Get to know Mark Boyce

I'm a geek -- I've been working in I.T. for all of my career so far, spanning over 15 years, mostly specialising in hardware and desktop Support, but I've also been a developer, system administrator, consultant, network administrator, and everything in between...at least, it feels that way! I genuinely enjoy fixing things and finding ways to make I.T. easier and more accessible for people who aren't used to it. I love cats, I don't get enough Sleep, I have RBF, and I'm happiest when in the middle of taking a broken desktop PC apart and getting it working again. I will also happily drink all the coffee in a 10-mile radius. ಠ_ಠ

To give you an insight on what made Mark our Super Proton of the month, here are a few words from his Coworker Martins

This nomination really goes to Mark as much as the whole Night Shift team. When the sun goes down and the rest go to sleep, they rise from the ashes and save our a**** again! Many do not see them, but their actions speak louder than words! Working in Night Shift may be challenging with continuous tricky requests shattering our Night’s Watch. Don’t worry though, we’re safe. Mark together with the team have consistently proven to be showing great results, just look at our clients’ feedback!

What made you interested in working for Pronto?

The company atmosphere and a chance to try something different. Because most of my background is in I.T. hardware support, branching into web development and support was a new experience and a chance to learn new things. From looking at the company background and how they worked, it seemed like a good place to work - and it really is.

What steps do you take to make sure the clients you work with are always happy?

Treat people the way I'd expect to be treated, and set their expectations accordingly, based on their request. If we expect to be treated like part of our client's team, we should treat them as part of ours as well. It's nice to get good feedback from clients, and we always try our best to make sure we take care of their requests as best we can, often identifying potential problems that the client hadn't noticed or considered.

What's your favorite part about working at Pronto?

My team. We have an amazing night shift support team and we work really well together to help each other, offer advice and solutions to problems, and teach each other new things. The Super Proton award should actually go to everyone on night shift, not just me -- everyone deserves it for their own reasons.

What do you like to do outside of the office?

Sleep! Catching up on sleep when you work at night is more important than most people probably realise. I probably still don't get anywhere near as much as I should, but the work/life balance can be difficult at night. Other than sleep, I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend and trying out Bangkok's many restaurants, as well as keeping up to date with the news and politics of the day and finding new things to photograph.

Tell us 5 fun facts about you. Four of which are true and one of which is a lie.

1. I don't drink alcohol, and I don't eat pork or Thai street food.
2. I have a great book collection which I can't find the time to read.
3. I didn't travel outside of the U.K. until I was 28.
4. I run 5km every day -- my passion in life is exercise, and lots of it.
5. I have a habit of hoarding old computer hardware just in case it's useful in future.