WickedZ is just a fun name I came up with after spending some time in Maine. "Wicked" is a key term from the Northeast meaning good, intense, overwhelming... etc. It doesn't necessarily mean "wicked" as in the Witch of the East... I guess in Maine it would mean whatever you wanted it to, so for my purpose, "wicked" means goodness.

With my nickname being "Z", I thought the two coupled together would make a cool trademark. So there you have the details behind the name.

This used to be a site for a wicked cool IT company named WickedZ, LLC. I founded it in 2000 as a fresh approach to managing systems and networks for small businesses. It was a blast! It was a total success! I do miss it, but in 2003 I had a great opportunity cross my path. I was recruited by StorageTek, a local company for 30+ years. In fact, my father worked there (known as STC back then) and I used to go to work with him on Saturdays and test PCB's on the line when I was 7ish.

Back to today... For me, StorageTek lasted a couple years until Sun Microsystems purchased StorageTek for 4.1 billion dollars in 2005. So here I am 3 years after Sun Microsystems purchased StorageTek and I'm still doing the same thing and learning a lot. I have the best team working for me and we get to cater to the top customers at Sun. In Nov 2008 it will be 3 years that I have been managing my Elite Customer team. What an awesome journey it has been. I have learned and grown a tremendous amount in these 3 years. So here's to another 3 years and a special thanks to all my mentors that inspired, taught, and supported me.

To name a few of the most influential people in my career and life(in no particular order); Chris McIntyre of Davidco.com(GTD), Jeff Evans of MountainVision, Harriet Pea, Steve Wendt, Pat Petroskey, Eula Adams, Durinda Biesman, Dave Nawrocki, Gary Handy, Mary Cay Kosten, Chris Scollo, Vin Machnig, Bruce Halvorson, Cathy Newkirk, Steve Cappelli, Rich Buchman, James Nixon, Geoff Gall, Alan Johns, Dave Kirkpatrick, Nick Marino, Myron Westfall, Paul Zieschang, Russell Pilcher, Pete Neidecker, Charles Johnson, Alfred Williams. Anyway, thank you to all those that have and continue to support me in my career and personal life.

Life is real, people are real; without people, life would be lonely. Say hi to one extra person today... it may go a long way.

Leadership is that twinkle in my eye. I want to be a true leader, not just a manager. As a lifelong learner I believe that I am cut out to be a true leader whose in training for life. I also believe that a true leader is always learning and continually improving their skills. Only when one believes they have become a true leader in their own mind have they failed. In my opinion, the best leaders are always getting better because they make that choice.

Before I lose you, what is this site about? WickedZ of course... It's just my personal site where I can share with others in the world. I enjoy technology and I have a passion for photography. I have no brand preference for either of these topics. Windows, Mac OS, Solaris... they're all just operating systems and they all have a place. In my opinion, one is not better than the other, just different. I use all of them almost everyday. Technology is merely a tool to get more done in today's world. I don't claim to have the best ideas or knowledge about technology, but I do apply what I've learned to real life, real business, real productivity. To build a successful solution one must have a holistic view of the business that the technology is being applied. One may be the smartest geek in the world, but if there is no understanding of the business to combine with the knowledge, then you will likely have a "really cool" solution that doesn't meet the business needs and/or costs way to much to manage.

Photography... I have no idea why it ended up last on this page as it is what I enjoy most in life right after my family. Even better is combining these two. Just picture it, a wonderful family event where love and laughter is shared and cherished all the while being captured as a moment of time in an inspiring and emotion provoking photograph. I can only speak for myself, but a good photograph can inspire me, brings tears to my eyes, make me think differently, remind me, overwhelm me, fill me with joy, provoke sorrow, or just slow me down while I look. Something about capturing that moment inspires me to take my camera everywhere. I'm happy with my work and that's what counts in my opinion. My photography has meaning for me and that's what's important to me. If you browse though my photography section, I hope something catches your eye and provokes an emotion from within. If you have the need for a professional photographer, please visit me at www.aaronzieschang.com

Life will be what we want it to be. Life is full of choices, some not always ours, but it is our response that defines who we are.

Thanks for reading,

Aaron Zieschang