{"id":57842,"date":"2023-11-22T12:40:42","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T20:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=57842"},"modified":"2023-11-22T12:40:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T20:40:46","slug":"tabs-difference-maker-ron-nylens-wisdom-and-attention-to-detail-saves-the-it-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2023\/11\/tabs-difference-maker-ron-nylens-wisdom-and-attention-to-detail-saves-the-it-day\/","title":{"rendered":"TABS\u2019 Difference Maker Ron Nylen\u2019s Wisdom and Attention to Detail Saves the IT Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Ron Nylen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s true that not all super heroes wear capes, nor do they all look like Jason Momoa, for that matter. Saving the day in the business world rarely entails stopping a large boulder from hitting a bus, or preventing aliens from taking control of the world. No, some of the most impactful acts in real life aren\u2019t likely to draw a crowd, or involve something getting blown to bits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Ron Nylen can take credit for diffusing a critical situation that pushed his employer, Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS), to the brink of losing its largest customer. Nylen, who today serves as TABS\u2019 manager, solutions technical support, answered the distress signal many moons ago after one of the manufacturer\u2019s MFPs was blamed for an intermittent network scanning issue that had become an urgent and costly problem, jeopardizing the business relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the stakes high and armed with his IT acumen, Nylen pounced and spent many hours reviewing thousands of frames of captured network traffic to the lowest level of detail. The true culprit? He was able to isolate the exact communication from the customer’s DNS server that was causing the issue by cycling an inaccurate response every 17 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not a scene repeatedly played out in a Marvel adventure, Nylen\u2019s discovery enabled the client\u2019s sheepish IT department to rectify the situation, thus resolving the issue and saving the relationship from falling into the wrong hands (in this case, another service provider).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was the ultimate test of my skills, and taught me if you have the skill to locate them, the technical facts will speak for themselves, stronger than any countering bluster or speculation, even if the odds are stacked heavily against you,\u201d said Nylen, a 2023 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker. \u201cAs they say in the packet capture community, \u2018The packets don’t lie.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Path Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A longtime employee of TABS, Nylen\u2019s initial focus was network engineering. But when the OEM launched its first network device and created a connectivity technical support position to maintain it, Nylen seemed an optimal fit. A good friend at TABS recommended Nylen for the gig, and it\u2019s provided a fulfilling career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best parts of Nylen\u2019s work is the ability to empower his team to do its finest work. The opportunity to thrive can frequently be stifled, however, and often unintentionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy purposefully establishing a space where new ideas and processes are encouraged and appreciated, our individual creativity has bloomed, and has become greater than the sum of its parts,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt’s very satisfying to hear teammates express they are accomplishing some of the best work of their career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nylen credits his penchant for prioritizing the many demands on his time and attention, and addressing them through tenacious attention to detail, as being key to his value proposition. Distractions can oftentimes make it a challenge, thus maintaining focus and vision can make an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nylen\u2019s road to becoming an IT savant enabled him to cross paths with a number of brilliant minds and key influencers, perhaps none more important than Dean McKerrow. It was McKerrow who taught Nylen the value of keen attention to detail, and not being hesitant in calling out technical facts, no matter how unpopular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd by his example, [McKerrow] demonstrated a work ethic many have attempted to follow but have rarely matched,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sky’s the Limit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last two years have provided some watershed moments for Nylen and Co. The idea behind Elevate Sky Knowledge, an information repository and case management tool, arose from one-on-one chat. The AI-powered search tool\u2014one solution in the overall Elevate Sky hub\u2014enables service managers, help desks and field techs to resolve support issues quickly. Watching it grow from concept to reality proved exciting for Nylen and his team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The crowning achievement, however, may have been this year\u2019s LEAD Beyond conference in Las Vegas. \u201cThe scale overshadowed anything we had supported in the years previous, so every member of the team had to dig deep to fulfill our responsibilities, and it was an impressive success that we’re very proud to be a part of,\u201d Nylen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the coming year will be focused on championing Toshiba\u2019s Elevate Sky Services, the integrated cloud services infrastructure. But Nylen notes there are some surprises the company has in process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nylen believes the secret to self-improvement lies in maintaining perspective about one\u2019s accomplishments and standing within an organization. \u201cGetting stuck in an auto-pilot routine can lead to missing insights, so taking time to regularly recharge physically, mentally, and creatively is critical to fostering a fresh perspective,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of the office, it\u2019s