I Love Data Centers

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: Founder & Editor of DataCenterKnowledge.com and DataCenterFrontier.com, I interview the one and only Rich Miller.

If you’re in the data center industry, you’ve likely come across www.datacenterknowledge.com or www.datacenterfrontier.com. If you haven’t, well, you should go check both sites out ASAP and bookmark them! I have wanted to connect and talk shop with Rich for nearly a decade. Although we’ve talked a few times over the past few months about how we can partner together on the content side of our respective organizations, our conversation in this podcast covered new ground for me.

Rich gives us insight into how he started as a journalist and the journey he has taken building both datacenterknowledge.com and datacenterfrontier.com while becoming one of the most well-known and respected authorities in the data center and cloud marketplace industries. Also enclosed is an enlightening conversation about the impact of alternative energy and crypto-mining operations within the data center industry.

Show Notes:

1:12 Episode starts

2:06 Rich’s background in technology

8:55 What pushed Rich to be the entrepreneur he is today

13:15 The launch of Data Center Knowledge

15:25 How he acquired initial advertisers

23:18 How have you seen the market evolve over the past decade?

31:15 How will cryptocurrency and renewables affect the data center industry

35:32 Why a typical colocation facility would not be an ideal location for a crypto-miner

40:06 Why are crypto-mining operations being deployed in regions where power is expensive?

45:39 How have you seen the conversation around renewable energy evolve and what will it look like in the future?

54:28 Is the data center industry really the largest consumer of commercial energy?

57:37 How realistic is retrofitting generators in data centers to put them back on the power grid

1:07:00 Moving from Data Center Knowledge to Data Center Frontier

1:18:11 The future of Data Center Frontier

1:20:41 Do you have any thoughts, practices, etc. that people would find crazy?

1:22:16 What is something that you have learned over the past few months that has blown your mind?

1:27:51 What advice would you give to technology focused journalist coming into the industry today?

1:31:02 Advice for professions looking to migrate from the telecommunications industry into the data center industry?

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: Strategic Foresight and The Cyber Attack Survival Manual, I interview author and bona fide futurist Heather Vescent.

Heather and I met nearly a decade ago at a VC event in Los Angeles. Our mutual passion for innovation, technology, strategic thinking, design and education has kept us connected over the years through various projects. She is the only person I know to have received a Masters in Strategic Foresight, such that she can call herself a Futurist and have the credentials to back it up.

Recently, Heather co-authored "The Cyber Attack Survival Manual: Tools for Surviving Everything from Identity Theft to the Digital Apocalypse". The book became my top recommendation and gifted book the moment I finished it. It is a must read for both complete noobs to all things Cyber Security and advanced hackers. I could sing Heather’s praises for days, but in short, she is a badass and her energy is contagious.

Heather Vescent is founder of The Purple Tornado, a transmedia futures studio, whose clients include US & UK governments, SWIFT, Disney, mid-size companies and start-ups. Her research explores trends in the future of cybersecurity, digital identity, money, economies, augmented intelligence, relationships, and war. It been covered in the New York Times, CNN, American Banker, CNBC, Fox, and the Atlantic. She is an author of the Cyber Attack Survival Manual: From Identity Theft to The Digital Apocalypse, published by Weldon Owen.

Show Notes:

1:12 Interview Starts

3:00 Heather’s background

5:57 What is a Futurist?

14:31 How Heather became a Futurist

15:24 The Future of Money project

25:08 How data may be stored in the future

27:35 Future technological possibilities

37:26 Going to Mars

43:59 The Cyber Attack Survival Manual

57:48 What is the cyber term “Pineapple” and how are they used?

1:04:51 The importance of internet and cyber education

1:12:12 When was the first time you remember stepping into a data center?

1:14:45 What is the biggest misconception people have about what you do or the industry at large?

1:15:04 What is one thing that you believe is true that most people would think you are insane for believing?

1:16:00 What is the most interesting thing that you have learned in the past few months?

