Meet Jamie Duncan - Our GSS Red Hatter of the Week!

Latest response

This week's featured Red Hatter is TAM Jamie Duncan.

In his own words:

"My name is Jamie Duncan, and I have been a Technical Account Manager at Red Hat for just over a year. Before coming to Red Hat, I worked at several companies of different sizes doing a combination of web development and systems administration. I currently live in Richmond, Virginia, with my awesome wife, Molly, three dogs, four cats, and a small frog named Europa.
 
I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia, in the gorgeous Appalachian Mountains, and was a history major at Radford University (go Highlanders!). As a history major, it quickly became obvious to me that I was more inclined to be a “computer guy who liked history” more than a “history teacher who knew a lot about computers”.
 
Currently, I'm the Team Lead for the Public Sector Strategic Customer Engagement team. That oddly long job title means that I work with Red Hat's larger public sector customers, and help other TAM's and SRM's (Strategic Relationship Managers) work with their customers. It is easily the most interesting job I have had to date, and I enjoy the different problems I solve each day.
 
When I'm not working, I work with my wife on our 1920's bungalow, I sweep the floors to keep up the pet fur, and I manage the Richmond, VA hackerspace. I'm also involved with the Fedora Linux Project as a Fedora Ambassador. Red Hat, Fedora and the hackerspace allow me to use Open Source concepts to build communities, which is something I love. My 1920's bungalow allows me to realize how limited my handyman abilities truly are, which also gives my wife a laugh (or cry, depending on the size of the hole in the wall)."

Responses

Our GSS Red Hatter of the Week Jamie Duncan has taken a moment to share with us some of his thoughts on Open Source and its advantages to the community. Check it out and please share your feedback as well!

Jamie Duncan- "Ah those good old days; two martini lunches, skinny black ties, and software was simply a product to be purchased. If your software didn't work like you wanted, you called up the sales rep who sold it to you and told him what you thought about it. In my mind, all of this is going on on the set of Mad Men, as well.

I'm sure it wasn't usually that fashionable, but the point is there. Software used to be something companies purchased. As more organizations embrace Open Source solutions, that is less the norm and more the exception. Most of the time, companies choose an Open Source solution because it has a lower initial investment cost; the software itself is free.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't come with other conditions. And it's those conditions, when a company decides to embrace them and work with them, that can help revolutionize IT solutions. When a company realizes that they have decided to become a member of a community, instead of a consumer of a product, amazing gains can be made.

When companies choose to contribute back actively to those communities with their own employee's time and talents, the products they use become better faster. They also have more contributions that directly affect the needs of those that contribute.

Even the seemingly small contributions, reporting bugs and providing feedback when it's requested, can go a long way towards making better Open Source products. Enabling employees to do this freely isn't altruistic at all. The products you use are going to improve at an accelerated rate. It's the definition of corporate greed... sorta'.

Is your company embracing Open Source, and using its model to create an advantageous situation within in the community?"

Close

Welcome! Check out the Getting Started with Red Hat page for quick tours and guides for common tasks.