A Day in the Life of a System Administrator
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Ever wondered what keeps the behind-the-scenes tech running smoothly? Follow a typical day in the life of Tim Kleen – System Administrator at Zipform Digital.
Reliable technology is essential to underpin every modern business. At Zipform Digital, maintaining that reliability is the responsibility of a dedicated System Administrator who ensures critical IT infrastructure remains secure, stable and available. Tim Kleen joined Zipform Digital in April 2022 and has been a central part in keeping systems running smoothly since then.
What’s the first thing you do every day when you get to work?
Each day typically starts by logging into both my primary workstation and the cloud-based virtual environment — a routine that reflects the cloud-based nature of modern IT operations. The first thing I do is to review system health to confirm that servers, networks and internal applications are functioning as we expect.
With systems verified and stable, my day officially starts — typically accompanied by a cup of tea after the much-needed morning coffee at home.
What does a normal day for you look like?
A regular day for me starts with reviewing alerts, checking emails and making sure that servers, network gear and internal applications are operating correctly.
I also keep an eye on backups and replications, which are essential for business continuity in the event of an incident.
The IT service desk queue is then checked, which is where we prioritise new issues, requests and project tasks. Some urgent tasks need my immediate attention, such as restoring business operations, while others are quite simple.
The rest of the day is spent solving the tricky problems that even vendors and Google sometimes struggle with, and making sure systems stay up and running so the rest of the business can do what they do best. I also ensure our systems are kept up to date to minimise the risk of vulnerabilities.
Most of the work of a System Administrator happens behind the scenes. I spend time diagnosing technical issues, coordinating with software and hardware vendors and applying system updates to minimise the risk of vulnerabilities.
How do you manage the work/life balance?
One of the reasons I like working at Zipform Digital is the great work/life balance. It means I can focus on getting things done during the day and still have time to switch off afterwards — something that I think is important in a job. It makes the day feel a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable.