Not all habits are bad. Sure you should ease up on the alcohol, give up smoking, and stop biting your nails, but make sure you take some time to develop some good habits. Take a look at the best practices below, ensure you perform them regularly, and before long they will become second nature. You will then be able to legitimately rank yourself alongside the best system administrators. Even better, you should find you have far fewer bad days and even some when everything runs smoothly without a hitch.
Develop a ticket system and keep on top of requests
You are likely to receive more requests for assistance than you can deal with in a single day. If you are regularly flooded with requests, some will invariably be forgotten. Sometimes you will deal with an issue only for a user to complain that you have not. It is useful to be able to prove that you have dealt with a problem in a timely manner. A ticketing system will allow you to do this, as well as help you prioritize tasks and never forget a single reported system or computer issue.
Your system need not be expensive or complicated. If you work on your own in a small business, you can set up a very simple MS Access database to log all requests. Even a spreadsheet may suffice. A word document would also work. The important thing is that all requests are logged.
If there is more than one system administrator employed in your company, it is probable that you may need to have a more complex system. Helpdesk software is likely to be required if you are having to deal with hundreds of requests. They will need to be allocated to staff members, and follow-ups will be required. Making sure all queries have been answered and all reported problems resolved will be a nightmare without such a system in place.
Keep a log of your activity
If you ever have to justify what you have spent all your time doing, your ticketing system is your friend. You can show the volume of requests you have received/resolved on a daily basis, and use that information to show that your time has been well spent.
One clever way of reducing the requests you get is to log the requests and send the user (and his or her line manager) an email detailing the request received and the likely timescale for resolution. If a manager is involved, you may find the number of requests you are given will decrease. A formal request process and confirmation procedure is a wonderful way of cutting back on many of the requests for support that are usually sent to the desk of a Sys Admin.
Be proactive and avoid power/cooling issues
Overheating servers and power fluctuations cause many headaches and waste a lot of a Sys Admin’s time. It sounds obvious, and it is, but managing power and ensuring server rooms are effectively cooled are well worth the effort. Being proactive in this regard will save a great deal of time in the long run.
Power issues can be largely solved by installing an Uninterrupted Power Supply unit (UPS) on each of your servers. When purchasing a UPS, make sure it has sufficient power to last for an hour and that it will shut down the server properly, not just give up when it runs out of juice. The latter is particularly important as it will ensure files are not corrupted and will mean fewer reboots are required.
Are your routers, switches and servers locked away in a closet without any cooling systems installed? If you work in a small organization, this may well be the case. If your equipment frequently overheats, consider investing in a small air conditioning unit. Does your server overheat frequently at the weekend, yet is fine in the week? Oftentimes, air con systems are shut down at the weekend when there is no one in the office. A separate unit will solve this problem, just make sure it vents into the ceiling.
Monitor your network and devices connected to it
It is vital to monitor your network and systems. This will allow you to take action before they crash and services are lost. Install a system to monitor everything, and then install a system to monitor your monitoring system. Get the system to send you alerts, and you can prevent a lot of problems from occurring and avoid time consuming (and expensive) system outages.
If your Monday mornings are usually spent dealing with system crashes that have accumulated over the weekend, you can make the start of the week a lot easier if you put a monitoring system in place. Do you have a service level agreement in place with your ISP? If so, you may be able to add in a monitoring function on your switches and router as part of your service level agreement. This may not be possible though if you have a highly complex system or atypical network configuration. Fortunately, in most cases, monitoring systems are inexpensive, yet can save a lot of time, money, and hair loss from stress.
Cut back on time consuming manual chores
Repeating the same tasks over and over again wastes and extraordinary amount of time, plus each time a task is performed there is the possibility of mistakes being made. Use the automation and scripting controls on servers and other devices, and updates and installations can be performed automatically.
If you use Powershell for instance, Windows 2012 Server support will be streamlined. It may take a little time to set up, but it will save you hours in the long run. If you cannot do this, create a detailed checklist containing all of the settings for different applications to reduce the possibility of errors being made.
Don’t let users waste your time
OK, this is much easier said than done, but there are ways to reduce the time spent dealing with user issues. For instance, create a website page that lists the correct contact numbers and persons responsible for dealing with particular IT problems. Remember that users are non-technical individuals, so the language used must also be non-technical. “Server problems” rather than “Windows NT problems” for example.
Instruct all users visit the webpage before contacting you. You can then place updates on the webpage that may answer many of their questions. Also include a self-help section. (have you tried turning your computer off and on again?)
Include sections for changing passwords and the common problems you are asked to deal with that can easily be resolved by following a simple set of instructions. You will find the volume of helpdesk calls will reduce considerably. Also create a login banner to advise of maintenance schedules etc., to avoid being bombarded with calls when a planned outage takes place.
Get involved in the business
It is your job to deal with technical aspects of the business, yet you will need to be aware of how the business operates. In order to get authorization for IT upgrades or new equipment, it helps if you can explain, concisely, why the purchases are necessary, the impact they will have on the business, and the consequences if purchases are not made. Work on your communication skills and learn how to communicate effectively with non-technical staff members. It requires practice, and a great deal of patience sometimes, but it will make your life easier in the long run.