An interview with our System Engineer and Service Manager, Jordan Simpson. “Do not be afraid to mess around with tech. It’s harder to break than you think. Just because something doesn’t work the first time doesn’t mean its totally broken.”
An interview with our Vice President of Business Development, Christopher Bierasinski. “I don’t think it’s possible to be an expert in everything, but having the ability to listen and ingest new information is invaluable.”
A love for technology has lead to a diverse background in the tech industry for Taylor, spanning from IT to programming. His unique skill set allows him to connect and communicate with clients effectively to deeply understand any issues they may be having. With a passion for problem solving and emphasis on client satisfaction, Taylor will make sure every detail is covered to provide the best service!
We sat down with Taylor and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I’ve always loved technology and been amazed at the capability of some tech and all the innovations along the way. It started with home gaming consoles growing up, then that progressed to our home computer when family would call on me to fix it when something broke. When I was using tech for fun or fixing things when they broke, there was a part of me that always wanted to go deeper and really figure out how everything worked. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being able to understand and manipulate a piece of tech to get it to do what you want. That led me to having a wide path in tech and learning coding and networking in addition to the support side of things. I wanted to find a place where I can use my knowledge and background to help clients achieve that same sense of satisfaction.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: I wouldn’t say I enjoy one area more than others. It all boils down to finding out what needs to be done or fixed and then working toward that solution. For me, having a wide variety of problems is great because it keeps you on your toes having to work with multiple machines, systems, and ways of thinking.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: My kids keep me busy, so there’s a lot of chauffeuring happening. Apart from that, I enjoy all kinds of games, golf, hockey, football, and playing music (mostly drums). I love food so I also take a lot of joy from making my family try new places to eat and recreating the dishes at home.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, get your hands dirty, and make mistakes. Technology is always advancing and asking questions is a great way to learn something new or gain a new perspective.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: Don’t be afraid to get involved. Hearing your insights can help us tailor our approach to make sure you get exactly what you need!
Nick has nearly 20 years of experience in the IT industry and brings a strong background in networking and security to the team. He has worked in various roles over his tenure including help desk support, project engineer, security engineer, and solution architect. His passion is helping clients meet their business goals empowered by their technology adoption.
Nick helps provides strategic guidance as well as comprehensive engineering and operational support to our clients. He excels in solution architecture design of various technologies including networking, wireless, security, systems, and cloud. He takes the time to fully understand the client environment and their business needs. Then he comes back with the right solution and can clearly articulate the solution to the client and stakeholders within the business. Due to his background in cybersecurity, every solution is designed with a security-first approach. He also assists clients with development of more security centric services including policy and procedure development, tabletop exercises, and disaster readiness.
In addition to the client facing roles, Nick also holds some internal roles. He helps provide input and strategic direction on new technology adoption to better serve IT Insights and our clients. He is an escalation point for our engineering team and will frequently jump in to assist with project deployments and troubleshooting as required. He also provides on demand training to our technical team and operates in a true mentor capacity.
We sat down with Nick and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I always thought I wanted to be an airline pilot growing up. I started working on my private pilot certificate at the age of 17. Paying for flight lessons and college was going to be very expensive so I started a job working on PCs and cleaning printers. I noticed that I picked it up very quickly and that it was something I was actually pretty good at. Eventually my flight instructor asked me one day what I was going to do for a career. I told him about my desire to be an airline pilot. He liked the idea but asked me a question that ultimately changed my career path. He asked if I was comfortable with taking on this career path knowing that it might change my view of aviation from a hobby that I love to eventually a career that I need to do every day. I pondered this for a period of time and ultimately I decided that he was right. I think I would get tired of flying because its typically a very routine job and I like a little diversity.
At the same time, I had really grown fond of working in the IT field and found new and exciting challenges to overcome on a regular basis. From there, my career focus shifted and I dove in head first to information systems, telecommunications, and cybersecurity and I couldn’t be happier. Luckily, I still hold a great deal of love for aviation, probably due to the advice from my instructor.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: My background is very strong in networking and security. Of the two, I think I still gravitate more towards networking. Within the networking realm, I really enjoy wireless networking. Whether it’s design, implementation, or post installation support, wireless can be very challenging and I embrace these challenges.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: It is probably easier to list what I don’t do in my free time but here is a condensed list. I spend time with my wife, two kids, and dog. I hunt, fish, golf, camp, scuba dive, volunteer, hike, swim, reload ammunition, kayak, go boating, do anything aviation related, play paintball, fly drones, and travel.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: Personally, I’m very much a hands-on learner. Reading books and taking tests in my college courses was great for regurgitating information I had read, but for me, I learned the most through on the job training. Now for some, that could be a challenge to land that first job with no experience. My advice would be to invest in yourself. Purchase some gear and set up your own lab. I still do this and I’ve been in the industry since basically 2005. You can never stop learning in this field.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: Businesses need to understand that cybersecurity tools and professionals need to be right every single time to keep the environment safe. The attackers only need to be right – or lucky – once. Cybersecurity is a vicious cat and mouse game and the worst thing a business can do is not allocate the proper funding to keep the business protected to the best of their abilities. It’s not a question of “if,” but “when”!