Links:

Cyber Attack Survival Manual: amzn.to/2i2Jz5K

Future of Cybersecurity List: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/325779/

http://www.heathervescent.com/

https://twitter.com/heathervescent

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathervescent/

Becoming an independent IT consultant and navigating the indirect sales channel ecosystem can appear daunting. It appears daunting, because it is daunting. For those starting agencies on their own, this is no different than starting any entrepreneurial venture. For those catering to these independent consultants, this is no different than having to lead and manage a pack of hungry wolves in the wild.

Those brave souls who have been successful on both sides of the equation, are few and far between. Those who have been successful and not had to compromise their integrity and character along the way, are even harder to find.

I am blessed to have met one such brave fellow, Rob Butler, early on in my own journey. His friendship, wisdom and encouragement over the years are part of what helped me persevere during the numerous occasions I questioned why I ever put myself and my family through the difficulties of bootstrapping a company.

Our conversation dives headlong into the indirect channel ecosystem and the journey we, and most agents, have taken. Rob's experience is unique and insightful, as he worked for a few different IT service providers AND one of the now established Master Agents/Distributors in the industry prior to becoming a full time independent agent himself.

Some knowledge, experience and harsh Truths are dropped here that all those working in, or considering working in, "the channel" need to hear. If you're not afraid to hear a very raw conversation about what motivates agents, service providers, buyers and distributors, this podcast will be well worth your time, guaranteed.

Show Notes:

1:12 Interview starts

2:00 Where are you right now?

3:21 How did you get involved in tech?

5:10 How did you migrate into the network industry?

8:21 Prior to college, did you have a gaming console?

9:17 How Rob started working for Telarus

10:29 What is Telarus?

12:45 In the early days, who were some other master agents?

13:59 What was unique about Telarus’ business model at the time?

17:37 How was it funded at that time?

21:00 What are the traits that you think made you successful?

27:24 Do you think that if you had a safety net in the beginning you would still be as successful now?

29:39 What do you wish you had done differently starting out?

32:29 What other things would you have done differently?

34:14 What advice would you give someone just starting out?

39:05 A mile wide and an inch deep vs an inch wide and a mile deep

42:53 The case for why a diversified master agency portfolio makes sense

50:02 Why an independent company wouldn’t want to go directly to the service providers themselves

1:06:56 The importance of bringing in a consultant and master agency

1:10:11 The problem with new channel programs

1:17:36 What is CompTIA?

1:22:20 How can you become involved with CompTIA?

1:25:01 What was the best advice you received when you first got started in your career?

1:27:14 What was the first data center you remember walking into?

1:31:29 How to get in contact with Rob

Rob’s phone number

(512)-322- 9664

The interview I did with Gil Santaliz in Episode 18 got my wheels turning on the topic of fiber optics and I wanted to learn more. It just so happens that one of my friends right here in my backyard, Kevin Miller, runs a firm that specializes in designing and manufacturing customized optical fiber platforms for network simulation testing, latency, and training applications. Hence, this episode was born!

Kevin and his father have collectively spent over 50 years playing with optical fiber and the related systems and industries this fiber is deployed within. The details we discuss about the technology itself and the industries M2 Optics supports is fascinating and educational in and of itself. Even more fascinating to me, however, was the conversation we had about how he and his dad have managed to bootstrap the business into the success it is today, all while maintaining a productive and caring personal relationship with one another.

Session Notes:

1:12 Episode starts

2:22 Where are you from and how did you get into tech?

5:33 What exactly does M2 Optics do and where do you do it?

10:18 Who competes in your market?

11:23 What is a strand of fiber?

15:10 Types of fiber explained

18:07 Limitation for how much information can push through fiber

22:02 Transceivers explained

23:18 What is the process for fusing broken fiber back together?

25:34 What causes data loss after fusing fiber back together?

26:54 How often does fiber get cut and require someone to go out and fix it?

29:55 How do you detect where a problem along a fiber strand is and how was it done prior to modern technology?

32:59 What experiences or data sets you came across that blew your mind?

34:35 Where do you see the optical fiber marketplace going?

41:48 What is the difference between submarine cable fiber and terrestrial fiber?

43:36 Over time, does fiber degrade even if it is not broken and fused back together?

45:25 How Kevin’s dad got started in the optical fiber industry

46:28 Are there any lessons your dad has taught you over the years?

