Amerimax Summer Internship
This summer I had the opportunity to work at Amerimax in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Amerimax manufactures home products. They have offices all around the country, in Canada and Europe. My first job function was to assist in their transition to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 365. I also monitored the help desk and assisted users in both production and office environments.
When I started I was given several Windows XP machines. I upgraded their RAM and hard drives, used a PXE server to install Windows 7, transferred user data, installed specific programs and printers, and shipped it to a user. I would receive the user’s old computer and repeat the process.
The transition to Office 365 was a great learning experience. I got to experience first hand the issues you run into deploying new software across an enterprise. As we rolled out the software to different branches I spent days helping users who had incompatible software installed on their computer, people who somehow missed the SCCM deployment, and others who just weren’t sure how to use all of the new office features. I’ve also become quite familiar with Microsoft Office in the process.
Manning the service desk turned out to be an invaluable experience. Since there was production, shipping, sales, and customer service I had the chance to learn about technology in various environments. At the production and shipping end there were handheld scanners, label printers, and print servers that were frequently in need of service. Sales and customer service presented different challenges like using a large variety of different software with various levels of interaction.
Before working at Amerimax I considered myself a power user but home computer usage of any type can only prepare you so much for working to support an enterprise environment. I’m proud to say that I jumped right in and learned a lot about Microsoft System Center, IT infrastructure, and networking. With the help of knowledgable coworkers and online resources like Microsoft TechNet I was able to do my job very successfully.
I wish that I could have learned more about the business side of IT. I spoke with my coworkers about how and why we were transitioning to Windows 7 and Office 365 and learned a little about volume licensing and KMS but didn’t hear anything of decision making or reasoning.
I truly enjoyed working at Amerimax, As of 8/16 I’m about to begin my last week and I’ll really miss going to work everyday. My coworkers were personable and I really enjoyed the work. It was a great learning experience and I can without a doubt see myself working there in the future if the opportunity were to arise.