Intelligent Data Centres Issue 08 | Page 67

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