Celebrated event on July 25th: System Administrator Appreciation Day
Celebrating SysAdmin Day and Vladimir Vysotsky's Day of Remembrance
SysAdmin Day, a global event held annually on the last Friday of July, is a time to appreciate the unsung heroes who keep our digital worlds running smoothly. This year, SysAdmin Day falls on July 29th.
The day was first established in 2000 by American Ted Kekatos, inspired by a Hewlett-Packard printer ad where grateful employees gifted flowers and presents to the sysadmin for installing equipment. Since then, SysAdmin Day has been celebrated internationally, including in Russia since the mid-2000s.
Sysadmins are the multi-faceted specialists responsible for servers, networks, workstations, cybersecurity, backups and updates, user support, troubleshooting, and corporate service configuration. Their role is critical in maintaining the health of digital infrastructure, preventing IT disasters, ensuring security, and enabling business continuity.
On SysAdmin Day, organisations and companies show their appreciation through various gestures such as public acknowledgement, gifts, and promotions. For example, this year, Scale Computing launched an appreciation initiative that includes giveaways of hats, water bottles, backpacks, and access to industry reports to honour sysadmins’ hard work amid evolving IT challenges.
In Russia, SysAdmin Day has gained popularity since the 1990s as businesses began actively implementing IT infrastructure. The first All-Russian SysAdmin Gathering took place near Kaluga in 2006, now an annual festival that includes competitions, quests, and humorous events like keyboard throwing contests.
Meanwhile, July 25th is the day of remembrance for Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky, a poet, actor, bard, and symbol of an era. Concerts, literary evenings, film screenings, and meetings are held in his honour to celebrate his life and legacy.
In addition to SysAdmin Day and Vladimir Vysotsky's Day of Remembrance, other professional holidays are also celebrated in Russia. Dental Technician's Day, for example, is a professional holiday for specialists who manufacture dental prosthetics and orthodontic appliances. It is a crucial link between the dentist and the patient in the journey towards restoring dental health and aesthetics.
The Russian Federation Investigative Committee Employee Day is another professional holiday, celebrated to recognise the achievements of employees of the Investigative Committee and other agencies involved in the investigation of criminal cases.
As we celebrate SysAdmin Day and Vladimir Vysotsky's Day of Remembrance, let us remember the vital role that both sysadmins and cultural icons play in our society and express our gratitude for their contributions.
References:
- SysAdmin Day
- SysAdmin Day History
- Scale Computing Announces SysAdmin Day Appreciation Initiative
- SysAdmin Day Celebration Ideas
- SysAdmin Day: Recognising the Unsung Heroes of IT
Technology plays a significant role in celebrating SysAdmin Day, as it showcases the vital tools and systems that sysadmins manage to ensure our digital lives run smoothly. Meanwhile, the lifestyle of a sysadmin is multifaceted, demanding expertise in servers, networks, cybersecurity, and more, making them the unsung heroes of the IT world.
