Samuel Athanassov
IT Solutions Consultant
Hi, I’m Sam and I am proud to be a member of the TechSystems team as an IT Consultant.
I have been involved with TechSystems since its inception in 2004, but my interest in computers and the technical aspects of them dates back to the late 1990s when I built my first computer, a Pentium 486, with Nick. I found myself being involved in “tech support” in almost all of my jobs in High School: from the Clinton Public Library all the way to a Computer Technician with PC Warehouse in the early 2000’s. I joined the Mississippi Army National Guard in December 2001 after the 9/11/2001 Terrorist Attacks and served for over 20 years, ten of which were on Active Duty and deployments in support of the Global War on Terror (GWOT). I had the privilege of helping Nick start and build up TechSystems in between assignments.
I retired from the military on 01 April 2022 as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) in the Signal (Information Technology) field. My military training, assignments, and deployments provided me with experience in a vast spectrum of Information Technology (IT) systems, operations, and domains. My responsibilities ranged from small office support to managing networks for entire military bases, and the whole Area of Operations spanning multiple countries. These experiences gave me the unique ability to provide scalable IT Support across multiple IT domains (networks, physical infrastructure, systems administration, and Cyber security, to name a few). As a result, TechSystems is able to provide consistent and reliable full-spectrum IT support to any sized organization, regardless of the geographical footprints of our customers.
I am very excited to see how TechSystems is growing, the exceptional services we are able to provide for our customers, and the opportunity to help our customers be more productive and successful by removing the worry of IT support from their shoulders.
What industry certifications do you hold?
- I’m most proud of my Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, but I also hold and have held various certifications to include, but not limited to: Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), ITIL Foundations v3.
What are your hobbies and interests?
- I love overlanding with my wife and daughter in our Jeeps, rock crawling and offroading our Jeeps, kayak fishing, hunting, blacksmithing and welding.
What countries have you visited?
- My most memorable countries I visited: Syria (deployment), Jordan (deployment), Niger (deployment), and Switzerland.
- Countries I’ve lived in: USA, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Kuwait, Niger.
- Countries and territories I’ve visited: Romania, Hungary, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Puerto Rico, St. Croix - US Virgin Islands.
Is there any experience you think everyone should have?
- Travel to another country and experience the local culture. Don’t stick to the main tourist stops, try to immerse yourself in the local culture.