My buddy Phil at TIC introduced me to a new acronym during the Virtual TUG 2025: SME – Subject Matter Expert. I encourage you to watch the event at your leisure (https://www.nuwavetech.com/videosandwebinars) and see what you also can learn.
You might be very familiar with this acronym. Buzz words have never interested me so I’m not aware of most, and have to ask what they mean a lot of the time. I find it interesting that we have an acronym for ‘someone who knows what is what’! It reminds me of the old story you may have heard about how family members cut their roast before cooking because the matriarch always did it that way. They all did the same cut over the years but no one asked why. The punch line is that the matriarch had to cut the roast to fit in the pan she owned. It had nothing to do with how well the roast would cook or taste…
For many decades companies have had a Data Processing department (known by different names over the years such as IT (Information Technology)). This department contained all the computer experts and provided a ‘one stop shop’ for your IT needs. Labels varied greatly, but the head of IT generally organized the department into Systems, Operations, and Software Development. Systems managed the physical hardware and maintained the operating system. Operations ensured that the day-to-day activities running on the computer systems processed correctly, and Software Development created the programs that ran on the systems based on the needs of the business.
Software Development was generally organized into Analyst, Database Administrators, Programmer Analyst, and Programmer. The Analyst, a most senior position, was told the needs of the business from a Project Manager, then worked with others in the company to gather and thoroughly understand all of the requirements. The Analyst would lay out a high-level plan and then work with the Database Administrator and Programmer Analyst to determine what databases and programs were needed. After that, the Programmer would create the needed program(s) to capture, manipulate, or otherwise ‘do the work’.
As time went by, development of inside software solutions turned into purchasing outside solutions. This empowered businesses to the point where instead of running the company ‘inside’ the company, they could now run it completely ‘outside’ in the cloud. The tremendous capability resulted in the downsizing of IT. Costs could be cut, people let go, and things usually worked as intended. But these new situations brought forth the loss of inherent understanding of how things really worked (i.e. the big picture) and could be devastating when things went wrong. The Data Processing department that designed, implemented, and maintained business solutions was no longer there or a shell of its former self.
You might be in that situation where you can only do your little part in the overall business environment. I encourage you to take a bigger look at what your part does and how other pieces fit into it. The SME you take questions to will appreciate someone who is willing and able to become qualified as you progress to a successful business goal together.
The Nonstop Compute community is a friendly group, and more than willing to share knowledge. We also learned from our predecessors! The original ITUG (International Tandem Users Group) focused on preparing the community to utilize the many aspects of fault-tolerant computing. The New to Nonstop You Tube page just launched and looks to be a good source of continual information. Attending local User Groups https://connect-community.org/chapter-events-2026/ will give you an opportunity to understand Partner and HPE products and ask questions either publicly or privately. And the big Nonstop Compute event of the year: Nonstop Business and Technology Conference https://nonstoptbc.com/ held this year in Orlando, September 14-17 will be the place we gather for all opportunities to enhance knowledge!
Seeing the big picture and being able to navigate to the goal is a solid way to get successful results. As business needs change, put yourself in a position to be the SME, and train others to look outside of their small part also. I’m sure there’ll be an acronym for ‘figure out something from nothing’ soon!
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