In Systems, we’re a small department with a big responsibility: designing and maintaining the computing and telecommunication infrastructure of Blue Sky. We are the stokers and mechanics who keep the Blue Sky ship steaming ever onward. And we have a lot of coal to stoke: 250 staff members, 500 render CPUs, 200 Linux workstations, 150 Macs and PCs, 30TB of file server space, and a very fast network. Among the many tasks we handle are OS configuration, machine rollout, backups and restores, network design and implementation, machine room maintenance, phone switch maintenance, troubleshooting of all kinds, machine repair, physical and network security, planning, research of new technologies, monitoring and measurement, and vendor liaison.

We’re committed as much as possible to non-proprietary, vendor-neutral software, protocols, and products. We also take a great deal of pride in designing and configuring a hardware or software system ourselves, with the belief that such ownership teaches our staff more about the technology.

Responsibility in our department is divided between the Unix group, which handles the render farm, Linux and Unix workstations and the network; and the Desktop group, which handles all Macintosh and Windows-based PCs. Resources are shared between the groups, and crossover is encouraged, both to educate and develop careers, as well as providing relief when one or the other group is in a crunch. Because we are a small department, everyone does everything, and everyone gets their hands dirty.

We come from many backgrounds in Systems, with a wide range of experience, but we share common attributes: an interest in the organization of computer systems; a courteous, helpful, "come-what-may" attitude; a good sense of humor; and a desire to make a career out of systems administration.