Network Computing is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

5 Ways Life Would Stink Without IT Professionals

  • Technology has become the lifeblood of our daily routines and productivity, and without it, modern business would be -- well -- much less modern. Indeed, for most, it’s mindboggling to picture life without our precious applications, laptops and mobile devices, not to mention the code, systems and networks they rely on. But more often than not, the IT professionals working tirelesslybehind the scenes to keep all this technology running are overlooked or forgotten. That is, until something is slow or doesn't work right!

    We think it’s time to change that. To get things started, SolarWinds has established IT Professionals Day, which will take place on September 15 this year and every third Tuesday of September in the years to come. The idea is to celebrate all IT professionals -- not only system administrators, but network engineers, database administrators, information security professionals, developers, IT support technicians and all others serving in IT-related roles -- as the heroes of modern business. 

    And to drive home just how important and holiday-worthy IT professionals are, we asked the 130,000 IT professionals in our thwack community what they thought life would be like if one day, all the IT professionals of the world vanished. Here are some of the scariest scenarios they imagined for your reading (and viewing) pleasure.  

  • Stuck in the Stone Age

    In a world without IT pros, things would get positively medieval! Virtually every technological advancement weve developed in the last century would be obsolete. Quill and parchment, anyone? We would be set back to the Dark Ages, and without the proper survival skills, 80 to 90% of the population would vanish.

  • Robot uprising ensues

    Attack of the machines! Wed be replaced by robots, who would take over and we would all be forced to live in the Matrix, where they would allow us to think we were IT pros and in charge. But perhaps we only think were IT pros right now...

  • Commuting descends to the Ninth Circle of Hell

    Traffic at the toll booths would be gawd-awful as EZ-pass goes belly up and the rise of the "toll taker" ensues. You think you waste time sitting in traffic now? Just imagine it without those express lanes. And start collecting your loose change!

  • The death of tech jargon

    The good news: The phrase "booting your server" returns to the restaurants, where it belongs. The bad news: Make sure to double-check your order.

  • Workplace implosion

    Without IT pros, there would be total, uncontrolled chaos! From the most basic request (wheres the fill-in-the-blank key?) to the most advanced, no one would know how to proceed. Most offices would simply close up shop and go home because nothing would stay working past the first two or three days.