Name: Tom
Age: 27
Occupation: IT Guy
Hobbies: Blogging, Snowboarding, Films

Tom's keen interest in IT was confirmed when, at the age of 6¾, he devised a computer programme to automate the feeding of his pet gerbils Scott and Charlene*. Later, having attained a second class honours degree in Computer Science and Business Management from Ipswich Polytechnic, Ted embarked on a promising career in IT operations.

Tom is always looking for opportunities to push mundane day-to-day tasks to one side and concentrate his time and effort on exciting new applications, services and infrastructures. Though hard-working, dedicated and well-intentioned, Tom likes to finish work on time in order to get on with the rest of his life. Tom also likes to come in under budget on projects (even though Ted insists that this is a sure fire way of getting an even smaller budget next year).

Tom's work philosophy is summed up by the motto: "When the going gets tough, try and make it get easier."

(*Sadly, both Charlene and Scott died of starvation soon after)

Name: Ted
Age: 52
Occupation: Senior IT Guy
Hobbies: Horse Racing, Phil Collins, Sudoku

Ted did a stint as a flight engineer in the armed forces before a bad dose of gout pensioned him off to a desk job in facilities management at RAF Tuckhampsted. Owing largely to his capacity to avoid being electrocuted, here began a reluctant and festering specialism in IT, initially based upon keeping the comms room up and running together with the growing estate of thin client terminals.

Ted is good at fixing things but, as his music collection bears out, he is neither a creative nor a progressive thinker. Ted likes things the way they are (or at least, how they used to be).

Ted's philosophy on IT management can be summed up with the motto: "If it ain't broke, then how else I am supposed to substantiate my job?"