With just a month left for nominations, BigFix is adding a new prize to the 2009 System Administrator of the Year contest – a progressive jackpot up to $5,000. The prize will start at $2,000, with $200 added to the pot for every 10 new nominations. The final prize will be split between the winning sysadmin and his or her nominator. In the case of self nomination, the entire cash prize will be awarded to the sysadmin.
This cash prize will be the new Grand Prize, with the runner up receiving a laptop, a conference pass to the 2010 Large Installation System Administrator (LISA) Conference, Guitar Hero 5 and their choice of Wii, xBox, or PS3. The next Top 3 entrants will win Guitar Hero 5 and their choice of Wii, xBox, or PS3.
BigFix proudly sponsors the 2009 System Administrator of the Year contest, which acknowledges the under-recognized rock stars of information technology who are vital to the smooth functioning of business, government and public services.
Sysadmins are the unsung heroes of information technology, keeping computers up and running, defending infrastructures from malware and hacking attacks, and helping end-users maximize their productivity. The contest is also an opportunity for the sysadmin community to share information on best practices and new ways to deliver value to their constituencies.
A panel of judges including AEleen Frisch (author, Essential System Administration), Doug Hughes (serial presenter and guru at many USENIX LISA conferences), Ben Kus (founder, BigFix User Group), Thomas A. Limoncelli (sysadmin author, http://www.everythingsysadmin.com), Johnny Long (founder, Hackers for Charity, http://www.hackersforcharity.org/), Ryan Russell (author, Stealing the Network), Robert Scoble (blogger, http://scobleizer.com), and Amrit Williams (blogger, Nominations are open untilOctober 23, with contest winner and runners up announced on November 4, 2009, at the USENIX Large Installation System Administrator (LISA) Conference at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel.
