Choosing a gift for a system administrator is a difficult mission, but doable

On the eve of System Administrator Day, we asked our colleagues what would be the best gift for a system administrator.
Here is our small rating, which will most likely help you choose a gift. System Administrator Appreciation Day was created by Ted Kekatos. The holiday was first celebrated on July 28, 2000 with a picnic on the outskirts of Chicago.

Carbon dioxide detector

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The main weapon of a system administrator is not the keyboard, but his brain, which must function perfectly. Our body requires both oxygen and carbon dioxide. The only cardinal difference is that even a small change in the concentration of the latter (for example, by 0.1%) can have a significant negative impact. To monitor the CO2 content in the air and ventilate rooms in a timely manner, give your system administrator a small carbon dioxide sensor.

Gifts for System Administrator Day

We choose a gift based on its meaning.

If:

A nod to his professionalism and pride.
That:
Mugs, T-shirts, keychains with the inscriptions “Best system administrator”, “Admin is always right”, “The smartest”, “The most hardworking”, “Admin of all Russia”, etc.

If:

Benefit.
That:
A diary, flash drives, an external hard drive (don’t skimp on the amount of memory), a bracelet to which screws are magnetic, a headlamp, a case for the gadget.

For convenient storage of tools, hardware and devices, all kinds of boxes, drawers and storage systems, portable organizers made of thick fabric are suitable.

A back massager and safety glasses presented to a computer guru will tell you that you care about his health.

Tea, coffee, sweets packaged in IT-themed paper, chocolate in the form of a keyboard, gingerbread cookies painted to match devices - a win-win option.

If:

Originality.
That:
USB fan, USB flashlight, USB hub, other USB gadgets, anti-stress toy.

Raspberry Pi 4 (8 GB RAM)

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This small (credit card sized) and inexpensive (starting at $35) mini-computer makes a great gift for any system administrator. We already told you that it can be turned into almost anything. For example, using the Kali distribution, you can transform Raspberry into a powerful tool for searching for vulnerabilities in IT infrastructure.

for the new year

It just so happens that mostly men work as system administrators. And they, as you know, remain children throughout their lives. Present your IT specialist with a small toy for adults on this magical holiday:

• Flash drive with huge memory, shockproof, waterproof. If possible, original design. A person whose work involves computers will not find it superfluous.
• Accessories for gadgets (headphones, cases, bags, wired or wireless chargers). These things have the ability to quickly fail. You won’t be tormented by the question of what to give your system administrator for the New Year if you take a closer look at which device has stopped functioning or has lost its shape.
• A radio-controlled model of a car, boat or helicopter. You may consider such a gift extremely useless, but most men, including system administrators, will disagree with you.

Professional network tester

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Network problems associated with unstable operation of a physical connection are a very relevant and quite unpleasant thing. Sometimes, to identify a problem, you have to hang around under a false ceiling for several hours or climb on dusty technical floors. This is where a professional network tester comes in handy. The tool is expensive, but very necessary. It will indicate not only the location of the break, but also other problems. Network operation will be restored much faster, and the system administrator will save a lot of effort and time.

Birthday gifts for system administrator

What's a birthday without cake? Big, tasty. Let it be in the form of a laptop, computer mouse or motherboard.

Give a man's bouquet made from bottles of foam and snacks to go with it.

Is your system administrator a beer drinker? Take a swing at... home brewing. Making beer is not difficult. It is enough to give a package of a special mixture together with the brewery.

Do you dream of pulling an IT genius out from behind his computer desk? The best reason is a new impression. Let it be a trip to a quest, a robotics exhibition, a flight in a wind tunnel. Or better yet, a paintball outing. You can also organize a trip to a shooting range, where teapots are used as targets.

Do you want to be remembered several times a day? Give a wall clock with an original dial, where, for example, instead of numbers there are icons of computer programs or photographs of the birthday person in the form of an emoji.

Relaxing weekend

We rarely think about the fact that the work of a system administrator is a great responsibility for the smooth operation of the organization.
A good system administrator is usually not seen or heard, since everything works like a clock. To reach this level, you need not only to have excellent knowledge and thoroughly study the tools and software used, but also to feel good about yourself. Be happy and well-rested. Give your system administrator a quiet day off, and believe me, it will be the best gift for him.

