It’s National Apprenticeship Week and the perfect opportunity for you to get to know five of our valued recruits here at Team Infuse – our IT Helpdesk Support Technicians. If you’re a client with a query, they’ve got you covered!
Meet Aiden, Ben, Brandon, Josh and Rob – together they are part of the larger team who staff our client support frontline, tackling your tech troubles via our IT helpdesk.
We sat down with our apprentices to find out more about the people behind the helpdesk, from their roles and experiences at Infuse to how they first discovered an interest in IT.
So, what does an IT Helpdesk Support Technician actually do?
Brandon: The role of Helpdesk Support Technician is focused on troubleshooting and problem-solving. Any time you have a tech-related issue, you’ll communicate with one of us and it’s our job to find you a hassle-free solution. We respond to support requests from clients via phone and Infuse’s online ticket system, connect remotely to client devices to address issues and also help to manage user accounts.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship with Infuse?
Rob: I wanted to build on my existing knowledge of IT, so I challenged myself to take the interest I already had in tech even further and develop it into a career.
Brandon: I was also looking for the right opportunity to grow and learn more about IT. Knowing that Infuse had been in business for 20 years definitely attracted me to the job, but it was the friendliness of the team at my interview that really sold the company to me.
Ben: One of the main attractions for me was finding out from my apprenticeship provider (EMA Training Ltd) that Infuse had given previous apprentices full-time employment opportunities after they had finished studying. It was good to know that they valued what apprentices have to offer.
Have you worked on any interesting projects during your apprenticeship?
Josh: The first project I was ever assigned involved ‘breaking into’ the Wi-Fi by collecting and cracking WPA handshakes. It was fun learning how to build the device that captures Wi-Fi Hashes and how to use the software that breaks the encryption.
Ben: A project that I’m currently working on is the new imaging system for Infuse’s office. These images are deployed onto laptops and PCs, this keeps the devices we deploy in a standard configuration. The project includes building new images, setting up the build area, installing the switch into the server room and the imaging server configuration. It also includes work on Hyper-V, Microsoft’s hardware virtualisation product, which I’m currently learning about too.
Brandon: I’m working on the same project as Ben – I helped to set up the new imaging server and also make sure laptops go out with only the software required. It has been really interesting to work with virtual machines and learn about Hyper-V.
What areas of IT do you enjoy learning about or working on the most?
Rob: I like figuring out how things work by breaking them down into smaller parts so I can understand them better. In the future, I want to learn more about hardware and branch out into the more technical side of IT.
Brandon: I enjoy learning about the features of the systems we use, as well as security, virtual machines and servers.
Josh: I first started learning about hardware, but nowadays I get the most enjoyment out of learning about cyber security and networks.
Aiden: Honestly, I enjoy most things about working in IT – apart from dealing with printers!
When did you first realise you had an interest in IT?
Josh: I developed an interest through video games. I’ve been gaming on computers since a young age and that led me to build my own PC, then start building them for other people.
Aiden: I’ve also been interested in IT since I was young. I wanted to upgrade my PC as the frame rate was terrible during games.
Rob: My interest also came from trying to figure out why a game wasn’t running properly! And then I started learning how to build PCs.
Ben: There’s definitely a common theme here… I decided to learn how to build computers in secondary school, after buying a pre-built one. My interest in IT then grew when I did a Level 3 IT course after finishing my GCSEs.
How do you like to spend your free time outside of work?
Josh: I enjoy playing snooker and pool in my spare time. I actually used to compete and was even one of the top 20 ranked players in the country at one point. I also like playing chess and games, including RuneScape and League of Legends.
Rob: Gaming is a big interest of mine too. Final Fantasy 14 is my current ‘go to’ game. I also enjoy playing D&D online.
Aiden: I also spend a lot of my free time gaming and I like to train in the mornings.
Ben: My main interest outside of work is sports. I like watching most sports but mainly follow football and Formula 1.
OK, final question – where would you like to be in five years?
Rob: I’d like to have progressed onto a higher level qualification, maybe something in network engineering. I also hope I’ll have figured out which area of IT I want to specialise in.
Josh: I want to have developed my understanding of networks and potentially become a network engineer. I also plan to increase my skills with Linux OS, as it is used a lot in cyber security.
Ben: Hopefully I’ll have completed my current level 3 course and the level 4 apprenticeship that I’m looking to move onto in a few months’ time. The next goal is full-time employment.
To find out how your business could benefit from the ongoing support of our IT helpdesk support team, get in touch with us today.