About

I’m Devin L. Ganger. I am a father, husband, reader, writer, Xbox gamer, college dropout, karate student, music lover, seeker of balance, reveler in life, and follower of the uplifting. I got into computers as a child and my interest in networking came out of my involvement with the dial-up BBS community during the late ’80s and early ’90s. (FidoNet represent!)

Pieces of Me

By day, I am a messaging architect and technical writer with over 15 years of experience in administering messaging systems, Windows, UNIX, and TCP/IP networks. Today I work primarily with Exchange Server, Windows Active Directory, and related Microsoft and third-party technologies. I have been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for Exchange Server for the last four years; in 2009 I earned the Microsoft Certified Master Exchange 2007 and I am working on upgrading to the 2010 certification. I am one of a handful of people in the world with both the MVP award and the MCM certification, which is due less to planning on my part and more the result of being around and learning from top-quality people who are passionate about what they do.

I am a frequent speaker at industry conferences, an active blogger, and the author of several magazine and newsletter articles. I have co-written and contributed chapters to a number of technical books and a variety of white papers. My goal is to continue to develop my expertise in Exchange by helping solve real problems in real messaging systems, while staying engaged with learning new technologies and sharing what I learn with the greater Exchange community. I see IT work as a calling to help people solve problems and empower them to better lives. I still get that first-time touch of glee every time I get a new system connected to a network, or sending and receiving its first messages.

In my spare time, I have a variety of pursuits:

• I play games. After falling out of the computer gaming habit not too long after getting married, the Xbox and Xbox 360 pulled me back. I enjoy a mix of first-person shooters and role-playing games in many genres.
• I do karate. In July 2008, I became a student at the Monroe YMCA dojo of Northwest Budokan, learning Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Matsumura Seito Karate and Kobudo. I am currently 4th kyu (green belt) and have begun helping teach children’s classes. That avatar you see in the background? That’s my Xbox Live avatar. I apologize that he’s wearing a black belt; they didn’t make the color customizable. I will just have to make it up by earning it.
• I write fiction. I’m working on a variety of story and novel ideas. I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I was five. My current plan of record is to eventually retire from IT, write best-selling speculative fiction novels, and rule an uninhabited Pacific island with an iron fist.

Thanks for stopping by my Web site and blog. I hope you find something here that makes you laugh, makes you feel better, and challenges your understanding of the limits of possibility.