| Spotlight: Michael Berry, Senior Network Engineer, Tugtel 'Anchorman' |
Michael Berry, Senior Network Engineer in
the Information Technology Department, is not only a network design expert,
but also quite arguably the anchor of Tugtel Communications.
|
As senior network engineer, Michael
handles all levels of technical customer support. From design, to
installation, to troubleshooting, and maintenance of a complex data
network infrastructure, Michael uses configuration tools, product
catalogs, and his background knowledge in products and service to
address the broad range of technical needs and problems for every customer.
|
Michael also develops in-depth technical documentation
and maps of network infrastructures to manage and illustrate product positioning with LAN/WAN
(Local Area Network/Wide Area Network) equipment.
|
Michael's many capabilities make him a front man
for all of Tugtel's phases of service, which include consulting, installation/support,
and maintenance.
|
| How did you get to working at Tugtel? |
I first met Harold [Foster] when he was
working at Tellabs, through a friend. He asked me if I would be interested
in working at a start-up telecommunications company of his, and I had just
gotten into the industry so I agreed to it. I'd been traveling a lot, so when
I finally moved back to Gary, Indiana, which was July 2003, I started working
for him. I also chose to come here because the company was based in Gary, which
is where I consider home. Plus it was a home-style business, which is what I
was looking for.
|
| What are your career goals, and have
they changed since your break into the telecommunications industry? |
I am currently a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate)
pursuing my CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) in Cisco Systems and my goal is
to be a principal engineer. They haven't changed much, but as I learn more and try to
stay on what you might call the 'bleeding' edge of technology, I see new technologies
like dynamic DNS and Voice Over IP that have great potential for business professionals
of our era.
|
| I heard that you were in medical school in your college days. What exactly were you studying? |
Yes, I was studying anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh, and actually got my CNA, which is 'certified nurse assistant' in '98, but later changed my mind.
|
| So what did you do next? |
I traveled a lot. From Gary to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, then to the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, Brooklyn, then back to PittsburghˇK I also went to Tampa, Florida and Jacksonville, North Carolina for a while, and back and forth between Pittsburgh and Gary after that.
|
| How did you sustain yourself? |
My friends and I would think up small retail opportunities and make some money here and there. There was a time when we bought t-shirts at something like seventy-five cents a shirt, at wholesale price, and resell them for ten or twenty bucks. We were making lots of fast money. It was fun, doing little things like that.
|
| So you've got a great deal of creative energy. What was it about telecom that interested you? |
One of my friends suggested one day that I should get into telecom because it was really booming. So I started reading, and what was astounding to me was the idea that modern-day technology could account for and get rid of human error. And on top of that, learning new technology is really fun for me. Like I said earlier, it's exciting keeping up with the so-called bleeding edge of technology. I like to play around with my small-scale network setup here, and see how well I can send data from one end to another, then disconnect one thing and try again, and see if the same information gets sent across. I'll send an e-mail, then try a virus, and compare the results I get. I realize what is susceptible to the virus, what's not, and so on. Based on what I learn, I design real network infrastructure models for the contracted clients we deal with here. It's a fun, hands-on type of job.
|
| What other hobbies or interests do you have? |
Aside from technology, I'd say golf and reading books, mostly on information technology and telecom. My college friends and I go on a trip every year. We recently went to Las Vegas, that was really great. We've all got our own jobs now, and it's nice to get back together and catch up with them every now and then.
|
| What is your analysis of technology used in the telecommunications industry today? Do you foresee any changes? |
Well, the technology used today is definitely growing. Nowadays, you can't go without some type of technology - for instance, cell phones. You are definitely at a disadvantage without one. It's practically a standard and you almost couldn't live without one. It's like that with internet too. As for the future, Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is something that could really explode. When VoIP hits mainstream, virtually anything you want you will be able to do over the internet. Everything down to your refrigerator and stovetop will have IP addresses. If you're driving back from work, and you want your dinner heated up by the time you arrive at the house, you can access the stovetop switch from the internet while you're still at work. If you left your stove on when you left the house, you can turn it off when you're on the road through a mobile device. It's smart technology. It eliminates human error.
|
| Where do you see Tugtel Communications going in the future in relation to technological advances in the industry? |
We at Tugtel are sparking a communications evolution. Today, voice and data networks are being converged into a single system of communications; these voice/data systems, with increasingly sophisticated natural interfaces such as conversational dialogue, work seamlessly across devices, applications, locations, and media with reliability and security. In the future, communication-enabled networks will be able to monitor its own operations, determine when human intervention is required, and notify appropriate people. In the notification process, these networks will intelligently select the best method for each party involved, whether it be through email, Internet, or voice calls. Then, if necessary, they will organize a voice-and-data conference to deal with the specific problem. These systems will contact other systems and humans as well. People will be able to interact by using multiple modes of access over any communications device, from one point to another. They will also be able to link to remote locations over combined voice/data networks.
|
| Thanks, Michael, for you time. |
You're welcome, the pleasure was all mine.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Michael Berry |
|
