Today marks the 16th annual Systems Administrator Appreciation Day, which according to the event’s creators is “the single greatest 24 hours on the planet… and pretty much the most important holiday of the year.” The holiday occurs the last Friday of July, and it is meant to celebrate the head techies that work behind the scenes in one of the most vital areas of a company’s infrastructure.

Have you thanked your company SysAdmin lately? After all, they are responsible for keeping all of those server lights blinking and making sure your employees are still able to browse Facebook and play solitaire when they think no one is looking.

Oh, and they also keep your company’s most vital systems running day and night, answering 2am calls and crawling through wires to make sure everything is working 24/7. They also answer more than a few dumb questions from less tech savvy coworkers, such as “Where do I find the button for AOL?” and “Why isn’t the cup holder on my PC working anymore?”

Depending on the size of your company’s IT department, a SysAdmin can sometimes wear many hats that place them in charge of other areas of your technology infrastructure, including database administration, networking, security, and sometimes even basic desktop support.

“Consider all the daunting tasks and long hours (weekends too.),” the SysAdmin day creators said. “Let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t know our System Administrators as well as they know us. Remember this is one day to recognize your System Administrator for their workplace contributions and to promote professional excellence. Thank them for all the things they do for you and your business.”

A heartfelt thank you and pat on the back can go a long way, but for those of you who want to give your SysAdmin a little something extra, a small gift never hurts. Common gifts for SysAdmins include geeky toys and apparel and pretty much anything with caffeine in it.

The SysAdmin Day creators say that streamers, balloons and confetti couldn’t hurt either.

Photo by Arthur40A