DEEP DIVE
WE ‘ DEEP DIVE ’ WITH MICHAEL WELTS , CMO , WASABI TECHNOLOGIES , WHO TELLS US ABOUT LIFE
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .
Wasabi Technologies is a hot cloud storage company that delivers reliable and efficient cloud storage solutions . Michael Welts , CMO , Wasabi Technologies , tells Intelligent Data Centres what first made him consider a career in technology and how he unwinds outside the office .
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data centre industry ?
I ’ ve been doing this for 30 years so there ’ s been many . I would say the two that stand out most are way back in 1990 when I introduced the 10BASE-T standard for the industry at Cabletron Systems . That standard revolutionised data centre architectures and really unlocked Local Area Networking ( LANs ) for the masses , enabling widespread adoption of enterprise computing . The other is what we ’ re currently doing at Wasabi with hot cloud storage . We ’ ve reinvented cloud storage and made it simple to use , predictable in cost and a reliable extension of traditional data centre architecture designs .
What first made you think of a career in technology / data centres ?
In a word , ‘ innovation ’. I ’ m passionate about disruptive change and constantly moving things forward . When I entered into tech , we were just rolling our PCs and you could see how they would transform businesses , consumer behaviour and so much more . Then along came the Internet followed by the web , wireless , cellular , etc . Moore ’ s Law provides for constant innovation that enables the betterment of everything we do in life . And the hits keep on coming .
WE ’ RE IN A GREAT SPOT TO BECOME THE NEXT LARGE CLOUD SERVICES COMPANY AND WE ’ RE ON A MISSION TO STORE THE WORLD ’ S DATA .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
I challenge myself and my team to always be thinking six to 12 months ahead of the market . What is the agenda we want to set in the industry ? How will it change the world as we know it ? How do we make it become a reality ? How can we continue to innovate on that agenda so that we lead the market , instead of follow ?
What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data centre space ?
Data explosion and cost optimisation . Data has become the lifeblood of every organisation . That is why there are more career opportunities for data scientists than any other IT role out there . At the same time , the cost of storing all that data has become overwhelming as data doubles every two years .
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