Guest Blogger, Joseph Lalonde, shares five of his favorite resource sites utilized frequently in his position as Systems Administrator. Do you have some favorite resources of your own? Share them with us and you might be featured in our next issue of The Vision. -Micro Visions, Inc.
Five Websites SysAdmins Should Have in Their Favorites
As a systems administrator, you're responsible for a lot of technology items on your network. There's pressure on you to know how things work and how to repair broken technology.
But you and I know the truth. It's difficult for us to know everything there is to know about items on our network. Sure, we can get a good grasp on most of it but there's things you will not know.
That's why I love the internet. It's a wealth of information and can be our saving grace when something goes wrong.
This is also why I keep a list of websites handy when I need something. Here's 5 websites that can save a systems administrator hide.
- Spiceworks: Spiceworks has saved me many times in my line of work. The site is a community of IT experts who are ready and willing to help others find answers to burning questions.Recently, I used Spiceworks to help me solve an issue with blocking specific websites for network users. Other users quickly responded and pointed me in the right direction.Not only that, they provide software that will help you manage your network. Be sure to check them out.
- Reddit: You'll find yourself in a massive bulletin board service at Reddit. While not limited strictly to IT, you will discover subreddits that are specific to tech support.If you've got a question, type in your query in the search bar at the top. You'll be presented a listing of all the forum posts related to your question. You'll also have the ability to narrow it down with the subreddits.
- TechRepublic: At TechRepublic, you'll find forums, downloads, Q&As, and so much more for the IT professional.I especially love the TechRepulic Resource Library. There, they provide IT professionals, and not-so-professionals, with great tools and resources to download for free.
- CIO: While CIO is focused more towards business executives and company officers, the website still offers plenty of goods for the typical systems administrator.You will find articles advising you on the best browsers, new product releases, and so much more.
- PCWorld and/or PCMag: I find both of these sites to be extremely useful. Not for help in technical matters but to see what's new and hot in the technology world.Here, you will find articles detailing the latest product Apple is unveiling or the next misstep taken by Microsoft.Not only that, you'll also find opinion articles that will challenge your opinions on technology.You can't go wrong with either of these 2 sites.
These 5 websites can help you become a better systems administrator. It's up to you to put them to use.
