Application Operator Full Time

In the era of digitization, every business relies on the software applications. Applications are the foundation whether the company is a bank, hospital, school or e-commerce companies. However, have you ever thought of the people who guarantee that such applications are operational on a day to day basis?

The aforementioned is not a complicated question, the answer is: “Application Operators.”

A silent, yet effective, agent is the application operator in ensuring the stability of the business systems. It is the operator that monitors, manages and makes it certain that application is consistent since the software is being developed by developers and enjoyed by the users. Without them small problems may expand to giant failures of the system.

In this blog we are going to discuss:

• What an application operator is,

• What their responsibilities are,

• The skills they need,

• How they are valuable in the modern industries,

• The challenges they also face,

• And why business require them more than ever.

Who is an Application Operator?

An application operator is an operator and expert who maintains software applications on a day to day basis. They also keep track of systems, troubleshoot, and maintain so that users are not interfered with in carrying out their chores.

You may consider them as system guardians. Operating an application is like a pilot of an aircraft, just as a person is in charge of an aircraft in the course of the flight, so is an application operator in charge of all the working applications.

They do not necessarily create the app, but they understand how to make it healthy, eliminate mistakes and avoid going offline.

What is Important About Application Operators?

Every business needs applications to breathe.

Consider a scenario where an online banking program cracks in the middle of a transaction or the hospital system goes into freeze during the process of handling patient records. Such failures may result not only in losses in money but also in the life of human beings.

This is the basis why the companies cannot solely depend on developers or support staff. They require experienced application operators that are able to:

• Ensure problems are detected prior to becoming disasters,

• Make systems available on a 24/7 basis,

• Perform at the scale of thousands of users,

• Be on guard by guarding sensitive information all the time.

As one industry expert is quoted saying:
“Technology can run the business but it is the operators who run the technology.”

Key Responsibilities of an Application Operator

The job of an application operator may vary between industries, however, there are a few general duties:

1. Application Monitoring

• Monitoring system performance, servers and database.

• Observing uptime/response-time with the help of monitoring tools.

2. Troubleshooting

• The ability to diagnosis issues in quick time in the event of an application failure.

• Solving bug, crashes, and technical errors.

3. System Maintenance

• Installing patches as well as updating application.

• Security and optimisation of systems.

4. User Support

• Assisting the end-users in the event of technical issues.

• Liaising with IT support.

5. Automation Management

• Working with scripts or programs that automate the work with applications.

• Automated workflows to cut down on the number of manual errors.

6. Documentation

• Documenting incidents, update and change.

• Designing reports management and developers.

Application Operator Skills

An application operator has to possess both technical and soft skills in order to work.

Technical Skills:

• The familiarity with operating systems (Linux, Windows).

• Knowledge of database such as SQL, Oracle, or MongoDB.

• The knowledge of monitoring tools (Nagios, Splunk, Prometheus).

• Low-level programming/scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell).

• The concepts of networking and cloud platform (AWS, Azure, GCP).

Soft Skills:

• Powerful problem solving skill.

• Precision.

• Team work and communication.

• Pressure working.

• Discipline and time management.

Use of Application Operator in Other Industries

There is a demand of Application Operators in nearly all industries:

1. Banking & Finance

   • Make sure that online bank applications and ATM systems are error free.

   • Observing the safety and detecting of the fraud applications of transactions.

2. Healthcare

   • Control hospital information systems.

   • Accommodate telemedicine applications and patient data applications.

3. E-commerce

   • Monitor e-tailing systems and payment systems.

   • Make sure that load times are quick in and off season.

4. Telecommunications

   • Service mobile and internet.

   • Free customer portals and billing applications.

5. Government & Defense

   • Administrate confidential national databases.

   • Protect monitoring applications and services to the people.

Application Operator Challenges

Although the job is fulfilling, quite a number of challenges accompany it:

1. High Responsibility – Applications are used 24/7, and organization operators tend to work shifts.

2. Complex Systems – It can be hectic to manage multi layered systems.

3. Cybersecurity Risks – Operators should also be on the lookout of attacks.

4. Changes in Technology Advances Fast – New equipment and applications demand constant education.

5. Pressure Situations – A couple of lost minutes in downtime can cost millions.

As a certain operator expresses it:
“When nothing goes wrong the trains run and no-one takes a note of us. When it fails, however, we are first ones called by everyone.”

Advantages of Employing Application Operators

To companies, employment of good operators of applications offers:

• Continuous Monitoring Availability – Less down time and more efficiency.

• Enhanced Security – Apps are less vulnerable.

• Cost Saving – Avoids the loss of failures and loss of data.

• Enhanced Customer Experience – Fewer bumps on the road will translate to customer delight.

• Facilitating Developers – Developers work on construction whereas operators work on operations.

Application Operator of the Future

Application operators role is changing with the increasing dominance of cloud computing, AI and DevOps. They are not mere button pushers. They are becoming application reliability engineers, ones who understand how to automate, operate in the cloud, and to improve monitoring.

Moving forward, operators will become more integrated with developers and security teams, and thus will be a critical component of all IT strategies.

Application Operator FAQs

Q1: What does the primary work of an application operator consist of?
A: The primary project that they are engaged in is to build and maintain software applications through monitoring, troubleshooting and maintaining them.

Q2: Are the programming skills required by the application operators?
A: Basic programming or scripting assist but deep code is not necessary always.

Q3: Does this job stress a person?
A: There are often stressful moments during the down time but with good training and tools it is tolerable.

Q4: What industries will have the highest demands of application operators?
A: Government, telecom, e-commerce, finance and healthcare.

Q5: What is your difference between this role and developers?
A: Developers code and operators test to see to it that these applications deliver in real settings.

Q6: Are application operators able to work remotely?
A: Yes, a lot of tasks which are kinds of monitoring and troubleshooting can be provided remotely.

Conclusion

Applications are like electricity in the present world. Business cannot operate without them. However, behind every stable application, is a committed application operator who is constantly being active in providing performance, safety, and reliability.

The IT support is the backbone of the digital realm and we all know who they are but we have never known their names. Be it in banking, health or electronic commerce, application operators guard systems against systems failures and users against frustrations.

Their work will even be essential as technology develops. Investment in operational veterans is synonymous to an investment in stability, security, and sustainable growth to organizations.

Or in other words:
“Prevention is always better than cure, the application operators being the stewards of that gap.”

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