A Day in the Life of Stuart Bowlerwell

Stuart Bowlerwell is our Solutions Architect at ITWORX UK. He joined the company in June 2012.

Stuart is responsible for leading our Solutions team, which includes Presales design and validation for customers, technical development and Account Management support. Stuart also assists with our partner relationships and projects.

6:30

The alarm goes off. I like to start my morning off with a big bowl of porridge for a bit of breakfast brain power.

I’m working from the ITWORX UK office today. Before setting off, I brew a coffee for the car journey and make my way into Aberdeen.

8:30

I fire up my laptop and check my email. I have a few Presales support requests, ranging from new and replacement laptops with compatible accessories, to installing new phone systems ahead of the ISDN switch off and internet/wireless upgrades.

When our clients have project requirements, I assist our Account Managers and provide specialist technical support. After a debrief of what exactly the customer is looking to achieve and understanding the client challenges we will be addressing, I look to find the solution that meets those requirements. Having an in depth knowledge of IT and Communications products, services and applications is vital to make sure we provide the best solution for our customers.

I work with our Commercial team to confirm the scope of work, specifications and consultancy details for delivering the project as part of the quote process. Once the quote has been approved by the client and processed, I keep track of the project delivery progress from our engineering team, and I am always available if anyone has questions.

9:30

I provide Marketing support within my Presales role and have been working closely with the Marketing team to provide technical input for an upcoming blog.

I’ve blocked off time this morning to review and sign off the content ahead of the go-live date on our website.

I finish reviewing that earlier than I expected, so I use the remaining time to review documentation changes for a very large project we have in progress. There are some actions to take on outstanding items. I send an email to the client to arrange a call for later in the week to discuss these changes.

10:30

I brew a quick coffee before settling down to finalise material for a training session later this week for the Commercial team. As part of my role, I review and test new products and services provided by our Partners that will develop our suite of offerings, ultimately providing the very best solutions to benefit our clients.

The upcoming training session is to ensure our Account Managers have the most up to date knowledge on the products and services we provide for our clients. Account Managers are the integral link between our customers and providing them with the IT solutions to deliver their business goals, so it is important they understand the products and can discuss and explain the benefits to them.

This training session is on Cisco Umbrella new feature updates. Cisco Umbrella is the industry’s first Secure Internet Gateway in the cloud, providing the first line of defence against internet threats wherever users go. It delivers complete visibility into internet activity across all locations, devices, and users, and blocks threats before they ever reach your network or endpoints. It is the fastest and easiest way to start protecting users enterprise-wide within minutes, it is always on, always protecting, without any action from end users.

12.30

Lunch time. As it’s my last day working from the office this week, I pop to Thain’s Bakery on George Street for a large Stovies – it’s sublime, if you are in the area - I highly recommend.

1.30

It’s time for a call with a client to discuss their new network and security strategy.

My previous role in ITWORX UK was as Senior Network Engineer. Having a current Cisco Professional qualification with network design specialism is key for helping a customer with complex network requirements. Prior to this meeting I have been working on writing a network infrastructure plan to discuss with them, aiming to build a new network that can futureproof their business and make improvements to business applications.

This involved a lot of research and discussions with Business System suppliers for alternatives to decide upon the best solution to go forward with. This is going to be quite a large project which needs careful planning and consideration with how to utilise their new office layout and what is required from a networking and comms perspective, to proceed. We also need to review and update their Security procedures, whilst maintaining their data security during this process.

3:00

I’ve had more internal Presales support requests come in from our Account Managers. I reply to these straight away so that pricing can be confirmed with our suppliers and a quote can be prepared and issued to the client.

3:30

I’m off to a client site this afternoon so I brew a coffee for my journey there, then head off.

This meeting is to discuss an ongoing project for a new client regarding their data archive and how we can move away from File Transfer Protocol. FTP is a legacy method of transferring files over the internet. We have two objectives in mind: move away from an insecure method to something encrypted; and explore cloud-based options to reduce on-prem storage (and backup!) requirements.

5:00

It’s been a busy one today, but I am finished work for the day and heading home.

Tonight, I am on pick-up duty for my son at nursery. Once I’m home, I’ll steal a quick half-an-hour before supper to play my guitar.

Once the bairn’s settled in bed, it’s time to sit down with a book – currently Alamein by C. E. Lucas Philips.