49:49 If you could go back to 2001, what advice would you give yourself?

52:33 How are you and your dad able to successfully work together?

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: An Introduction to Telecom Expense Management (TEM). 

 

This is a data center podcast, so you may ask "why TEM?" Well, the reality is over One Trillions dollars is spent annually by companies on the networks that carry voice and data. As such, due to the complexity, criticality and size of these networks there is BIG business to be made helping companies right size and optimize said networks. Also, guess where nearly all of these networks start, end or at some point traverse through? You guessed it, The Data Center!

 

Wanting to get as deep and wide a perspective as possible on this introduction to Telecom Expense Mangement, I brought in Chris Corr and Scott Nason, two managing partners in the firm Cost Wellness that works almost exclusively within the TEM and network optimization space. Collectively they operate with over 35 years experience working in the TEM industry and currently manage over One Billion dollars in network spend for various clients, including some significant players within the Healthcare and Banking verticals. If your goal is to become conversant in TEM, I can guarantee you will want to listen in on our conversation!

Show Notes:

1:12 Episode starts

2:15 Cost wellness

4:56 Where Chris is now, where he grew up, and how he got into the tech industry

7:12 The Vick 20

8:14 Where Scott is now

12:20 What does PBX stand for?

13:54 How Scott got into the tech industry

16:42 How Scott learned what he knows

23:33 What is TIM and how Christ and Scott got involved in it

28:57 How does TIM hold service providers to quality of service?

30:19 How has TIM evolved to the point where it is today?

36:21 Is TIM applicable to anybody who has a circuit anywhere?

38:38 How Chris and Scott have each seen technology evolve over the past few decades

49:18 Dominant companies that have a strong place in the industry

55:54 Has the TIM environment been inundated with a short term private equity mindset or are they still driven by product and software needs?

59:19 Is there a scenario within a company where, on face value it looks like a good opportunity but in reality, it is not?

1:07:48 How would an incentive such as that even come into place?

1:09:06 Is it CFOs that you are having these conversations with or is it the IT departments that are following the mandates from the financial office?

1:13:28 What is the economic model for Scott and Chris?

1:18:13 Two things that happen in a contingency engagement

1:23:25 Being aware of where vendors are making money that you are not paying them

1:25:03 Barriers for customer engagement

1:28:12 Helping customers build connectivity into their product

1:33:02 What advice would you give to a newcomer in this industry?

1:67:15 What was some helpful advice you received upon coming into this industry?

1:41:29 Scott and Chris' contact information

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: Network Infrastructure Deep Dive for Undersea Cables and Landing Stations, I interview Gil Santaliz.

You may have wondered about the infrastructure that carries data from one continent to another. Gil Santaliz, CEO of NJFX.net (a carrier neutral cable landing station and colocation facility in New Jersey), is a seasoned telecommunications veteran, entrepreneur and investor with deep knowledge and direct experience working in and around these complex networks, systems and buildings.

 

Gil spends time with me breaking down the evolution and “how, who and why” fundamentals of this critical component to the global internet infrastructure.

Show Notes:

1:12 Interview starts

2:32 Gil’s background 

4:38 How Gil was able to start 4Connections (spelling?) back in 2001

7:49 Gil’s first experience with the fiber landing stations 

10:14 Tata Communications

12:06 How Gil became interested in fiber landing stations

16:11 How many landing stations are there in the coastal united states?

22:35 Latency

24:25 Who funded all this infrastructure?

24:58 OTT

26:28 Has the cost per megabit been dropping?

29:24 If there is a problem with a cable, do we have the technology to be able to pinpoint the specific location of it?

37:08 How to prevent people from accidentally damaging the cables

38:45 How is the government working with private sectors to ensure that these cables are protected?

41:50 How much traffic clears from South America to the United States?

44:02 What was the reason for the placement of the cables?

47:28 How Gil got involved in technology

49:39 What are some of the biggest innovations you seen in your space over the past decade?

56:17 What innovations do you see on the horizon?

58:47 What is some advice you wish you’d been given at the start of your career?

1:01:37 What is some advice you were given that transformed the way you worked in your industry?

