Information Technology Research Support Solutions (IT RSS) is a multicampus team of technology experts that provides specialized IT services to enable productive researchers. System administrator James Kump, who has more than 30 years of IT experience, recently joined MU's team to help empower researchers to focus more on their data and less on the infrastructure supporting it. Here’s why he chose Mizzou:
You came to us from outside the university recently. Why did you make this career choice?
I have spent my entire professional career providing innovative and creative solutions to solve IT problems. The opportunity to advance my career and to work directly with technology projects piqued my interest. I have previously worked as a field service engineer, system administrator for an insurance company, network systems administrator for a manufacturing company, and most recently as a systems administrator for a health care organization. I have always wanted to work in education, so this was an opportunity I could not pass up.
What do you like about being here at Mizzou and on the IT RSS team?
The IT RSS team is amazing. Members have varied backgrounds that work together to build, run and resolve issues so researchers can focus on the actual data and not how the infrastructure works. Additionally, the Mizzou campus is beautiful. The people I've met have all been helpful to me.
What are some of the projects or things you are currently working on?
Currently, I am getting acclimated to the Mizzou environment, including learning all of the acronyms. Understanding how the network is set up and the active directory structure has been a priority so that I can integrate the IT RSS servers correctly. I also am working on some Linux-based tools for better visibility into the IT RSS environment and am learning the inner workings of the cluster environment. Lastly, I'm working on the research Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) environment for researchers who use medical imaging technology.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born and raised in northern Illinois. I have a bachelor's degree in computer science from Western Illinois University. I have been working in IT for over 30 years. I enjoy embedded electronic projects and golfing.