From the Ground Up
Parsram’s career hasn’t been about walking into an established system and keeping it running, it’s been about building those systems from scratch, often under tight constraints and with little room for error. In speaking with him, you get the sense that his work has always been equal parts problem-solving, endurance, and improvisation.
“I’ve always been in positions where you need to wear a lot of hats,” he explained at one point, reflecting on his early days managing networks without the luxury of dedicated teams for each role.
Those hats ranged from troubleshooting switches, to negotiating vendor contracts to making sure critical municipal systems didn’t go dark in the middle of a storm. His technical foundation is strong, but his adaptability is what’s allowed him to thrive.
Scrappy Beginnings
Early in our conversation, Parsram described scenarios where budgets were limited, but expectations remained high.
“It’s not like you have a team of 15 people who each have a narrow specialty,” he said. “You’re it. If the firewall’s down, if there’s a fiber cut, if someone can’t connect to the database, it’s you.”
This mindset of taking ownership without hesitation shaped his philosophy. He was quick to point out that working in environments like this forces you to be resourceful. You’re not just a network engineer; you’re also procurement, support, and sometimes even the cable-puller.
Learning by Doing
In those early roles, Parsram often found himself solving problems he’d never encountered before. Rather than freeze, he leaned on his network of peers and mentors.
“If I don’t know the answer, I know someone who does,” he said.
That willingness to reach out and learn has been crucial. Over time, those connections, whether through conferences, user groups, or informal calls, became a living library of expertise he could draw from.
Building with the Right Tools
When we discussed how he approaches network monitoring today, Parsram stressed the value of having the right tools for the job.
“If you’re going to monitor a system, you want to know not just if a device is up or down, but how it’s talking to everything else,” he explained.
Owning the Result
At the core of Parsram’s work is a sense of accountability. In small IT teams, there’s no passing the buck and no hiding when something breaks.
“When you’re the one making the decisions, you also own the results,” he said. “If the network’s up, great. If it’s down, you’re the one explaining why.”
That weight isn’t for everyone, but for Parsram, it’s a source of pride. Each system he’s put in place, each problem he’s solved, represents a tangible contribution to keeping services running for the people who depend on them.