DEEP DIVE
What are the region-
specific challenges
you encounter in
your role?
Depending where you are,
power and/or connectivity
can be major issues. Some
regions have an abundance
of one and none of the
other. I know of some places
where one can access
200MW of power with little
difficulty, but there is little to
no fibre connectivity.
Conversely, in some high-
density population areas there
is ample connectivity, but it can
be challenging to construct a
new power-generation facility.
That’s an important trade-off to
manage. The availability of green
energy is also an issue in some
regions. Customers are becoming
increasingly concerned about the
environment, sustainability and
reducing their carbon footprint,
so demand for renewable or green
energy is growing within the industry.
What changes to your job
role have you seen in the
last year and how do you see
these developing in the next
12 months?
Over the last year the biggest change
to my job role has been the learning
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
curve that comes with joining the data
centre sector. There have been many
changes within the industry, especially
those surrounding the creation and use
of data. In some cases, we’ve seen new
technologies become more popular, like
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine
Learning (ML). In others, the re-emergence
of those once considered out-dated, like
liquid cooling.
For our customers, the challenges across
many verticals will remain the same during
the next 12 months. Power availability is
key, ensuring resilience of distributed IT is
another, latency and physical security will
also continue to be important, especially
with the advocacy of technologies like 5G.
CUSTOMERS
ARE BECOMING
INCREASINGLY
CONCERNED
ABOUT THE
ENVIRONMENT,
SUSTAINABILITY
AND REDUCING
THEIR CARBON
FOOTPRINT.
How we service our customers may differ
from use case to use case, but I believe
that presents us with an opportunity
to overcome new challenges and
demonstrate significant value to them.
My role will continue to ensure we bring
the right skills in to service their needs.
As the technological demands change, we
may also shift our focus away from spaces
that have seen large areas of industry
discussion, such as colocation, cloud and
hyperscale, towards smaller and more
intimate customers. It’s often in the space
below the biggest names that one finds
key opportunities for growth.
As businesses continue to embrace hybrid
computing environments, those areas will
of course continue to grow and cannot be
neglected, but over the next 12 months
my team will also continue to focus on
identifying new ways to add value to our
customers in many new spaces.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain a
senior position in the industry?
The technology industry is a people
industry, so network as much as
possible. It’s important to get a deep
understanding of any industry and find
out how it works. I’d also recommend
that anyone new coming into it find
the right organisation to support their
ambition, their development and their
career progression. ◊
Issue 08
0
67