Avoid mistakes

Since this person spends so much time at the computer, then you definitely need to give him something related to IT technologies. Such conclusions come to mind first, but this is where the main catch lies.

“Gift-bearers” may not be among knowledgeable colleagues, but may be absolute “dummies” in this matter. If you are just from this category of “uninitiated”, when choosing what to give to the system administrator, avoid specific equipment that you do not understand anything about. The exception is a “custom-made” gift or cases when you are one hundred percent sure that the recipient of the gift dreams of this or that “hardware”.

Generally, people who work in this field have a good understanding and respect for humor. If your system administrator is just such a person, take advantage of this when choosing a gift.

New gadgets for men

For a system administrator, computers and electronic devices are not just work tools. This is his life. Passionate about his activities, he always looks with interest at technical innovations and modern gadgets. And he won’t mind receiving one of them as a gift.

Original gifts for an IT specialist:

• USB flash drive with computer lock function;
• new smartphone;
• flexible silicone keyboard that folds into a tube and even fits in your pocket;
• MP3 player or speaker system;
• USB charging for 3–5 gadgets;
• table lamp or night light in the form of a computer key;
• USB heated slippers;
• 3D virtual reality glasses.

If you don’t want to buy a serious present, you can give the male system administrator a radio-controlled toy: a car, a boat or an airplane. And you will probably see a happy boyish smile appear on the stern face of the computer scientist.

For the mad genius

Computer scientists are so passionate about their work that real life fades into the background. And in the rare breaks between his favorite activities, the computer genius becomes surprisingly helpless: he loses his keys and phones, forgets about an appointment, gets lost in an unfamiliar part of the city.

To prevent the system administrator from suffering from his own absent-mindedness, give him a useful gift:

• Bluetooth tracking system for keys or flash drives;
• GPS navigator;
• electronic desk clock with alarm clock and writing board.

If your computer genius has gone so far into virtual reality that he has almost stopped communicating with people, give him a set of statuses for his desktop (office messenger). Let him put the messenger on the table and change the message pictures from time to time. Having seen the “Do not disturb!” status, a casual visitor will not distract the specialist from pressing problems.

How to choose a gift for a computer geek

So, you have a friend who is a programmer or just a computer geek who is planning “System Administrator Day” (the last Friday in July, celebrated since 2000), New Year or just a birthday. Ordinary postcards, fluffy toys and model cars are hardly suitable, unless, of course, you have clarified this point in advance. Of course, if a programmer’s hobby is collecting teddy bears, then a Teddy Bear would be the best gift, but this is rather an exception.

How simple it would be if all computer scientists preferred such beauty...

The easiest way, of course, is to ask what he himself would like. Most likely, it will be some kind of computer hardware. But at the same time, the surprise effect of the gift will disappear. You can give an envelope with money, but this is too banal. Therefore, the first thing you need to clarify is which “stratum” of computer scientists your friend belongs to. The division is conditional, but it can help in choosing a gift.

Category one - he is interested in computer games (and who is not interested in them?). Such people are also called “gamers”, from the English game - game. After that, analyze how much money you are willing to spend on a gift. If you are tight on finances, you can give, for example, a mouse pad. Rugs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Again, this is a way to highlight the individuality of the owner.

It is better if the mat has a special cushion or a hand rest - this reduces fatigue and reduces the possibility of developing an occupational computer disease - inflammation of the wrist joint. The approximate cost of a rug is from fifty rubles and above; there are specimens up to several thousand rubles.

Beautiful rug

A gamer's professional tool is the mouse. This is a more expensive gift. The fact is that in games the response speed and resolution of the mouse are of considerable importance, allowing for precise and fast movements. It is also worth paying attention to the number of buttons on this manipulator, size, weight and how comfortable the mouse lies in the hand.

Professional gaming mouse

Please note that a good mouse will cost at least a thousand rubles, professional gaming mice cost three to four thousand or more. You can buy a wireless keyboard and mouse set, like this one.

A new keyboard, and such a “sophisticated one” at that, will greatly please an avid video game fan. Pay attention to the color; if your friend has a white (or silver) system unit and monitor, a black keyboard will definitely not look good. Many computer scientists are very jealous of this, so be careful. In addition to the technical characteristics, you can also pay attention to the appearance of the mouse.

