Let’s connect with Danny Reilly of the Town of Morrisville, North Carolina. Please leave your comments and questions for Danny below. If you are interested in being featured in a member spotlight please email customerreference@8x8.com.
Tell us about your role and your organization, the Town of Morrisville.
The Town of Morrisville is a small local government in the heart of the Research Triangle Park outside of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. I'm the IT operations manager and senior IT analyst. I have a staff of three direct reports, and we are responsible for how our systems operate.
What path led you to the Town of Morrisville?
I worked for the State of North Carolina's Department of Insurance and wanted to find a job closer to home. It's interesting the differences between working for state and local government. State government is like a large corporation and you can get lost in the shuffle, whereas local government is a tighter knit community which I prefer. Plus, I now have a 10 minute ride to work!
How did you get interested in technology?
My love of baseball! I was a big baseball fan growing up, big baseball historian, big stats guy. In my early teens, my friend Bobby got an Atari computer, and he had a game called Microleague Baseball. It was a stats-driven baseball game with teams you could play from all different eras. The fact that a machine did this is what drew me to computers and technology.
Who are your role models?
As a sports fan from New York, I root for the Yankees. I think highly of Derek Jeter because of the way he carried himself. He was a professional, he wasn't a showboat and he always came through in a clutch. He was never involved in any nefarious activities. If I had to pick someone, it's someone in that mold.
What is your advice to others who are just starting out in IT?
Keep an open mind. Everything changes almost by the minute in this field. Even things you've done every day, the same way, for the last five years can change overnight. Be willing to learn and listen because everyone has different experiences. I find the easiest way to do something is to draw off all my staff's experience because I don't always know the best way. In IT there's usually multiple ways to do one thing. So listen and be open to suggestions.
What prompted you to become an early adopter of the cloud?
Prior to 8x8, we had a Cisco phone system that was overly complicated. You created a user in one system and then went to another system to create the mailbox. When we had any power interruptions, our phones went down. We needed something to solve for the power issue and disaster recovery needs, and we also wanted something that was easy to use. After reviewing and evaluating the key players, 8x8 was the clear choice for us.
Tell a story about a time your team was a hero in helping your company solve a problem or seize an opportunity.
Morrisville is shifting into the smart city realm. We're developing a mobile app for the town with many integrations. Residents can find and book amenities, schedule a ride on the shuttle, report incidents by GPS. We are doing exciting things in that arena! We also recently invested in a 3D printer to build enclosures for sensors that are placed around the community. That's been an interesting project.
Do you have any areas of technical areas of expertise that you could share with your peers in the 8x8 community?
I've been through a ransomware event, so I'm very schooled on what's involved in recovery from attacks. In an event like that I'm a very good resource. Generally speaking, I've been in IT a long time and can usually dig something up in the old archive when someone hits a snag.
What do you do for fun?
After working with Morrisville's new filament 3D printer, I decided to purchase a resin 3D printer for home use. It was only $150. It's my new hobby and I can't get enough of it! I'm printing figures, jewelry for my wife and custom name plates for my colleagues. I don't know what it is, but I just got hooked immediately. There's a puddle of liquid and then a thing comes out; it's amazing! When I was younger people would say "Younow how to do this on the computer," and I'd respond saying "When I can actually print out physical items, then I'll be impressed with myself." Now, I can!
