Tape Storage

 View Only

Data Center Resolutions - Hone your tools and skills

By Tony Pearson posted Thu January 04, 2007 02:48 PM

  

Originally posted by: TonyPearson


Continuing this week's theme of New Year's Resolutions for the data center, today we'll talk about one that people don't always think about on a personal level, that is to hone your tools and skills.

A long time ago, I used to be a regular speaker at the SHARE user group conference. One of the most attended sessions was Sam Golob presenting the latest CBT Tape set of tools. Over time, this large collection of "mainframe shareware" was handed out on 3480 tape cartridges, then on CDs, and finally made downloadable off the web.Sam's main point, which I remember to this day, was that everyone who has a job should figure out what tools they use, keep those tools functioning properly, and learn to use them well.

Later, I took some cooking classes at a culinary school. Among other things, we learned:

  • A sharp knife is safer and easier to use than a dull one, resulting in fewer accidents
  • Knowing what you are doing is the difference between food that is "simply awful" to that which is "awfully simple" to prepare.
  • A well trained chef can prepare most meals with just a sharp knife and wooden spoon.

This last point hits close to home, as many people like me have too many tools that they do not use often enough to know how to use them well. Do I really need my strawberry corer, garlic press, or a tray designed for the storage and delivery of deviled eggs?

The same could be said about software tools. What tools do you use in your job? Do you feel you know how to take full advantage of their power and capabilities?If you develop software, do you know all the features for your debugging tools? If you develop advertising or marketing materials, do you know all the features of your photo or video editing software? If you manage storage in a data center, do you know all the tools for managing your storage area network (SAN), disk systems, tape libraries, and reporting tools to identify all of your files and databases across your entire IT environment?I would not be surprised if you could replace a whole mess of tools with just one, such as the IBM TotalStorage Productivity Center.

For me, I resolve to learn how to better use Lotus Notes e-mail client, and perhaps the new Office 2007.

technorati tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 comment
18 views

Permalink