family, friends, dogs and outdoor activities that serve to recharge Nylen\u2019s positivity and creativity. And for Nylen, it doesn\u2019t get any better than surfing. Even under less-than-optimal conditions, he exits the water in a more positive frame of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven after surfing for decades, I still learn from the ocean\u2014how insignificant we are, how to go with the flow, and how to be present in changing conditions\u2014that helps to stay grounded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s true that not all super heroes wear capes, nor do they all look like Jason Momoa, for that matter. Saving the day in the business world rarely entails stopping a large boulder from hitting a bus, or preventing aliens from taking control of the world. No, some of the most impactful acts in real life aren\u2019t likely to draw a crowd, or involve something getting blown to bits. Still, Ron Nylen can take credit for diffusing a critical situation that pushed his employer, Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS), to the brink of losing its largest customer. Nylen, who today serves as TABS\u2019 manager, solutions technical support, answered the distress signal many moons ago after one of the manufacturer\u2019s MFPs was blamed for an intermittent network scanning issue that had become an urgent and costly problem, jeopardizing the business relationship. With the stakes high and armed with his IT acumen, Nylen pounced and spent many hours reviewing thousands of frames of captured network traffic to the lowest level of detail. The true culprit? He was able to isolate the exact communication from the customer’s DNS server that was causing the issue by cycling an inaccurate response every 17 times. While not a scene repeatedly played out in a Marvel adventure, Nylen\u2019s discovery enabled the client\u2019s sheepish IT department to rectify the situation, thus resolving the issue and saving the relationship from falling into the wrong hands (in this case, another service provider). \u201cIt was the ultimate test of my skills, and taught me if you have the skill to locate them, the technical facts will speak for themselves, stronger than any countering bluster or speculation, even if the odds are stacked heavily against you,\u201d said Nylen, a 2023 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cAs they say in the packet capture community, \u2018The packets don’t lie.\u2019\u201d Path Forward A longtime employee of TABS, Nylen\u2019s initial focus was network engineering. But when the OEM launched its first network device and created a connectivity technical support position to maintain it, Nylen seemed an optimal fit. A good friend at TABS recommended Nylen for the gig, and it\u2019s provided a fulfilling career. One of the best parts of Nylen\u2019s work is the ability to empower his team to do its finest work. The opportunity to thrive can frequently be stifled, however, and often unintentionally. \u201cBy purposefully establishing a space where new ideas and processes are encouraged and appreciated, our individual creativity has bloomed, and has become greater than the sum of its parts,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt’s very satisfying to hear teammates express they are accomplishing some of the best work of their career.\u201d Nylen credits his penchant for prioritizing the many demands on his time and attention, and addressing them through tenacious attention to detail, as being key to his value proposition. Distractions can oftentimes make it a challenge, thus maintaining focus and vision can make an impact. Nylen\u2019s road to becoming an IT savant enabled him to cross paths with a number of brilliant minds and key influencers, perhaps none more important than Dean McKerrow. It was McKerrow who taught Nylen the value of keen attention to detail, and not being hesitant in calling out technical facts, no matter how unpopular. \u201cAnd by his example, [McKerrow] demonstrated a work ethic many have attempted to follow but have rarely matched,\u201d he added. Sky’s the Limit The last two years have provided some watershed moments for Nylen and Co. The idea behind Elevate Sky Knowledge, an information repository and case management tool, arose from one-on-one chat. The AI-powered search tool\u2014one solution in the overall Elevate Sky hub\u2014enables service managers, help desks and field techs to resolve support issues quickly. Watching it grow from concept to reality proved exciting for Nylen and his team. The crowning achievement, however, may have been this year\u2019s LEAD Beyond conference in Las Vegas. \u201cThe scale overshadowed anything we had supported in the years previous, so every member of the team had to dig deep to fulfill our responsibilities, and it was an impressive success that we’re very proud to be a part of,\u201d Nylen said. Much of the coming year will be focused on championing Toshiba\u2019s Elevate Sky Services, the integrated cloud services infrastructure. But Nylen notes there are some surprises the company has in process. Nylen believes the secret to self-improvement lies in maintaining perspective about one\u2019s accomplishments and standing within an organization. \u201cGetting stuck in an auto-pilot routine can lead to missing insights, so taking time to regularly recharge physically, mentally, and creatively is critical to fostering a fresh perspective,\u201d he added. Outside of the office, it\u2019s family, friends, dogs and outdoor activities that serve to recharge Nylen\u2019s positivity and creativity. And for Nylen, it doesn\u2019t get any better than surfing. Even under less-than-optimal conditions, he exits the water in a more positive frame of mind. \u201cEven after surfing for decades, I still learn from the ocean\u2014how insignificant we are, how to go with the flow, and how to be present in changing conditions\u2014that helps to stay grounded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":54880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[4396],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57842"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57842"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57844,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57842\/revisions\/57844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}