ISC service(s) or programs/projects: I’m co-administrator of xMatters (which provides incident alerts and notifications fed by our system monitoring tools) and the Remedy liaison for Technology Services, building and modifying ticket templates and reports for Remedy. I also coordinate projects with teams and clients as required.
Length of time in ISC: Joined ISC and Penn in 2018
Previous work experience: Live event technician providing lighting, AV, multimedia, etc. for the University of Delaware while a student.
Tell us about a challenge at Penn that made you proud to be part of ISC.
I am an administrator for xMatters, an automated notification tool that alerts us to potential issues in the various systems we manage. Without xMatters, we might not know when an urgent issue affects a critical Penn system — especially outside of office hours, or in the middle of the night. When we need to resolve technical issues with xMatters and I get pulled in, the team always comes together — everyone wants to contribute. It’s nice having access to people with a wide range of expertise in IT and beyond, and I’m proud to be a part of it.
What’s an interesting technical or business problem you’ve faced with ISC?
We wanted to take advantage of the ability in xMatters to customize integrations with other products we use, such as Remedy, our support ticket management system. We saw the opportunity for us to automate a process that still required manual ticketing due to limitations in some legacy code. I needed to quickly learn enough JavaScript to decipher the underlying logic of the legacy code, then rebuild and add an update to the existing set of automation integrations within xMatters. This gave us insights about how we could create even more useful enhancements in the future.
What do you like best about working with clients?
I work with many individuals and groups in ISC, as well as for Schools like Arts & Sciences, and Engineering. Right now we’re doing a feasibility study for Engineering while they’re looking for a vendor for data center space. I find it interesting to learn about their different requirements and needs.
How has the pandemic changed the way you approach your role?
Working remotely allows me to be a little more productive, since I live in Delaware, so I can work longer if needed when I don’t have to commute. Working from home also made me realize that I do like being in the office, too — that direct interaction with people is nice. I like both modes.
What are you passionate about in your free time?
Lately, it’s been home improvement — I’ve been trying to winterize my windows, for instance. Since it’s an old house, there are no Ethernet ports anywhere, so I’ve been designing a WiFi system for my basement. I also keep plants, and I love music so I collect CDs and vinyl albums.
What else would you most like people at Penn to know about you?
I look forward to meeting more of you on campus!