Santhosh Sivarajan

Change can be difficult, especially when technology is involved.  

But University of Houston-Victoria graduate student Santhosh Sivarajan is doing his part to ease one upcoming transition: the move from one Microsoft server to the next.  

Sivarajan, who is pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems at UHV, recently published his first book, �Migrating from 2008 and 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2012.� The book comes with walk-through instructions, troubleshooting tips, system tricks and more.  

�It gives you an idea of how you can move from an old system into later technology,� he explained. �I wanted to demonstrate how to make the change easier.�  

For the tech-savvy Sivarajan, it�s more than a guide book; it�s a major accomplishment. Sivarajan has written many articles for Microsoft, but writing a whole book seemed a little far-fetched at first.  

�I don�t know how to express how excited I was,� he said. �This was my dream from the beginning. It�s hard to believe that it has happened.�  

Sivarajan, a Houston resident, said he�s maintained a love of the digital world for as long as he could remember. And his interests morphed as the technology did.  

While he began studying components � learning about small electronic devices � he later transitioned to computer science, where he remains firmly entrenched today.  

�Initially, electronics was the boom, but it changed to computer science,� he said. �Just like me. I followed that same path.�  

Sivarajan was born and raised in India, and later spent about five years in Kuwait. It was the available job opportunities that led him to relocate stateside in 2001.  

�I worked as a civilian contractor with the U.S. Army in Kuwait, but got a job with Lucent Technologies in Austin,� he said. �I�ve been in the U.S. ever since.�  

Sivarajan balances a full-time graduate school course load with full-time work as a Microsoft partner. He still managed to find time to write a book, calling the task �a labor of life.�  

Sivarajan said he enjoys what he�s doing and looks forward to continuing down his chosen path. One change lies in the immediate future, however: his book hits stores this month. Of course change doesn�t intimidate Sivarajan.  

�You have to change. Keep up with things,� he said. �Otherwise you�ll be out of this market.�

 I am a Jaguar is an online feature highlighting the exceptional students who attend the University of Houston-Victoria. To nominate a student, contact Paula Cobler, UHV interim director of marketing and communications, or call 361-570-4350.