Sysadmin Hall of Fame final countdown: The best of Sysadmin Day (so far)

You've survived patch hell, rebooted the unbootable, and tolerated our musical. Now it's time for something truly worthy of you.

Every Sysadmin Day, we try to show you how much you mean to us. We’ve made videos. We’ve made games. But let’s be honest — nothing we do can measure up to what you do every day.

So this year, we’re going bigger.

Our July 24 webcast will reveal something long overdue: The first-ever inductees into the Sysadmin Hall of Fame.

Bookmark and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get ready for the big day.

But before we get there, let’s take a moment to celebrate the chaotic, nerdy, gloriously strange ways we’ve honored you over the years.

Best cubicle-based performance: A Sysadmin Day Musical (2018)

We made a musical. You didn’t ask for it. You still deserve it. (And we’re still waiting on the Tony nomination.)

Best battle of wits: Sysadmins vs. AI (2024)

What happens when you put a real sysadmin in a head-to-head showdown with AI?

Spoiler: The AI didn’t stand a chance.

We had some fun with the idea of AI taking over — but we also dug into the real-world risks that come with it.

Most historical inaccuracies: Ancient System Administrators (2023)

History books forgot them. We didn’t. Meet the sysadmins who kept the ancient world online — metaphorically.

The tools may have changed, but the challenges haven’t. From ancient scrolls to modern software, sysadmins have always had to make the best of broken systems. These posts shine a light on the outdated tools, forgotten tech, and stubborn habits that still haunt IT teams today. It’s a reminder that while the gear may age, your grit is timeless.

Best David Attenborough impression: Planet Office (2022)

A gritty office ecosystem. An underappreciated species. A fake nature docuseries about the survival of the sysadmin.

Being the go-to problem solver in an understaffed environment is exhausting — and often overlooked. While we played up the idea of sysadmins as an endangered species, we also tackled the hard stuff: burnout, unrealistic expectations, and the lack of support that so many IT pros face every day.

Best retro throwback: The Sneaker Net (2020)

It was retro. It was weird. It was oddly cathartic.

Download the game →

Most heroic use of SPF 50: The Time Guards (2019)

Who needs Baywatch when you’ve got sysadmins saving end users from themselves — one reboot at a time? We leaned into the slow-motion, high-drama absurdity to celebrate the people who guard uptime, rescue workflows, and keep the office from going completely underwater.

Best alternate universe we’d like to live in: The Dream (2021)

Every sysadmin has imagined it: a world where your coworkers respect your time, thank you for fixing things, and don’t ask you to “just take a quick look” at their home router. The Dream brought that fantasy to life, finally giving sysadmins the recognition they deserve ... even if only in their imagination.

Quickest draw in the ticketing system: Digital Janitor (2017)

In a dusty corner of the digital frontier, one figure keeps the wild world of user folders, rogue installs, and mysterious .exe files in check. Digital Janitor channeled Old West vibes to celebrate the sysadmins who bring order to the untamable — no thanks, no glory, just another ticket closed before high noon.

Sysadmin Hall of Fame: Join us July 24 for the big reveal

This year, we’re doing more than saying thank you. We’re shining a spotlight on the legends among you — the people who’ve gone above and beyond to keep systems running and chaos at bay.

Save the date: July 24 at 10:00 a.m. MT
Live webcast
Be there for the first-ever Sysadmin Hall of Fame reveal

We can’t wait to celebrate your brilliance with the recognition it truly deserves.