?? Pioneering IT: An Active Directory project with a difference! ??

Ah, the early 2000s – a time of dial-up internet, flip phones and, for us, pioneering IT adventures in the NHS.

Picture this: a team of tech-savvy engineers, led by yours truly, embarking on a mission to deploy the first Microsoft Active Directory in the region. Exciting stuff, right?

But before we jump into the nitty-gritty, let's rewind a bit. Prior to this project, I had recently completed a Windows 2000 server course – talk about timing! Armed with newfound knowledge and a desire to put it to good use, I was determined to make an impact. And with training opportunities in the NHS being sparse at best, I saw this as my chance to roll up my sleeves and dive headfirst into the world of IT deployment. I wanted to make sure that the training I had received was put straight back into the job I was employed to do.

As we delved into the project, our enthusiasm was palpable. We spent weeks meticulously planning, preparing and prepping the servers, leaving no stone unturned in our quest for perfection - remember we are working with Windows here, so perfection is a bit of a stretch, but we tried our best.

We enlisted the help of eager users to trial the new system, keen to demonstrate the benefits it would bring. And boy, did it pay off! With Active Directory in place, logins became smoother than ever; well, smoother than NT4 could deliver, and with software deployment pushing out Adobe and Office things looked great. I would love to say lightning-fast, but remember this was over 20 years ago. Our phones these days have more power than the servers we were running this from.

With the project delivered, the days of waiting around for sluggish logins and tedious software installs were behind us, and we felt like heroes. Little did we that slow logins would become the bane of an IT engineer's life as AD got bulkier, GPOs got fatter without constant management and later generations of Windows needed a lot more attention to run quickly - oh boy what a combination, but we had all that to look forward to.

Of course, no journey is without its challenges, and ours was no exception. From unexpected hiccups to balancing troubleshooting with acupuncturist aspirations (thanks, physio team!), we faced all sorts of challenges and even learnt how to place acupuncture needles to reduce stress, and this was all whilst waiting for PCs to image. Back then you could never imagine how your day would go.

In the end, our hard work paid off – the first active directory in Kent was up-and-running, and we celebrated as IT geeks would and went to McDonalds and sat in the van (where no one could see us) to eat it.

Looking back, it's moments like these that make my career journey unforgettable. Sure, there were hurdles along the way, but the camaraderie, the shared laughter, and the opportunities to make a real difference in the NHS make it all worthwhile.

Here's to embracing the unexpected and pioneering new paths, one pinprick at a time! ????

#ITAdventures #AcupunctureAntics #TeamworkGoals #NHSNostalgia