What does your job entail?
I manage the campus network, including the wireless system, identity management systems, authentication systems, external network links, Exchange email and virtualisation.

What was your first job?
I was a computer officer at the Physics Department here, doing research into Ethernet technology used to connect portable geophysical monitoring stations. Following this temporary assignment I was offered a permament job in the department, helping to build its network.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in IT?
I’d be a professional sailor. I’m about to finish my Yacht Master certificate, having already got the Coastal Skipper certificate.

Have you got a BlackBerry?
No, I’ve got a simple mobile phone that I use for voice only.

What has been the most overhyped technology of the past five years?
3G. The government must have been laughing all the way to the bank when it auctioned the licences.

Are you on Facebook?
No, but there’s a lot of Facebook traffic on our network from the students. I’d estimate five per cent of DNS look-ups are Facebook ones, and it’s increasing.

What’s the first web site you check in the morning?
Being a sailor, I check the BBC for the Atlantic pressure charts. It gives you a much clearer picture of what the weather’s doing.

Is now a good time for people to enter the IT profession?
Definitely, there’s a lot more scope for people to make a real impact on users of IT services.