Meet a Helpful Human – Jeff Goudie

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After studying Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University, Jeff Goudie earned a Computer Science degree at Eastern Michigan University. He began his profession as a mainframe operator, unaware that the tiny IBM XT personal computers he was installing would take off and revolutionize the best way we live. Once those little PCs became the best way of life, Goudie was hired by Lockheed Martin and contracted at Ford for IT Support. Eventually, he was hired directly at Chrysler to support their lab equipment, computers, and dynamometers, a tech journey that led him to Liquid Web. 

Now, Jeff is a Linux Support Mentor, helping to coach and empower teams across Liquid Web on recent technologies and processes.

In 2008, when the Big Three (General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, and Ford Motor Company) went through their financial woes, they began offering buyouts to employees, which I accepted. Unfortunately, everybody in Southeast Michigan was on the lookout for a job on the time. I had picked up Linux skills from supporting the engine dynamometers at Chrysler. Thankfully, a member of the family suggested Liquid Web is likely to be a great fit for my skills. 

I interviewed for a gap in Linux Support, which went extremely well. My first days were exciting as I acclimated to helping our customers over the phone and chat. I used to be pleasantly surprised to search out how wonderful our customers are to work alongside and support.

To be completely honest, I didn’t know much in regards to the Web Hosting Industry until I joined Liquid Web. The more time I spent in Linux Support,  the more I noticed that customers I worked with didn’t know what went on behind the scenes with services similar to MySQL or Apache. Nonetheless, I discovered that if I conveyed this information to them in conversation, they were appreciative and completely satisfied to raised understand how the technology works.

In the long term, educating customers on technology empowers them to resolve issues more quickly and keep their servers running easily, with our techs able to step in when needed.

Having dogs within the office is likely to be my favorite a part of the Liquid Web atmosphere. One in every of my goals in life is to pet all of the dogs, so having canine friends around throughout the workday definitely helps me achieve my goal. 

Out of the entire gatherings we have now as an organization, the Christmas Party is my favorite. It’s nice to fulfill and talk outside of labor while bonding over good food. It never looks like there are different departments or management levels at our events. It’s just a great group of individuals with shared goals getting together and having fun. 

Even in our distant work culture of today, we still know how one can have a good time during virtual events similar to Hangout Roulette, Euchre tournaments, and virtual runs. The frequent company-wide gatherings are a incredible technique to meet recent people and reconnect with colleagues. 

Liquid Web truly has an “open door” policy between employees, management, and leadership teams. This availability and communication between departments is what sets Liquid Web aside from other employers, which normally require communication through the right channels. 

Knowing that my voice could be heard around recent ideas for our customers and processes at Liquid Web is sort of empowering, and really effective for ensuring our services remain competitive.

Receiving my 10 Yr Anniversary flag was a major milestone for me. On the time, I assumed back to how much the Web Hosting Industry had modified, and the way Liquid Web has modified with it. Once I began, customers used PIMS as their Liquid Web interface, after which we got fancy and offered Manage. 

Now, our recent My Liquid Web customer portal boasts a mobile-first design, easy navigation, and open tickets front-and-center, helping customers get their work done faster than ever. It is that this customer-first approach that keeps me captivated with my work at Liquid Web.

There are numerous qualified people at Liquid Web, but when someone involves me, it’s normally with database questions.  

Out of all the pieces I learned in Training at Liquid Web, I feel essentially the most comfortable with MySQL, and interfacing it with PHP was considered one of my first personal profession goals. Some people’s profession goals are focused on developing cures for diseases or constructing rocket ships. Mine was exporting recipes out of Open Office Base into MySQL with a PHP website.

I wish customers higher understood the ever-present danger of security issues as a result of unsecured servers, outdated software, and unpatched operating systems. Diligence should start before you’re hacked, not because of this.

Control panels like cPanel, InterWorx, and Plesk provide many mechanisms to assist secure sites with accounts to administer. Nonetheless, many purchasers desire to put a whole lot of client sites all under one account for simple management. I all the time caution against this practice, because it could actually allow nefarious and licentious processes to wreak havoc on multiple sites inside one account. 

The most effective solution is sort of all the time the one with the purchasers’ best interests in mind.

I like going to the range with my Dad and punching holes in paper targets. Also, I purchased a Dodge Magnum in 2004, and I enjoy working on it. 

I’d like to have dinner with William Wallace. Scotland’s history interested me long before Braveheart got here out, especially with many on a regular basis folks like William Wallace aligning with several nobles against a greater evil. 

We all know so little about his life before the fight for independence began. Did he have prior military training? Were the numbers of the English army truly as high as history says at Stirling Bridge? Was his spirit crushed on the Battle of Falkirk? Did Robert the Bruce only take part in the revolt to press his family’s claim to the throne? 

I’d like to find a way to ask these questions over dinner to search out out!