From carrying servers through Perth city on a weekend, to crawling on hands and knees to fix a server located under a staircase and rolling out a phone system with eagles overhead in Sharkbay….our very own Matt O’Donohue OSS Senior Consultant seems to have done it all in the name of great IT!
This year marks Matt’s 17th year with us, having previously worked at Fujitsu, where his work as an infrastructure engineer got him interested in servers, Linux, RedHat and of course to Open Systems Support.
We go behind the scenes with Matt to find out more about his passion for IT and other things in life.
But first…what attracted you to OSS?
“Having always loved problem solving, I was attracted to the way OSS liked finding clever ways to use technology to fix things, and how they’re honest and collaborative with their clients,” said Matt.
“Since then, a day is never the same. One minute it is server infrastructure, then virtualisation tech set up, digital transformation, data migration, disaster recovery and business continuity planning with advanced troubleshooting in the mix.”
“Throughout it all, I’ve really enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to work with some awesome WA businesses and organisations.”
How would you describe your IT skills set?
They say “variety is the spice of life” and Matt’s suite of IT skills and services certainly lives up to that famous saying.
“Throughout my career in IT and specifically more at Open Systems Support where we do get really hands-on as an SME provider, I have had the opportunity to offer support in so many areas, which I really enjoy.”
“My days, weeks and months can involve server infrastructure, virtualisation technologies, Disaster Recovery and Business continuity planning, Digital transformation / Data migration, VoIP, Remote connectivity, Active Directory / Office365 / Linux, and advanced troubleshooting that ranges from everyday emergency support through to very complex problems that ensures that one fix doesn’t affect other systems or equipment.”
Favourite OSS moments
Mention has already been made above of some of Matt’s IT moments that go beyond the extra mile. To recap and/or add more insights into them:
- Hand carrying servers through the city as I migrated a client from one office to a new one over a weekend so everyone could be working on Monday.
- Having to crawl on hands and knees and then lay on my side to fix a server located under a staircase.
- Rolling out a phone system across a mine site located in Shark Bay and watching eagles make nests in wireless transmitter towers.
Favourite “outside” of OSS moments
If you’re not catching Matt living and breathing IT, you can definitely spot him continuing to support, eat and drink local – one his favourite past times – with his gorgeous family.
Here are his top five “outside of work” moments:[Text Wrapping Break]
- I love coffee more than most people love their children
- I love food almost as much as I love coffee (and will talk to you about it endlessly if given the chance)
- I used to write semi-professionally about both food and coffee on a blog and in magazines.
- I speak fluent Spanish (más o menos), thanks to my beautiful wife who I met through a mutual love of food.
- I am highly motivated by helping people and seeing them satisfied after fixing and improving their systems is a huge motivator.
Connect with Matt
Thanks Matt for sharing your passion for helping people through the power of IT and also for giving us an insight of your 17 years at OSS and outside of it!
To get in touch with Matt, you can contact us or connect with him on LinkedIn.