DEEP DIVE

AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .

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

I ’ m particularly proud of the length of time I have worked in the industry , and of course how over that time I have helped grow Covenco into the company it has become today . I have been with Covenco for 32 years now and have watched the business grow from four people in a serviced office in Windsor , to a multifaceted company with 1,500 customers over four continents .

In terms of projects , the installation of an IBM FlashSystem 5000 storage solution for the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a key highlight for me . The trust was working with a complex SQL environment which is predominantly six corporate SQL clusters each hosting multiple SQL instances and thousands of databases . These run the Trust ’ s critical clinical systems and are required to be available 24 / 7 so a straightforward SQL migration seemed to be out of the question . The goal was to find a route to a new storage platform that didn ’ t require the Trust to reconfigure its legacy SQL environment , as that would potentially entail systems being offline for days at a time and this was unacceptable to the Clinical teams , as it would put patient care at risk .

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

In truth , I found my career in technology through luck . Good luck though . I anticipated working in sales for a year with the view of training as a pilot thereafter . However , I found the industry so fascinating that I never left . I ’ ve always been attracted to problemsolving , and with data centres , you get to problem-solve on a vast scale . There are always new ways to run a data centre and the speed of development is incredible . I love that data centre technology is developing beyond the Edge all the time .

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

I would like to think my style of management philosophy is one of trust and empowerment . I prefer to find and nurture independent thinkers and doers as opposed to micro-managing . A strategic outlook is vital in my opinion . For example , new products , markets

and new platforms into business lines is only possible if firms indulge in strategic planning .

According to numerous global studies , firms that engage in strategic management are likely to be more profitable and successful than those that don ’ t . At Covenco , I feel that it is important for our and our customers ’ businesses to plan and evaluate their priorities carefully in the 21st century to stay in control of the future .

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

Many topics are hot right now , however , I think the green agenda is the hottest from my perspective . As a full life cycle business , we have always put great emphasis on the importance of recycling and reusing . Our refurbished solutions reduce waste , reduce the use of new raw materials , reduce carbon with delivery and in most cases are as efficient from a heating / cooling perspective . Additionally , all of our assets are fully data sanitised through our testing processes and both our suppliers and customers are risk-free and assisting their companies ’ green policies .

I ’ m also very interested in how AI will help to design and develop new data centres , supporting lower costs and increasing performance . Additionally , in various industries , Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) is quickly becoming a key driver of modern-day technologies and the growing need for data centres to store and process this information is a consequence of the success of these AI applications .

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