8x8 shines the light on the amazing members of our community. In this post, we spotlight Bryon Dwyer, ITS Operations Supervisor of Christian Brothers Services.

8x8: Bryon, tell us about your organization.

Bryon Dwyer (BD): Christian Brothers Services (CBS) is a nonprofit organization that administers cooperative programs in the areas of health, retirement, property/casualty, technology, school management and consulting services to church organizations. We are based in Romeoville, Illinois, about 30 miles south of Chicago.

8x8: Please describe your role.

BD: As an operations manager, it's my job to make sure everybody's getting what they need. Our team takes care of everything that has a light on, from a calculator, to a printer, to our communications platform. When I joined CBS more than 15 years ago, we had a Fujitsu phone system that no one was managing. I saw an opportunity to step up and learn something new. I started at the bottom. About six months after I started in my role, we transitioned to an Avaya on premises system, which I maintained until we switched to 8x8 in 2019.

8x8: How did you get interested in technology?

BD: I started my career as a machinist, working 14 hours a day on my feet. It was taking a physical toll, so I returned to school to study network communications. The field was exploding at the time; there must have been 80 people in my class. I find the work very interesting.

8x8: What is one piece of advice you would give to others who are just starting out in IT?

BD: Young people often want to know everything immediately. They assume everything can be learned in a classroom or a book. I explain to our interns that when they're in their labs, everything is in a vacuum. It's the perfect scenario and everything works as it should. In real life, you have to push a button without knowing with certainty what it will do, and you have to have the confidence that you can figure it out. It takes working five years to get five years of experience—there are no shortcuts.

8x8: What do you like best about 8x8?

8x8 puts their personal touch into what they do. When we began looking for a new communications provider, we had nine different vendors. Most responded to our RFP with cookie cutter responses. 8x8 took the time to learn about our business and understand our requirements. When the pandemic happened and we sent employees home, our biggest challenge was getting monitors to staff. Had the pandemic happened prior to 8x8, we would have had no way to communicate. With 8x8, it was business as usual.

8x8: What do you do for fun?

I'm a fan of historical fiction. Some of the books I read are Kristen Hannah's The Nightingale and Clint Hill's Mrs. Kennedy and Me.

Hear more from Bryon in the video below.

Want to read another 8x8 Community Member Sportlight? Check out the profile of Cingo Director of Customer Experience, Amye Roberson.