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something I still can ’ t quite get my head around . Connectivity , perhaps the key element for the end user has developed in step and we are now offering speeds of 400Gbps and beyond . Remember tape drives anyone ? It really is a fascinating industry to be involved with .
Are there any major changes that you would like to see in the data centre industry ? As a genuine people person this is closely related to the question on the encouragement of school leavers . For most of us , data centre management wasn ’ t a career choice ( or path ) and the majority fell into the world of data centres as technology grew . Now , I think that we need to consider our industry carefully and start considering the roles we need to meet future demand . Without wanting to sound controversial we seem to pick degree level as a yardstick , almost in the belief that if an individual can obtain a
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One of Ian ’ s biggest pet peeves . Get the spirit level out , this just won ’ t do . |
degree then we can train them to do anything . We need degree level candidates , but not for everything we do . We also need apprentices and analysts . So yes , a major change I ’ d like to see is more young people in our industry and more women too .
Looking back on your career so far , is there anything that you might have done differently ? Quite honestly , a few but not many as they were part of the journey that got me here . However , I do wish I had got into the industry sooner . The good thing is that now I ’ m here I ’ m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon . It ’ s way too much fun . I think the other thing that I would have done is kept up my language skills and perhaps joined the two together . That may have afforded me even more opportunities than I ’ ve currently had but at the end of the day , I ’ m pretty happy about the career I have ( and have had ) until it ’ s time to think about the ‘ what next Ian ?’ Whatever that is , I ’ m certain that it will revolve around the industry in one way or another .
What ’ s the toughest lesson that you have learned in your career ? That some people don ’ t see things the way that you do and are not as enthusiastic or committed to your ideas as you thought they would be . I have had a number of ‘ light bulb ’ moments in my career where I have thought that convincing those with the real power ( and the money ) would be the easiest thing on the planet .
Imagine my shock and horror when that wasn ’ t the case and they didn ’ t share my enthusiasm . That experience has taught me to really think about what I want to communicate and the words I need to use explicit to the audience I ’ m trying to reach . Interestingly ,
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it also kicked off some research into business communications and has opened up opportunities to present my findings to the industry . Another thing I have found that I enjoy doing .
What ’ s your personal pet peeve ? My kitchen being untidy ! Let me explain . Anything that is odd or non-uniform really rubs me up the wrong way . I ’ m quite CDO . Well , it ’ s like OCD but the letters are in alphabetical order the way they should be . It ’ s actually quite incredible that I ’ m in the data centre space given that I do like a sense of order and I constantly have to come my reaction down especially where cabling is concerned .
At home I ’ m terrible . For example , I cannot stand ‘ not straight ’ and will go around the house and put a spirit level on picture frames ! And , whilst I have inevitably conceded ground to my wife , children and grand-daughter , the kitchen is my sanctuary , the place where my ‘ CDOness ’ rules ; much to the merriment of friends who take great delight in rearranging things when I ’ m not there just to watch my head spin !
Can you remember what job you wanted when you were a child ? Vividly . A vet . From the age of about four . I was born in a small mining village in the 60s with lots of open fields and farmland to satisfy my wanderlust and , where I developed a deep love of nature and wildlife . Couple that with a love of documentaries and David Attenborough and it ’ s understandable that I wanted to do something involving animals and a vet was my occupation of choice . That choice was not be and I ended up choosing a different path . A path that has been very interesting to walk the past 50 years and one that continues to fuel my enthusiasm to keep walking !
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18 | September 2017 |