But the IT support teams have largely remained ‘backstage artists’. The role of the IT support team came to limelight when the Covid-19 pandemic set in warranting overnight shifting of work places to new and remote locations. The team had a pivotal role to play in ensuring business continuity and data protection. Many midnight oils were burnt by this critical team to ensure it is business as usual’. They donned many hats and went beyond merely ensuring computers, laptops and internet was functioning smoothly.
With so many responsibilities, had you asked an IT support professional during the peak of the pandemic “how was it during the peak of the pandemic?” and more often than not, the response would have been the same - “I hardly slept for an hour or so in a day” or “grabbing a quick bite and getting back to work”. It is this determination and commitment of these teams which set us to recognize them for their contribution and who continue to do so.
“Aptly titled ‘IT Heroes’, the initiative stemmed from our realization that they need to get a fair share of recognition for their tireless efforts and unflinching attitude. In our maiden initiative to recognize such teams, our key objective is to create a platform to curate and host their stories, experiences to inspire and encourage others” says Satyen Vyas, CEO, Symphony SummitAI
As a first step to draw a large pool of such professionals, the website www.it-hero-rises.com went live and promoted across all social media handles.
Talking about the response to the initiative, Vyas says, “Many interesting experiences and inspirational stories like a Manager of a leading consulting has shared how their IT function enabled VPN function for their 16K users in a week and delivered laptops in places like Jammu & Kashmir, a small village in Bijapur. It also cites how their team walked several kms to deliver laptops to new joinees and how they had to make arrangements for the IT team to stay in their data centre for 5-6 weeks to ensure continuous support”
What makes the IT Hero Rises truly special is the fact that this is not a contest and thereby there are no winners and runners-up. Every IT support professional is the lifeline of an organization. And each one of them are heroes. Over the next few months, we plan to take it other countries like South East Asia, Middle East, etc. “Going by the responses we have received, we certainly see evolving as an annual property”, adds Vyas