, measurable results and data points, or other
qualitative/quantitative context best demonstrating the values and goals
outlined in the chosen category.
To nominate a technology professional for the IT Pro Day Awards 2020, please complete and submit entries in the online form by
11:59 p.m. CT on August 31, 2020. Winners will be notified in early
September and celebrated as part of IT Pro Day on September 15, 2020.
Any questions on the submission process or the awards program itself can be directed to ITProDayAwards@solarwinds.com.
IT Professionals Day
IT
Professionals Day annually recognizes and celebrates all IT
professionals, regardless of discipline. Whereas holidays such as System
Administrator Appreciation Day recognize one category of the
profession, IT Professionals Day honors not only system administrators,
but network engineers, database administrators, information security
professionals, developers, MSPs, IT support technicians, and all other
professionals serving in IT-related roles. Please visit ITProDay.org to learn more.