Get to Know Green House Data: Tim Cook

Today marks the second post our new blog series, Get to Know Green House Data. Every other week or so, we're introducing  you to a Green House Data staff member via quick interview. Learn more about the  technicians, support crews, engineers, data center operations, or even sales and marketing crew members that power your IT infrastructure at Green House Data. This week, meet Tim Cook, Senior Systems Administrator.

Tim has been with the company for over three years. He also served four years in the Marines, rising to the rank of Sergeant.

Which office do you work in? Are you originally from the area?

I work out of the new [in 2014] facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  I was born and raised in Cheyenne, and have lived here my entire life with the exception of a few years spent in Southern California.

What are your favorite things to do in Cheyenne?

I really enjoy playing in recreational city sports like volleyball and softball (men's and co-ed). I'm not exactly the definition of an athlete, so I try to stick to the lower divisions where my vertically challenged and squishy figure don't significantly impact my team's chances at a win.

How long have you been in the technology industry?

I guess it's open for interpretation a little bit – including school I would say five years, but I've only been really working professionally in the field for a little over three years.

How did you first get interested in IT?

I was a bit of a PC gamer nerd (StarCraft tower defense and Call of Duty de originale) in high school and spent some time tinkering with those sweet Angelfire websites when they were all the rage, but I suppose it was just a career that made the most sense for me at that point in my life.  Shooting artillery doesn't exactly translate well to being a productive member of society, but I did work a little with some proprietary computer systems and radios. I had this fancy scholarship called the GI Bill after I got off Active Duty, and our local community college had a pretty good IT program. I enrolled as a full-time student, and was lucky enough to get hired on at Green House Data the semester before graduation.

What are some of your favorite work projects? Least favorite?

I think my favorites lately have been working on BC/DR (Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery) for Green House Data and our customers, as well as our storage infrastructure. There's something about bolstering and maintaining mission-critical systems that is uniquely satisfying.  Least favorite?  I'd better not say anything... those systems might catch wind of it and then they'll never work right for me again.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy beer league sports, brewing beer, hunting, and fishing.  Oh, and binge watching shows on Netflix is pretty clutch.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee all day. Literally.

Star Wars or Star Trek?

There isn't even a debate here. Star Trek. Star Wars is cute and changed cinematic history and all, but Star Trek is just stinking fantastic. I mean, even the first United States Orbiter had its name changed from “Constitution” to “Enterprise” because of Star Trek. What's cooler: going down in film history, or being written into the legacy of mankind going to freaking space? SPACE.

What do you like about working at Green House Data?

Aside from working with and getting to know some truly amazing people, I like that I get to play with big toys on a big scale in a relatively small shop. The variety of technology and equipment that I get exposed to can be staggering.