DEEP DIVE

AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .

In this Deep Dive , Dean Boyle , CEO at EkkoSense , highlights the increased pressures faced by data centre teams as they work to deliver against their organisations ’ demanding carbon reduction goals and net zero commitments .

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

It ’ s always exciting to set up and develop new businesses and that ’ s particularly the case with EkkoSense , which we set up some seven years ago with the introduction of our distinctive 3D visualisation and analytics solution for data centres . We ’ re already helping to deliver data centre cooling energy savings of up to 30 % per annum using our software-based optimisation approach . This is great , but there ’ s so much more to do . We estimate that data centre operators are currently overlooking a potential worldwide carbon emissions reduction of over 3.3 million tonnes

CO ₂

-eq . per annum , so we ’ re going to be kept busy !

What first made you think of a career in technology / data centres ?

For me it was probably a 50 / 50 choice . I was only ever really interested in sport and technology , so it wasn ’ t a difficult decision for me to go down the IT route , initially working with mainframes and IBM AS / 400 systems and getting involved in the technical management and delivery of large-scale customer projects . Having this kind of in-depth background has proved useful , as it provides a good understanding of the challenges faced by today ’ s data centre operators .

demonstrated our ability to deliver for customers and it ’ s great that we had the technology and structures already in place to help us achieve this .

What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data centre space ?

There ’ s no doubt that there ’ s increased pressure on organisations to deliver on their carbon reduction and net zero commitments – and data centres are coming under increased focus as they are already established as one of the world ’ s highest collective consumers of energy .

However , delivering on these commitments and maintaining best practice standards is going to prove

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

I ’ ve always tried to focus on removing any barriers that get in the way of people achieving and delivering to the best of their ability . For me that means having a relatively flat structure in place and making sure that we hire the best people – ideally those who are way more qualified and capable than I am !

I also expect to be challenged . I want people to tell me what they really think – that way we can work out the right direction and tactics . And then it ’ s important to trust people to get on with their jobs without too much interference . Having the EkkoSense team working from home during the pandemic clearly

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