DEEP DIVE
WE ‘DEEP DIVE’ WITH IAN JANSEN VAN RENSBURG,
LEAD TECHNOLOGIST, VMWARE SSA, WHO TELLS
US ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE.
VMware is a software technology provider
that works to solve IT challenges through
disruptive technologies in order to drive
innovation. We hear from Ian Jansen
van Rensburg who discusses his
career in the data centre industry
and how he likes to relax and unwind
outside the office.
What would you describe
as your most memorable
achievement in the data
centre industry?
My name is Ian Jansen van Rensburg
and I’m the Chief Technologist at
VMware Sub Saharan Africa. I’m
responsible for building revenue
and representing the VMware
technology for 36 countries in
Africa. There is a great, intelligent
and innovative team of people
working for VMware SSA. My
most memorable achievement in
the industry is when I consulted
with several large financial
institutions to implement compute
virtualisation back in 2007.
We were at the start of a new
software-defined era and saved
companies millions. We also
helped to lower the carbon
footprint by reducing power
consumption and cooling in
data centres.
What first made you
think of a career in
technology/data
centres?
My career started with
an interest in electrical
engineering that led to IT.
My very first ‘touch’ with IT
was building a token ring network
that made use of Windows 3.11 as the
software component.
In my current position as Chief
Technologist and Senior Solutions
Engineering Manager, it is crucial to listen
to your staff and create a safe and open
environment that they can thrive in.
What do you think is the current
hot talking point within the data
centre space?
The current talking points in the
technology space are Edge
Computing, 5G, multi-hybrid cloud,
Artificial Intelligence and Machine
Learning. Customers are already
deploying, investigating or planning to
deploy these technologies. A softwaredefined
approach is a must and will
form the foundation for the tech world
moving forward.
How do you deal with stress
and unwind outside the office?
Sport, such as golf and pool, is a good
way to take your mind off things, but I
love spending time with my family and
my French Bulldog, Maurice.
What do you currently
identify as the major
areas of investment in
your industry?
At VMware, we find that
customers are currently
investing time and money in
cloud strategies, security and
the development and running
of modern applications. Modern
business will run on modern
applications. Some of our
customers are planning to make
use of a single cloud provider
– they want to run their entire
business within this single cloud
provider. This is like saying, ‘I will
go with x hardware vendor and stay
there for the foreseeable future’.
The customers that have a multicloud
strategy and aren’t committing
their entire business to a single cloud
provider are the ones that will have
more choice, better financial options
and the ability to move back to their
private data centre if needed. At the
end of the day, it is all about agility, time
to market and cost.
66 Issue 19
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