Alex is extremely experienced in the IT space; in small business, enterprise organizations, and managed service providers. This experience lends itself to a robust knowledge set to better guide clients through their own IT experiences.
Alex has been working in IT since before some of the IT Insights staff were in high school, and uses those decades of experience to better predict outcomes and plan long term strategies for our clients. Alex’s experience with the development of technology and tools means a great understanding of foundational principles of IT and systems that will remain true for years to come, while knowing what new developments can have an immediate impact.
We sat down with Alex and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: Interest in technology started with playing games on our store-bought home computer and learning how to install upgrades to accommodate the requirements of more modern programs. This evolved into researching and building my first custom computer with all the latest components. The passion to research and choose the perfect, or as close-to-perfect, solution continues to this day. I try and apply that effort to my customers’ needs to truly understand and design the most appropriate solutions.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: Customer relationships and trust that we have their best interest in mind.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: Free time consists mostly of socializing with friends and neighbors, projects around the house, and playing golf.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: Effective IT support comes from building a good communication with people you are supporting. Understanding how they learn to utilize technology helps us be more effective in supporting them.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: The cheap, off-the-shelf option is not always the right solution. Investing some resources to find the best-fit solution will yield savings and efficiency down the road.
IT Insights is thrilled to welcome Amy Schoepfel, our new Executive Assistant, to the team! Amy currently supports the leadership, manages operational finances, invoicing, and billing support, and helps keep everyone organized. She has more than a decade of high-level administrative experience supporting senior management. Over the course of her career, she has developed a dedication to providing exceptional customer service, clear and direct communication, and comprehensive operational support. (Amy is secretly in charge.)
We sat down with Amy and asked her a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I was blessed with a few great opportunities early in my career that allowed me to gain valuable experience, but I believe that my work ethic, drive, and hustle have really helped elevate my career and landed me where I am today.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: I really like puzzles. Any task where I can use my problem-solving skills and allows the flexibility to implement different solutions and/or strategies is my jam!
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: I spend the majority of my time with my two daughters. I consider myself a “foodie”, so trying new foods and restaurants is a regular occurrence. I also love to travel, check out local live music, indulge in a good cab, and venture out for a hike on the weekends.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: My advice would be to have a good sense of humor and a positive attitude. Your skills will only get you so far.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: Call us!
Brandon has an extensive history as a customer first support technician. He prides himself on putting end user goals first and tackling each problem with usability in mind. Working with people is Brandon’s passion, and he loves to get to know our partner organizations and their teams. We sat down with Brandon and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: Since a child, I’ve always had an interest in computers. I was part of the generation where technology was really coming to life in the mid 80’s. I feel my generation was the worlds first IT department in the home.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: I have no preference. I enjoy helping and learning.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: In my free time, when I am not playing chauffeur to my kids, I enjoy coaching youth football and traveling.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: It’s not as hard as it seems. If you are willing to learn, your potential is limitless.
If you’re looking for someone to put the human touch on your IT experience look no further. Brandon will happily troubleshoot and resolve your issues and make sure to put the solution into terms that you can understand. He is focused on self-improvement and expanding his skills to better serve our partners.
Written by: Amal Elhelw
Posted:
The business community in Rochester is ever-growing and many existing businesses are now expanding, including IT Insights, a locally-based, outsourced IT company.
Vice President of Business Development for the company, Chris Bierasinski explains they work for small businesses that can’t necessarily host their own IT company. IT Insights will come in and provide the same services an in-house IT team would, but at a lower price tag.
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I’ve always had an interest in working with computers and learned a lot just from being the informal “tech support” for family and friends. When I got the opportunity to join IT Insights, I realized that I could turn a natural interest of mine in to a great career.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: I really like working directly with users on issues they’re having with their devices. I like having a chance to show them a great solution they can understand and that makes using their tech much easier and less frustrating.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: My main hobbies are playing guitar and running.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in the IT field?
A: Don’t be too worried if you don’t have much formal training in IT. If you’re interested in working with technology and are willing to learn on the job, try to network with people in the industry to make opportunities for yourself.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: What can I say other than ‘you need IT Insights!'”
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I have a degree in Information Systems and Computer Forensics and eight years of experience in the IT industry. My experience spans large enterprise systems and small managed service providers. I’m certified with Datto and Sonicwall, and have HIPAA certifications.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: My favorite tech is mobile devices. They make life so much easier, and everything is just in the palm of your hand.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: My hobbies include golf, my two dogs, bowling, movies, and reading.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in the IT field?
A: Trust but verify. Don’t believe everything you see. Test to make sure it works as expected. Always maintain good backups.
