Service Management to Service Excellence - TOPdesk Blog

System administrators: the #SUPERHEROES of your organization

Written by TOPdesk | July 25, 2019 at 6:28 AM

Happy Sysadmin day! It’s the perfect day in the year to celebrate system administrators. Which you should do, because where would you be without them? Nowhere, that’s where. Who resets your password? Prevents viruses from infecting the company’s network? And who do you go to with all your IT questions? Exactly.

Are you a system administrator yourself, or are you just curious what your superpowers are? Take this quiz and find out what kind of superhero you are! Just count your a’s b’s c’s and d’s.

1. You find a 128GB USB stick, what will you do with it?


  1. You take it to your secret lab to find out who it belongs to.
  2. You love retro stuff! You can add this to your vintage hardware collection.
  3. You’re on your guard. This might have a virus on it. You perform a controlled explosion, just to be safe. #BOOM
  4. 128GB? You remember way back when these things were 128MB!

2. You’re going on a long trip. What do you absolutely need to bring?


  1. The solar-powered charging station you built a while ago.
  2. Your Nintendo Switch, PSP and retro Gameboy. That’s all you need.
  3. A small bag you can conceal under your clothes for valuables.
  4. A street map. Who cares if everybody can tell you’re a tourist.

3. Your candy jar is gone, what do you do?


  1. This won’t happen again. You hide your new jar in a drawer.
  2. Nobody ever steals your jar, they don’t want your healthy snacks.
  3. You check security footage and confront the perp! #JUSTICE
  4. You already know who’s behind this. You know your colleagues well.

4. What’s your favourite tv-show?


  1. MacGyver
  2. Rick & Morty
  3. Black Mirror
  4. Doctor Who

5. What are you most likely to post on Instagram?


  1. Your new Raspberry Pi case. You made it out LEGO.
  2. Your trip to ComicCon. #AWESOME
  3. The inner workings of your home security system. Just kidding, obviously you wouldn’t post anything on Instagram.
  4. Bad selfies.

6. Which superhero is your role model?


  1. Iron man
  2. Spider Gwen
  3. Captain America
  4. Batman

7. What’s your favourite pet?


  1. A sheep, so you never have to mow the lawn.
  2. A Pokémon. Hey, you don’t have to walk them.
  3. A dog to guard the house. #SAFETYFIRST
  4. The turtle you’ve had since you were both children.

8. The fire alarm goes off. What’s the first thing you grab?


  1. You’re prepared for this. You put on your fire resistant suit and put out the fire yourself.
  2. The LEGO. The #COLLECTORSITEMS on your desk.
  3. Nothing of course! Your first priority is to make sure everyone leaves the building in a safe and orderly manner!
  4. It’s probably a drill anyway. #BEENTHEREDONETHAT

9. Batman has his Bat Mobile. What do you drive?


  1. A 4x4 Jeep. You always have extra fuel and a spare tire in the back.
  2. You’ve got the latest technology: a self-driving car.
  3. You’re not giving that information. All you’re saying is that it’s armoured.
  4. A Citroen DS. Modern cars are ugly and you like to drive in style.

10. What’s your vacation destination?


  1. Doesn’t really matter, as long as you can camp out and hike through nature.
  2. You can spend all day and all night in Akihabara.
  3. You’d rather not say.
  4. You’ve been going to the same spot for a few years now. You’ve seen enough to know where you want to be.

Drum roll... The results!


Mostly A’s: you’re the Problem Solver
Mostly B’s: you’re the Geek
Mostly C’s: you’re the Protector
Mostly D’s: you’re the Legend

The Problem Solver

You’re a real-life MacGyver. No matter how crazy your colleague’s question is, you’re ready to help. Your brain immediately comes up with a whole range of possible solutions. And you’re resourceful: you create custom solutions with materials that are on hand. You’re rarely stressed, because you’ll figure it out.

The Geek

You know and own all the gadgets and you’ve always wanted to visit Akihabara. At work, everybody knows which desk is yours. It’s the one strewn with collector’s items. Your thumbs are always ready to go, because in your spare time you play the latest new games from Japan, without subtitles. Your second screen usually shows key notes at E3 press conferences.

The Protector

You’re aware of every potential danger and risk, even the ones nobody else sees. If there’s a calamity, everybody’s got your number on speed-dial. You’re probably responsible for health and safety at work and your house is protected by relevant domotics. You’re the first to know if there’s a virus, and you recognize spam before you even open your inbox. And your laptop webcam? You covered it with a sticker, obviously. You know the ins and outs of GDPR. And you’re the only one.

The Legend

You’ve been around the block a few times, so there’s not a lot you haven’t seen. You’re a little annoyed when colleagues don’t know what a floppy disk is. You kind of miss Word Perfect’s under water view. Your inbox and email archive are almost a terabyte. Youngsters may laugh at you occasionally, but in the end you’re the only one who can always solve their problems.

Ready for another quiz? Find out which Sesame Street characters roam your service desk! Bert, Ernie, The Count, or Oscar the Grouch?