Yes, the big day is here: September 16th is National IT Pro Day, a tradition launched by SolarWinds in 2015 to celebrate “the unsung heroes that keep our digital world running smoothly.” To honor these hardworking pros, SolarWinds conducted a survey of notable attitudes among the tribe of IT professionals. The results range from words that make them cringe (no surprise, “blockchain” made the list) to what IT pros wish people understood (your tech issues aren’t the only ones they’re handling).
So let’s take a moment and let the system reboot by itself, and check out what’s on the minds of IT pros in this once-a-year celebration:
Buzzwords on the Chopping Block
Asked which term most makes them want to “chuck a monitor out the window,” IT pros put “AI” firmly at the top, with 30.7% selecting it as the most overused word in tech. To be sure, there are few people who get all warm and fuzzy from the term AI.
“Digital transformation” (15.3%) and “seamless integration” (13.0%) followed. “Blockchain” tallied 8.5%, particularly for use cases that “definitely don’t need blockchain.” Honorable mentions: “agile” and “innovation.” The message is plain: jargon fatigue is real, and teams get tired of all the buzzy vagueness.
The Everyday Crime Scenes of IT
The survey’s tongue-in-cheek “IT crime scene” question surfaced a familiar culprit among events that bother IT pros: user error, cited by 32.5% as the most common root cause.
“Not logging a ticket” landed at 19.9%, and “clicking on suspicious links” at 13.7%—a trio that points to ongoing gaps in basic tech familiarity despite years (decades?) of awareness training. In an era of sophisticated threats, simple human silliness still creates much of the workload.
Phrases That Trigger a Thousand Troubleshoots
Three expressions tied for the top of the list of Most Dreaded Phrases. “I didn’t touch anything!” drew 19.0%, just edging “You’re good with computers, right?” at 18.5% and “The Wi-Fi’s broken” at 18.3%.
Each of these unloved phrases is the prelude to a support call that often ends in a rabbit hole, frequently involving a relative’s device or a home office router from 2012.
What IT Wants Colleagues to Understand
If the poll has a thesis, it’s this: the importance of IT pros often only becomes clear when systems fail.
The leading response to the question, “Which single phrase can send shivers down an IT pro’s spine,” at 30.7%, was “People only notice us when something explodes.” Nearly as many, 28.4%, want peers to remember that IT faces requests from all across the organization: “You’re not the only one.”
And 22.9% would like to retire the sitcom punchline: “Turning it off and on again isn’t magic—it’s science.” Together, the answers indicate something worth repeating: IT professionals balance constant demand with limited appreciation.
Wish List: Budgets, Breathing Room, and a Thank-You
Asked about a dream IT Pro Day gift, respondents cast the most votes (1,421) for “an unlimited IT budget”—a bit of wildly wishful thinking that reflects the yawning gap between rising expectations and constrained resources.
Second place went to something far simpler: “an actual, heartfelt ‘thank you,’” with 1,033 votes. Rounding out the top three (1,002 votes) was “waking up to zero urgent alerts,” which, again, is a poignant piece of wishful thinking.
The Bottom Line
Beyond the humor, the numbers describe a high-pressure role that touches every department, every workflow, and every business access point. The path to fewer “crime scenes” isn’t a mystery: clear ticketing, security awareness that sticks, and budgets aligned with the scale of digital ambition.
But alas, a simple recognition of their service also really matters—it turns out that IT pros are humans, too. One day a year, IT pros get that notice. The rest of the year, the best way to celebrate them is straightforward: file the ticket, skip the buzzwords, and say thanks.
