Organizations and IT departments can nominate their IT professionals for SolarWinds’ IT Pro Day 2022 Awards to recognize the critically important—but often unseen—work that IT professionals do to keep networks operating and secure.
Celebrated on the third Tuesday of each September since being established in 2015, the IT management software company’s annual awards program recognizes tech professionals who have demonstrated excellence, with nominations open for several categories.
IT pros can be nominated for Rookie of the Year, Rockstar of the Year, IT Mentor of the Year and Trailblazer.
Here is how SolarWinds defines each category:
- 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 making 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 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: What makes IT so crucial 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.
Winners will be announced on IT Pro Day, on Sept. 20.
A SolarWinds Head Geek, Chrystal Taylor, said in a statement that IT roles have become increasingly difficult, but non-tech workers are generally unaware of the challenging work their organizations’ IT professionals are doing.
“IT Pro Day was created to honor the critical work IT teams do every day to ensure you can do your job. There are national days recognizing administrative professionals, zookeepers, thermal engineers, interns, and more—so it’s only natural to honor the people who make it possible for the rest of the organization to function,” Taylor said.
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