Ronald Kister: Why Work in IT?

Ronald Kister is an IT specialist who lives and works in Mount Sinai, New York, with his family. He maintains an excellent reputation in his field and has nearly two decades of experience.

“I attended Oswego State to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Technology Education,” said Ronald Kister. “I always enjoyed technology classes in high school and decided that I wanted to become a teacher and teach those courses. At the time, this was the only college in NYS that you could attend to get your certification. I landed a job with Harborfields School District immediately after graduating.”

If you’re considering a similar career in IT, perks like these might be the winning factor for your decision:

Click here to read about benefits of working in IT.

Ronald Kister: Tips for Lifeguarding Beginners

IT Consultant Ronald Kister has been an asset to the IT community for over 15 years, not only as the current client-focused IT Specialist and Owner of RKJ Consulting, but also as a former Technology Teacher and IT professional for the Harborfields Central School District. Kister’s IT expertise and experience is extensive, and has benefitted numerous organizations, professionals and students throughout the course of his career.

However, Ronald Kister is not just a longtime IT professional; he is also an experienced and accomplished lifeguard, someone that has dedicated himself to the position of Lifeguard Captain for nearly 20 years. As such, Kister understands how important it is to stay alert, to be ever-vigilant and to keep an ever-watchful eye on everything and everyone within his purview.

Basic tips for lifeguarding beginners include:

Establishing a Zone. It’s important to know the perimeter and the parameters of the zone you are to survey before beginning your shift.

Knowing How and Where to Scan. There are two basic types of scanning: Side-to-Side and Top-to-Bottom. Side-to-Side includes surveillance of your zone from the rightmost point to the leftmost point and back, while Top-to-Bottom includes close scrutiny of everything from the skyline on down.

Learning the Signals. When working as part of a lifeguarding team, it’s crucial to be able to communicate over long distances. Establishing and using various signals to indicate safety, danger and so on helps establish a cooperate and more effective lifeguarding environment.

Ronald Kister was a Lifeguard Captain from 1994 to 2013. 

Ronald Kister: What’s Entailed in Successful Project Management

Ronald Kister knows the complexities, and the challenges, often involved in project management, having provided oversight and leadership of numerous team-oriented projects throughout his professional career. The former Levittown Public Schools Director of Technology and Library Media Services, Kister is well-versed in not only defining project goals and setting team expectations, but also in preparing those involved with the information and tools needed to see a complex project through to successful completion.

As Ronald Kister knows, every project, regardless of the size or scope, entails a certain number of phases. Each step, when followed and executed correctly, provides the platform needed for moving forward and onto the next.

Conception

Each project begins with its conception, as well as the analysis needed to determine its benefits/cost to the organization and the time it will take to reach completion.

Outline and Planning

Next comes the outline and definition phase, where the plan is constructed, a budget is calculated, a schedule outlined and resources determined.

Initiation and Execution

At this point in the project, tasks and resources are assigned accordingly. Responsibilities are defined and team members begin execution of the project.

Quality Control and Performance Evaluation

Those responsible for management of the project must work to ensure it is in concert with the schedule and budget. In other words, project managers must compare and contrast the progress of the project with the initial plan, and to make adjustments whenever necessary.

Close and Evaluation

The final phase of any project is its completion, followed shortly thereafter with an evaluation to determine its ultimate success, efficiency, etc.

Ronald Kister: The Value of Having the Right Tech Support

Businesses that rely on information technology (IT) in their normal operations know the importance of having the right tech support. Ronald Kister, an independent computer consultant, understands this role perfectly, having been called upon on numerous occasions in his career to help individuals and businesses.

"I am working with large and small businesses, law firms, schools and homeowners in addressing their computer needs," he says.

While large enterprises may have the capacity and resources for in-house tech support departments, it’s important for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to identify a reliable partner that can provide these services. For many such firms, the tendency is to outsource this work to specialty companies or independent consultants such as Ronald Kister to handle all IT-related issues.

Reliable providers

One key aspect of having tech support service is identifying a service provider who can be relied upon at all times. Whether this is through 24-hour support, remote services, or on-site arrangements, the service provider should handle all arising issues promptly. Providers who can meet this requirement ensure the company doesn’t suffer losses due to downtime, system issues or hardware failure.

Also read: Ronald Kister: Project Leadership Qualities You Should Embody

Customer experience

While it's considered normal to seek assistance for anything you're unfamiliar with, it can be frustrating and annoying for both technical support staff and consumers to fix similar issues on a daily basis. This is why keeping the customer happy through good service is an important part of tech support. There's always a significant risk of losing customers if you treat them poorly. The ability to provide excellent support can be a consultant's or firm's selling point, and a big reason people choose one provider over others.

As Ronald Kister knows, having good technical support not only helps the consumer but also shows the vendors' desire to take care of its customers and ensure smooth business flow.

Recommended to read: Ronald Kister — Effective Management Skills You Need to Know

Ronald Kister: Experienced IT Professional

Ronald Kister is an experienced IT professional with more than fifteen years of experience. 

He has eight years of managing IT departments and budgets, and is experienced in leading project teams and addressing compliance initiatives. In 2013, Ronald Kister started his own IT consulting firm, RKJ Consulting. 

Ronald Kister: New York Native

Ronald Kister was born in Sayville, New York in 1975. After graduating from high school, he remained in the area, enrolling at the State University of New York at Oswego, where he received his Bachelor’s in Technology Education. Ronald Kister now lives in Mount Sinai, New York where he runs an IT Consulting firm, RKJ Consulting. 

Ronald Kister Suggest Top Ways to Control Project Budgets

The top priority of project managers is to ensure the overall success of a project. When a project goes over the budget, even if it is delivered on time and meets the needs of the end user, it is not considered a success. 

Ronald Kister, as an IT consultant, knows how important it is to remain within the project budget for every client he works with. Managing a project budget can be difficult, but with these four strategies, you can maintain control of your project budget.

1.       You need to continually forecast the budget to prevent it from getting too far out of control. It is much easier to correct a budget that is over by ten percent than it is to correct one that is over by fifty percent.

2.       Just like continually revisiting the budget in order to keep on track, you need to do the same for the usage of your resources. You should constantly be reviewing the number of people working on the project and any that you may need in the future.

3.       Always keep your team informed of the budget forecast. By keeping your team informed you are empowering them to take ownership of the project and be more inclined to keep watch on their project charges.

4.       Unplanned work is one of the leading causes of a project to go over its budget. Create change orders for work that isn’t listed in the initial requirements of the project to allow for additional funding to cover the costs.

Project managers who carefully watch their budgets throughout the project will experience greater success. Ronald Kister has been successfully managing project budgets for more than ten years as an Information Technology Director and IT consultant.