Internship Reflection Paper

First 50 Hours at IP Configure

Working as an Assembler for IP Configure for 50 hours has given me a great amount of knowledge. For some backstory, as an assembler my job consists of building servers for Dollar Tree and Wawa’s. These servers are important because at the heart of IP Configure they are a security camera company. So, in their support room the other employees, who are full time, work on IT tickets to fix the cameras or get any video evidence that the customer asks for. On the back end, they have the assembler room. This is a smaller department where the servers are built to house the cameras in the customers workplace. To go more in depth on the actual servers themselves, the Dollar Tree servers consist of one motherboard, two sticks of ram, a hard drive, network card and one fan on top of the motherboard. This is the assembler portion and only one of the steps. The next step would be racking and imaging the computers, this consists of taking ten servers, putting them on the rack and plugging them in. After the servers are powered on we go into the BIOS of the server and change the factory settings to our preferred settings. Imaging is the adjacent step where we go into Linux and give the server a specified identification number for the customer. At this point the server is almost ready to be shipped out and all that is left is packing them on a pallet, and putting the Fed Ex label on the pallet for shipping. 

For the first 50 hours, this has helped me a lot in learning more in depth information on computer systems. For example, it has given me a foundation on hardware setup, networking basics, and how different components interact with one another. Through assembling these servers, I have learned the critical importance of physical security and secure system configurations. Additionally, the exposure to Linux-based Operating systems and server imaging has provided valuable insight into system hardening. In terms of how I can use this experience to my advantage in cybersecurity, the knowledge I’ve gained about hardware and server setup will be incredibly beneficial for troubleshooting and securing systems in the future. Cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting software, it’s about understanding the entire ecosystem, from the physical components to the network layers. The experience of assembling servers has given me the practical skills to diagnose hardware and network issues. The final thing that has really helped me is working in a professional environment which I’ve never had before. This showed me a whole new perspective on respect and being more mature. 

Ultimately, the first 50 hours have not only helped me develop a stronger technical foundation but also shown me how hardware knowledge can be useful in the world of Information Technology. The next step is to keep working and learn more knowledge about the company as a whole and learn more about my role here as there are still more things to learn in my position.

Second 50 Hours at IP Configure

My second 50 hours at IP Configure have continued to teach me more about the hands on side of working with servers and security systems and a little bit on the professionalism side. Since my first reflection, I’ve gotten much more comfortable with the building process and the software tools we use every day. Working as an assembler has become more than just putting parts together. It has turned into a learning experience where I’m constantly improving my understanding of how hardware and software come together to create secure systems that serve companies like Dollar Tree and Wawa’s. The biggest thing I’ve learned during these hours is how to use Kali Linux for imaging and identification. Each server we build has an order ID number that needs to match a sticker label, and part of my job is finding that order ID within Kali Linux and linking it to the right hardware unit. This step might sound small, but it has helped me better understand how to use Linux and find out the order ID number and get more used to Linux. Any small mistake could lead to a mismatch or a tracking issue down the line, so precision and focus are key. Another important technical area I’ve gained experience in is working within the BIOS. Before these hours, I barely knew what BIOS settings really did. Now, I can go in and adjust multiple settings like fan speeds, hard drive settings, and network options to make sure the servers perform at their best. For example, we always set the fan to maximum power to make sure the servers stay cool and reliable. I’ve also learned how the BIOS ties into system performance and stability, which is something that will definitely help me in future IT or cybersecurity work and I have also used this on my personal computer and made it run better than it was beforehand. These changes we make are not random they’re essential for tailoring each server to fit the needs of the company that will use it. In addition to the assembly and imaging work, I’ve also been introduced to something called “exports.” This is where we clip certain video footage that clients request. The interesting part is that we don’t actually view the footage ourselves. Instead, we use code commands to cut and prepare the footage securely. This has shown me the importance of data privacy and how technical skills can help protect sensitive information while still completing the job. Now I have not done much of “exporting” but I am expected to learn more on it by the next 50 hours and have more experience. I think this is one of the crucial part about the job as it gets into real depth on coding. 

Overall, this second 50-hour period has made me feel much more confident in this workspace and in IT work. I’ve learned to work with BIOS configurations, Linux commands, and system imaging, all while understanding how these fit into a larger security system. The experience has also made me more independent. I can troubleshoot more problems on my own and understand the logic behind each step. I am mainly more excited for the next 50 hours as it will go more in depth on the coding aspect which I enjoy. Also working in a professional environment is nice and I want to continue and go in depth about that in the next reflection we have as it is very crucial.

Third 50 Hours at IP Configure

My third 50 hours at IP Configure have been the most hand on and technical part of my internship so far. During this time, I have now moved deeper into the exporting side of this job, which has become that main portion of what I do everyday. These hours have helped me get much more comfortable with Kali Linux and taught me how to handle video footage in a secure way without ever seeing the footage myself. At the same time, I have felt more settled into the job and the professionalism of the workplace as my past jobs have been part-time at a car wash and other retail stores. One of the biggest things I have learnt was exporting and using Kali Linux. The first step is something called enqueueing. This is where I will receive a ticket that contains the date, time, customer claim number and the company of the footage I need to clip. Since we are not allowed to view any video ourselves because of company policy, everything is done strictly through Kali Linux. Once I have the ticket details, I go into Linux and use commands to clip the exact section of footage the customer needs. After I clip it, I then go into exporting it. The export process is different because I am not extracting the file and putting it back in the ticketing system. At first, it was overwhelming as you do have to be exact and certain with the whole process, but now I am comfortable with it and can do it with ease. Doing it over and over again has made me more comfortable with command lines, file paths, and directories. In the first journal I have talked about assembling servers and building them for companies. I still do that from time to time and learn new things as last time I had built one, it was a server for AI systems. Since this was a new server I was taught on how to build that specific one. Now over the last 150 hours I am fully comfortable with every aspect of the job whether it’s racking and imaging, assembling servers, or exporting. I can do all parts without any help now.

The last 50 hours have also helped me grow a lot when it comes to professionalism. As said before I have mainly worked with retail jobs, which still has professionalism tied to it but this is in more of a quiet work environment. Also the use of Linux was a big strength I have learned. I have taken a class before on Linux but using it in the workspace I have learned certain things I have not before. That is certain command lines or how to navigate through directories. I have also understood how to be more organized while working through multiple tickets at once and keeping track of them. It shows me how to be more focused and detail oriented during the various tasks.

Overall, this third 50 hour period has helped me feel more comfortable on the job and has taught me a lot on how to work in a professional environment. I am confident in my technical skills and excited as now I still have the internship there and it is indefinite as my job is needed. The hopes are once I graduate I will move up in the position I am at now and work full time. The next position up is support, that will include getting calls from customers and helping them fix anything that is wrong with the servers that I or my colleagues have built. The future hopes are high and I can not wait for them.