Dear reader,
2017 has ended and here at NATC, we're excited about what’s in store for the coming year 2018. Looking back to what I have achieved over the years, I can proudly say the past year brought lots of exciting technical challenges and responsibilities which I have handled and continue to enjoy working in the field of technology. I used to work along with the former Head of IT then who wouldn’t want a team to share knowledge with me (He left NATC in 2015). He would prefer letting me do some common task just so he can accomplish the major work without me getting a glance at what he does in resolving complex issues.
Though I felt frustrated several times in the beginning but as persistence breaks resistance, I never gave up in asking him questions, taking the lead to undertake and complete any given task and reaching him on the phone for directions and following with keen interest, until whatever feelings he had about me changed. He then found interest in sharing ideas with me and working along with me. Unfortunately, in that short time of our smooth collaboration, he had to leave. I was left with another colleague who was specialized in repairing laptops and desktops, along with the Trainees. We handled in-house jobs and other projects outstation I do. This colleague left, too. I was left along with the trainees.
In 2016, NATC hired a Pakistani hard ware expert and I've been working with him since then.
Amongst all of the clients we are maintaining, there were three jobs that really impressed me.
Though I felt frustrated several times in the beginning but as persistence breaks resistance, I never gave up in asking him questions, taking the lead to undertake and complete any given task and reaching him on the phone for directions and following with keen interest, until whatever feelings he had about me changed. He then found interest in sharing ideas with me and working along with me. Unfortunately, in that short time of our smooth collaboration, he had to leave. I was left with another colleague who was specialized in repairing laptops and desktops, along with the Trainees. We handled in-house jobs and other projects outstation I do. This colleague left, too. I was left along with the trainees.
In 2016, NATC hired a Pakistani hard ware expert and I've been working with him since then.
Amongst all of the clients we are maintaining, there were three jobs that really impressed me.
1. As an Internet Service Provider for one of our customers based in Monrovia: to be précise, DAI-LAVI, a USAID sponsored project. We were given an opportunity to NETWORK the last floor of the Millennium Suites located 18th Street, Sinkor where they had extended their office to. Our Head of Operations arranged all materials and called me over to his desk; he showed me the Purchase Order (PO), the scope of work and timing. And he said "Daniel, this is not really a big project. I believe you can supervise these trainees how to run the network cables, how to use Punch Down tools, mount wall jacks, crimp cables and test, label them and mount the server rack. After all is done, there will be testing and turning over to the client." We immediately started the job the next day after drawing our targets. The job lasted for 8 days exactly as there were four rooms and a big hall carrying a total of 24 wall jacks with two separate cables for wireless access points. The wall rack was mounted with one Cisco Switch 48-ports, Patch panel (48ports) and one Cisco wireless router. I really like the way the trainees cooperated with me in taking an aggressive approach to meet with our timeline.
2. There came another 4-months contract to manage a USAID project called Liberia Municipal Water Project II (LMWPII) with 35 total of 35 users both in Monrovia and Nimba County. What an amazing task it was for me: making sure all users are connected to the network, accessing the servers from all sites, printing, making sure Satellite phones and GPS system running smoothly and 24-hr backup policy to their project server.
The challenging part of this was handling such a huge system where I had no proper access/password and unaware to the setup already in place only because their IT person had left with no notice. Coming in as a consultant, the customer expects the most professional approach to any action taken on their equipment be it resetting or getting acquaintance with the devices. Within a week I was able to reset the servers' Administrator password to the costumer’s choice, link users via Virtual Private Network connection (VPN) which was already configured in the Dell Sonic Wall/Firewall router from Nimba County to the main project servers in Monrovia and established a wireless network to users for ease of access in uploading/accessing their respective files or folders in the servers.
There, I was also able to see and get an experience on how fiber optic connections are done by calling their local ISP at least twice during an internet outage as the client is getting a Fiber Optic Broadband connection.
3. Travelling to Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh along with a V-SAT expert to install a V-Sat for a Midwifery training program. My duties were to configure a MikroTik router with firewall for site restrictions and remote login connection. This trip was amazing, too!
I enjoyed every moment working with all our customers as some are, at times understandable, amazing, interesting and difficult dealing or working with at times. Costumer’s satisfactions are what we valued the most and that’s while we get hold of more business most often by means recommendations from clients and individuals we’ve worked with. Indeed the year was a great start. It brought me lots of exposure working with individuals from different parts of the world. In this same year, I’m well recognized among students of Bluecrest University Collage Liberia being a student and a sub-contractor for their IT services. All thanks and appreciation goes to our hard working Management.
Thanks for following my blogs!
2. There came another 4-months contract to manage a USAID project called Liberia Municipal Water Project II (LMWPII) with 35 total of 35 users both in Monrovia and Nimba County. What an amazing task it was for me: making sure all users are connected to the network, accessing the servers from all sites, printing, making sure Satellite phones and GPS system running smoothly and 24-hr backup policy to their project server.
The challenging part of this was handling such a huge system where I had no proper access/password and unaware to the setup already in place only because their IT person had left with no notice. Coming in as a consultant, the customer expects the most professional approach to any action taken on their equipment be it resetting or getting acquaintance with the devices. Within a week I was able to reset the servers' Administrator password to the costumer’s choice, link users via Virtual Private Network connection (VPN) which was already configured in the Dell Sonic Wall/Firewall router from Nimba County to the main project servers in Monrovia and established a wireless network to users for ease of access in uploading/accessing their respective files or folders in the servers.
There, I was also able to see and get an experience on how fiber optic connections are done by calling their local ISP at least twice during an internet outage as the client is getting a Fiber Optic Broadband connection.
3. Travelling to Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh along with a V-SAT expert to install a V-Sat for a Midwifery training program. My duties were to configure a MikroTik router with firewall for site restrictions and remote login connection. This trip was amazing, too!
I enjoyed every moment working with all our customers as some are, at times understandable, amazing, interesting and difficult dealing or working with at times. Costumer’s satisfactions are what we valued the most and that’s while we get hold of more business most often by means recommendations from clients and individuals we’ve worked with. Indeed the year was a great start. It brought me lots of exposure working with individuals from different parts of the world. In this same year, I’m well recognized among students of Bluecrest University Collage Liberia being a student and a sub-contractor for their IT services. All thanks and appreciation goes to our hard working Management.
Thanks for following my blogs!
Prepared by:
Daniel Collins
Senior IT Technician
NATC
Daniel Collins
Senior IT Technician
NATC
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