TAGITM,

As you read this, CyberSecurity Month will have just closed or will close in the next couple of days.  It’s always a good month to capitalize on and take the opportunity remind your users of best practices.  It’s especially great right before Cyber Monday, which kicks off the holidays with more than usual online browsing and shopping happening on work computers and networks.  Here’s to hoping your users heed their training and your warnings!

I think I said last month how much I love the fall.  I am gonna remind you again here.  The World Series, College Football crunch time, Hockey Season is back, College Basketball starts to amp up and Hunting Season is here.  As a really special treat this year, the World Cup is happening in Qatar and runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18.  For me, Soccer really is the Beautiful Sport and I can’t wait to see this year’s version of the World Cup.  Then the Holidays come around.  It truly is the best time of the year for me. 

My prayer for each of you this Holiday Season is that you are already scheduling the necessary time off around the Holidays to spend it with your loved ones and unplug from work whenever and wherever possible.  I realize many of us never, or rarely, truly unplug.  It’s just so hard to do, but it’s needed for all of us!  As IT professionals, it is kind of expected that we stay connected, even when we aren’t at work, and I get it.  I have been guilty for years.  However, I have turned the corner on that practice, and I encourage you to do so as well.  If you are in Management, encourage your team to utilize that vacation they earned.  Find ways to develop other leaders who can step in and be in charge of an area when someone else is off.  Fiercely protect your time off and that of your team.  

In today’s always connected world, taking time to recharge is an important skill for an IT Professional.  I think you will find it helps with morale, retention and overall productivity in the long run. Take time for you and your loved ones and create a culture where your team can do the same, especially around the upcoming Holidays. 

Tony Gonzalez,

TAGITM President