DEEP DIVE

AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .

In this Deep Dive , Ihab Farhoud , Director , Solutions Engineering – VMware Middle East , Turkey and North Africa , talks about data centres and his view on the sector .

What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data centre industry ?

Throughout my management career I have been tasked to either build or expand technical teams , or change the way the teams work , and this is always something I have managed to achieve .

More importantly , one of the most important achievements to me in this industry is embracing diversity and inclusion within my teams , whether within this role or previous roles . While there is still a lot of work to do , I ’ m proud to have played a role in increasing the gender diversity in my current technical team .

What first made you think of a career in technology ?

Since I was at school I have always been fond of science and technology . I always believed that technology would change the world , improve life for humans and save lives , so I have always viewed technology as the future – and I knew that I had to embrace the future and be part of it . When I went to university , I studied computer science , focusing on all aspects of the subject , from software to hardware and computer networks .

From these early days in the mid-1980s , I ’ ve seen the data centre industry evolve from the small server room into the cloud . I have always been fascinated with the IT services that are provided from that room , and how to expand and improve it , and offer more services . Seeing the potential in the data centre industry also made me continue in that direction within the IT industry , in the specific vertical of data centre and cloud .

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?

I like to hire smart and ambitious people with good character and the ability to learn . Of course , having the relevant technical background and experience is important . But fitting in within the

company ’ s culture is even more important . That is why I always look for people with the right character who will fit within the team .

What do you see as the current hot talking points in the industry ?

At present , everybody is talking about Digital Transformation , and how are we going to change things post-pandemic or during the pandemic . The pandemic really did change perceptions around Digital Transformation and acted as a catalyst . Everybody started to accelerate their Digital Transformation journeys . Most people who did this started from the data centre , from the core of their IT business .

There are other hot topics too – data centre modernisation , application modernisation , and cloud – where we ’ re talking about public clouds , Softwareas-a-Service , Infrastructure-as-a-Service , or Platform-as-a-Service .

Of course , cybersecurity has always been a hot topic and always runs in parallel to anything .

How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office ?

I handle stress by doing activities that give me a change of scene and a break from the world of IT . I like to get exercise , usually by taking long walks , and I also listen to music and read a lot – usually books about business and leadership . I also like to get some retail therapy at the mall on weekends .

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