Jack Swope joined the Unidata Program Center's Information Technology staff on April 30th, 2012. Jack comes to Unidata from Vmware Inc., were he worked as Systems Administrator for the Engineering group. He holds a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Education from Colorado State University, and a master's degree in Computer Information Systems from Regis University.
A Colorado native, Jack has lived and worked around the Front Range most of his life. He started in the IT field after deciding he "wasn't having enough fun in retail sales and management." Twelve years after making the switch, Jack has experience with a broad range of operating systems, platforms, and applications. "I've been up to my elbows in everything from SunOS 4.1.6 (pre-Solaris) to Windows 7 and most things in between," he says. Having worked for the virtualization technology company Vmware for more than 4 years, Jack has developed expertise in hardware and software virtualization techniques that will be an invaluable resource both within the Unidata Program Center and in the Unidata community at large.
Asked about his philosophy on IT support, Jack replies that "I am here to make your job easier. I try very hard to not say No when I get an unusual request — I find it better to ask Why?"
"Why do you want to run Sun OS 4.1.3 on a Mac Book Pro?" he quizzes, only half joking. "Just because something is unusual or difficult is not a reason to not attempt it, as long as there is a reasonable justification."
An avid cyclist (road and mountain), Jack spends his off-time getting away from computers and communing with nature. Please join us in welcoming Jack to the Unidata Program Center!
