A few weeks ago, we changed our members of Pure Capsaicins from “Ocean’s Eleven” to “The Dirty Dozen” as @justin5198-spiceworks finally reached the peak of the Spiceworks Levels! If you’re unsure what a Pure Capsaicin (also called a PC or Pure Cap), it is the highest level of engagement we have here in the Spiceworks Community. It’s an achievement only a handful of SpiceHeads have reached and this is because it takes commitment, tenacity, drive, determination, IT intelligence and, most of all, a genuine desire to help their peers to reach the required 250,000 points it takes to reach such a level.
It is no surprise that we now add our 2015 Spicies Hero to this list!
We reached out to Gary to not only congratulate (and thank) him but also to shine the spotlight on him and have him answer a few questions.
You’ve just hit Pure Capsaicin — how does it feel?
Pretty good! I still recall hitting 200,000 points and thinking just how far way PC was. It really is awesome to have made it this far.
Tell me a little bit about your current job and what you enjoy about it.
My job title is “Infrastructure Team Lead” but I suspect that like a lot of people here, the job title has little bearing on what I actually do which is a huge range of tech from Windows to Linux to Containers to Security to mentoring and more. I’ve even fixed the coffee machine a few times! I’ve always enjoyed tech and I always will. There is something very satisfying when the root cause of a problem is found, and the problem fixed. Little beats that feeling.
How did you discover Spiceworks?
If I recall correctly, I found Spiceworks twice. the first time it was either an ad or an internet search around helpdesk software and I recall that the helpdesk had an inventory module. A few months later and we had need of just such a module and I thought of Spiceworks. It was around then when I realized that Spiceworks had a forum and signed up as a lowly Pimiento!
How have your responsibilities changed at work since you first signed up with Spiceworks?
I’ve changed jobs and job roles several times since signing up to Spiceworks. When I signed up, I was a storage and VMware engineer working for a small-ish MSP. I changed jobs to a Senior Infrastructure engineer for a development company developing software for online betting companies. I quite enjoy working with smaller companies and small IT depts where it’s possible to get involved with a range of software and hardware - the more flashing lights the better!
What inspires you to offer so much help to your peers?
When I first started out in IT, I was lucky enough to work with several people who were very free with their time and knowledge, I found out that they were quite rare people and I thought that it was nice to pay it forward so I did a mentoring course when I worked at Nokia (yes, that Nokia!) and also did some train the trainer training! If I can do anything to help out with a technical issue, I will. To me, it’s all about knowledge sharing and helping.
You seem to be quite active in the Windows Server area of Spiceworks, what draws you there?
I’ve pretty much always used Windows in one form or another. I used Active Directory from the day it was released and one of the first projects I ever did in IT was a Windows NT 4 Domain to Active Directory domain migration. I’m normally testing out the newer builds of Windows to see what they’ve broken or removed so it’s an area where I think I can provide the most help.
Which Spiceworks tools do you run at work?
We use both the helpdesk for its inventory elements and the network monitor as a quick reference for monitoring some edge devices.
Have there been times the Community has helped you solve a problem?
More than once! Spiceworks allows people to come together and discuss issues. It’s like having a million IT pros on your shoulder, ready to help. That’s an incredible resource to have available and it’s been so much help to me when I’ve been stuck with an issue. One time I recalled a line from an MS licensing document and couldn’t recall where I had seen it. I knew I’d need to reference it in a meeting later on that afternoon so I posted the question on Spiceworks. Within the hour, I not only had the link I was looking for but the post even told me the page number and where to look on the page for the very part I needed!
You’re active in your local SpiceCorps . What’s being part of the community offline like?
Probably not as active as I should be (Sorry ste maunder!). I try to get to a SpiceCorp as often as possible and whenever I do it’s always a good laugh with great people. I’ve also been fortunate to meet quite a few folk at SpiceWorld, All Access, and more. Each person I’ve meet have been the same in real life as online except maybe with more beer 
Any shout-outs to individuals who’ve helped you in the Community?
I kind of don’t want to answer this because I know I’ll miss someone. If I do miss anyone, sorry - it was not intentional. There are a lot of people who have helped me out: dbeato, Rod-IT, Gabrielle.L, Huw3481, Denis Kelley, ste maunder, JoeWilliams, RealityCheque, JeffNew1213, Big Green Man, Little Green Man, tfl, @justin5198-spiceworks , DragonsRule and many more.
Can I also give a special shout out to Sarah Crook (Spiceworks) for putting up with my community bug reports/complaints?!
No, Gary. No you can’t.
Beyond the nuts and bolts of IT, what else stands out to you about the Spiceworks Community?
The one thing that stands out to me is how Spiceworks has this amazingly talented and knowledgeable pool of people from all over the world and from so many different industries, all here to contribute and talk IT. The amount of times I’ve heard about an issue with a Windows patch because of something someone posted here I cannot count but it’s always been a great heads up.
What would you tell a lurking SpiceHead who might want to become active in the community but is hesitant?
While lurking for a few days isn’t a bad thing as it gives you a feel for how the site works and the sorts of things people post, do get involved, do try to help out, do post questions. We’ve all been there and it can be nerve-wracking but people here are just interested in helping out and trying to ensure that problems are solved and the job is done right. Get involved, have fun!
I have to ask: Do you like crunchy or creamy peanut butter?
I’m going to get flak for this I know but I don’t like peanut butter at all…!
Any plans on how to celebrate hitting Pure Capsaicin?
Maybe by showing off a little at work to some colleagues who use the site from time to time
Let’s all not just give a big congratulations to Gary, but also a big thank you for all the help he’s given! As you can see from his profile, he didn’t get here by posting lolcat after lolcat but by accumulating almost 1,400 Best Answers, over 900 Helpful Posts, creating two great How-Tos, writing a Spotlight on IT article back in 2013 ( Schrödinger’s backup: When good documentation goes bad , which is now in our Learn section), and so much more!
Congrats and thanks, Gary!
@billkindle @huw3481 @rod-it @gabrielle @deniskelley @swearyprincess @rhummel @jeffnewman @joewilliams @thomaslee @larryg-profile @big-green-man @garydwilliams @sarah @stemaunder @dbeato
