Microsoft’s MVP program is a worldwide annual award and recognition program that strives to identify amazing individuals in technical communities around the world.
McAlynn's MVP award (his sixth consecutive)
Asked what he did to win the nod, McAlynn says it’s about supporting the community of users. “It's obvious that Microsoft is the major shareholder of most computer software markets. However, in recent years the company has realized that there's a point of separation between the Microsoft-way of doing things and the real world. I try to bridge the two by engaging the community of users with online forums, public presentations and authoring of print and online material.” he says.
Presently the System Center Practice Manager for Brandon Consulting, a Dublin-based Microsoft gold certified partner company, Mr. McAlynn also has to his credit other honors like the Certified Information Systems Security Professional and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certifications.
He’s also lectured at various IT conferences and produced significant content for the IT community. “I have been honored to be invited to speak at various national and international Microsoft conferences, including the Microsoft Management Summit and the Active Directory Experts Conference. I also have more than 80 articles to my credit in various online and print publications.”
What’s surprising about this 35-year-old is that he never intended to be a computer professional. “I started as a Communications Officer for a police department in the United States when I was 21. After attending two funerals of fellow officers, I decided that it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. As a result, I turned my hobby into a career” says McAlynn.
Explaining why he shifted careers, McAlynn says, “I always had a passion for technology. In 1992 I was running one of the largest bulletin board systems (BBS) in Nashville. It offered our dialed-in users Internet e-mail through what was then the FidoNet network - pretty aggressive for the day.” He adds, “Now, I live for this stuff! It never ceases to amaze me when you see the light bulb go off in someone's eyes and they finally get it.”
McAlynn continues, “I'm very passionate about Microsoft technologies. Our core business is to learn new these new technologies, assimilate them and offer the same to customers in a cost-effective manner. This coming year will continue the tsunami wave of product releases from Microsoft. My role as an MVP in Ireland is to continue to help the average user of these products understand how they fit into their environment and how to best improve their operational efficiency. It's a challenge I'm ready to take on.”