It all depends on your imagination, sense of humor and relationship with the recipient of the gift.

Let's move on to more expensive gifts. The desire for individualization led to the development of “modding” - decorating your computer, the desire to give it a unique look, unlike other computers. Many gamers prefer to install special cases, install backlit fans, change the appearance of monitors, paint keyboards, and so on. Of course, before buying such a gift, consult with someone knowledgeable so as not to get into trouble. For example, the internal “stuffing” of an old computer may simply not fit into the new case. A large and beautiful case, and even with individual decorations, can easily cost five to ten thousand rubles.

Original case

You can also pay attention to the games that the gift recipient plays. The most popular gift is a game disc. It is advisable to imagine what games your friend likes to play and whether his computer can handle this game. However, if he is seriously interested in this, the game, most likely, will definitely not slow down. The cost of a disc with a licensed game varies from one hundred to several thousand rubles (for collector's editions, with various additional features). If you link the gift to the genre of the game, you can choose any of the game controllers. In particular, the aforementioned gaming keyboard and mouse are perfect for strategy and shooter games. If these are racing simulators, take a closer look at the steering wheel with pedals, preferably with feedback, that is, with a recoil effect.

Nice steering wheel with pedals

If you like to fly, a joystick will suit you (they also come with force-feedback), if you prefer fighting games, then it’s better to buy a gamepad, and so on. Please note that the cost of such devices will be at least several thousand rubles.

Typical gamepad

Category two: your friend is a system administrator (sysadmin). This is a person who monitors all computers and networks in an organization. The operation of the Internet, email, computers and laptops depends on it. This is a completely special breed of people. He can work all day and night, and a USB refrigerator can be a good gift for him. The fact is that often at the system administrator’s workplace there is not a single extra outlet; they are all used for computers, monitors, and routers. But every computer has at least one USB port to which you can connect various devices. A refrigerator for one bottle of mineral water will greatly please your friend on hot summer days.

An equally useful gift includes a USB fan. It will definitely come in handy in the hot summer.

There are USB lamps and lamps, which are also a useful device. In the homes of system administrators, semi-darkness often reigns, in which programmers try to study thick books on GNU/Unix, FreeBSD and other scary words. Such a gift will help save the system administrator’s eyesight.

A USB massager can also be a useful health-saving device. Considering how much time any computer geek spends sitting, a massage will definitely not hurt him, especially if it allows him not to be distracted from his favorite games or writing programs.

If New Year is coming soon, then such a USB Christmas tree could be an excellent gift. The system administrator is guaranteed a good mood, and with it, access to your favorite classmates can open! At least on New Year's...

USB Christmas tree

Another good thing is a USB hub, or splitter, that allows you to install several flash drives or any other devices at the same time. It just allows you to solve the problem of a lack of ports, that is, instead of one USB connector there are two, three or more.

Interesting USB hub

You can give an original flash drive. Any computer scientist will always find a use for it, given that the volumes of transferred information are increasing and increasing. It definitely won't be too much.

Small speakers for listening to music can be a good gift. Favorite melodies will cheer up the system administrator. And the design will surprise his friends.

The tambourine is also one of the necessary tools in the system administrator's arsenal. Yes, yes, you won’t believe it, but the classic shaman’s tool in the right hands can do a lot! Don’t ask why, but any system administrator will accept this gift with great joy!

A universal knife can be an excellent gift, given that a real system administrator does a lot with his own hands - strips cables, tightens bolts, unpacks various equipment and performs a couple of hundred other actions. Therefore, such a tool will definitely come in handy and will be accepted with great joy.

Considering that any computer geek leads a mostly sedentary lifestyle, an office chair can be a good gift for preserving your health. It’s good if it allows you to adjust the position of the backrest, headrest, handles, and adjust the height to create the most comfortable conditions for work and rest.

An original gift - a Bluetooth handset, stylized as an old telephone handset. It connects via Bluetooth to any mobile phone that supports this function and allows you to answer calls from your cell phone. Your friends will definitely be surprised.

Bluetooth retro tube

A wristwatch, like this one, can be a good gift.

The main recommendation for choosing a gift is that it should be made from the heart, and then it is not so important what it looks like or how much it costs. The most important thing is your attitude towards the recipient, and then good emotions and gratitude are guaranteed to you!

11/28/2011 Paul Divov