2800 Rock Creek Pkwy,
Kansas City, MO 64117
https://www.cerner.com
Cerner is a major provider of information technology services to healthcare providers. Their software is used in over 27,500 hospitals and other healthcare facilities around the world (“Cerner,” 2021). They have over 28,000 employees and are headquartered in Kansas City MO.
I’m interested in this company because of their size and their unique challenges with cybersecurity. Healthcare technology is a rapidly growing field and my interests in server administration and networking directly fit with the direction of this company. The more I read about what they do the more I feel they align with my interests.
Questions I would ask:
- What sort of cloud technology is used or is everything in house
- What sort of training & certification opportunities are available
1200 Main St
Kansas City, MO
https://www.evergy.com
Evergy is a major electric utility company in east Kansas and west Missouri, operating 40 power plants and supplying electricity to over 1,000,000 customers (“Reuters,” 2013). They are on the cutting edge of green energy technology and are continually investing in smart grid technology.
I’m interested in this company because not many people think about the cybersecurity and IT side of things. Utility companies are major targets by cybercrime organizations, as well as the demands from new smart grid technology.
Questions I would ask:
- What sort of infrastructure do they run
- What type of training and certifications are available to further my career
One Dell Way Round Rock,
Texas 78682
https://dell.com
When most people think of dell, they think of computer hardware. A lot more than hardware goes into manufacturing computers, as well as other subsidiaries such as VMWare and storage solutions. They have over 165,000 employees and ship computers globally (“Form 10-K | Dell Technologies”, (2020).
I’m interested in dell because of the server administration and networking side required to keep a business of this size functional. Their needs range from keeping their corporate office running to maintaining a website used by tens of thousands of users daily.
Questions I would ask:
- What sort of opportunities for career advancement are available
- What certifications are available to further my career
- What type of lateral movement within the company is available
Cerner. (2021). About Cerner. https://www.cerner.com/ap/en/about
Reuters. (2013). Evergy summary. https://www.reuters.com/companies/EVRG.N
Form 10-K | Dell Technologies. (2020). https://investors.delltechnologies.com/node/10741/html
Hi Benjamin!
I think your company choices are great ones and any would be great to work for. I had never looked at Evergy or Dell before as potential employers, but would consider Evergy if ever needed.
I actually work for Cerner. I have been there for about 7 years. I started out in their KCIT program and got hired full time working as a System Engineer in the CWx org. Cybersecurity is growing everywhere, but is becoming more and more important to Cerner. It seems like in the last few years, the amount of security emails and patching requirements have increased tremendously. But it is very important that healthcare IT take security important, especially with all of the data we have. If you have an interest in that, Cerner would be a great place to work in that field.
I thought your interview questions were good ones. If you are interested in the Cloud, it might be good to ask about how Cerner plans to take their current software and hosting and adapt it for the cloud. CWx is the org that focuses on hosting the client hardware as well as maintaining their software and it has been interesting watching new software be built for the cloud, as well as watch existing software be adapted for the transition.
If you ever wanted to talk about Cerner, I would be more than happy to!
Hello Benjamin! I like your inclusion of Evergy as a potential employer. I think you might want to do some research on their remote monitoring and operating systems. The power grid is huge, and there is a lot of tech involved in keeping it running. Depending on your interests you could probably find positions that would suit you perfectly. There can be opportunity for travel, and some of the specialized fields offer very good pay. I have a background as a lineman and the energy market has been moving to modernize at a amazing pace. They are also good at building maintenance and repair programs to ensure everything stays running, and that offers some job security.