1:02:19 Who are you target clients? Who are your existing clients?

1:04:40 Do you guys operate the equivalent puring (spelling?) exchange for those large transcontinental network providers?

1:05:33 What are some common misconceptions people have about your industry?

1:06:52 What do you think is causing this misconception?

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: Data Center Industry Attorney Perspectives, I interview Jeffery A. Moerdler. My favorite interviews are ones where I get to scratch my itch for more industry knowledge and this was most definitely the case with this interview. Jeffrey A. Moerdler, Real Estate Partner at Mintz Levin and former Commissioner at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has spent decades working and drafting data center and telecommunications related contracts representing both the buyer and seller. He is also the founder of the IMN Forum on Data Centers and Cloud Services, which just recently had their 8th annual fall event in Chicago.

Our conversation covers the legal and business implications of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), the ins and outs of data center service and lease contracts, data privacy laws, cyber security and a variety of related topics. There is a mountain of valuable information and insight within this episode! Enjoy!

Episode 17 Show Notes

1:11 Interview starts 

2:01 Where are you located right now? 

3:48 Growing up in New York, how did you become familiar with technology?  

8:08 How did you become educated about data centers?  

10:01 How and why Jeffrey started the IMN Data Center Forum 

14:48 How have the topics during the related data center conferences evolved over the years? 

23:41 Data Center server “huggers” 

26:40 What has kept Jeffrey from directly working for a brokerage firm 

31:09 The most common mistakes Jeffery has seen people make in the data center industry 

36:19 Important concepts people in the industry need to grasp  

41:30 Conversation re: liability for building owners  

44:01 Why data center owners and operators prefer the REIT structure 

45:20 Why does a REIT provide access to a lower cost of capital? 

46:42 The cons of the REIT structure 

52:18 Data privacy laws 

57:33 InfraGard 

1:07:20 Legality of data shared between countries 

1:13:23 Why AWS and Azure will not eliminate the need for data centers 

1:19:45 Jeffrey’s first time in a data center 

1:25:09 What is the most fascinating thing you’ve learned in your profession in the past 3 days?  

1:30:19 What is some advice you would give to someone new to the industry?  

1:35:00 How to get in touch with Jeffrey  

Links mentioned in this episode

InfraGard: https://www.infragard.org/

Jeffery on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreymoerdler/

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: Atlanta's 55 & 56 Marietta Data Centers, I interview Tim Kiser. 

Tim Kiser served as an Air Force B52 bomber pilot during Operation Desert Storm and is the founder and CEO of Colocation Atlanta (Colo Atl), a local provider of colocation and interconnection services out of the 55 Marietta data center downtown Atlanta. He was also the lead designer and engineer for 56 Marietta, which is the largest Internet Exchange (IX) in the region. During the interview, Tim discusses some of the lessons he's learned growing the Colo Atl business since 2001 and during his entire 25 years experience helping to design and engineer over 70 telecommunications facilities across the country.

 

I found Tim's humility and approach to working with customers and employees enlightening and refreshing and know you will too!

Tim Kiser Show Notes

2:16 Interview Starts

2:50 Where are you right now?

4:25 Tim’s upbringing and his first time with a computer

7:36 What inspired you to eventually take the entrepreneurial route?

9:28 Tim’s first in a data center

11:26 Starting Col Atlanta

13:26 Tim’s role with 56 Marietta

15:51 What makes 55 and 56 Marietta what it is today?

19:10 Are you the owner of the 55 Marietta building?

19:52 How big is the 55 Marietta building?

21:32 What inspired you to stay fixated only in the Atlanta market?

23:32 How Tim met Hunter Newby

27:00 What has shaped Tim into the man he is today and the way he conducts business?

30:18 Defining moments in Tim’s life that helped solidify his practice and deal with people

33:45 What was it like to go all in?

37:07 Did you make sure the tenants you were bringing on were unaffected from the major downturn in the market?

40:55 Karma in business

45:02 Tim’s most memorable failures he has learned from

50:57 Tim’s tips for managing a team

01:00:03 Tim’s long term plan for the future

01:05:20 How have you seen the industry evolve since you’ve been in it?

01:10:13 How has the growth within the Atlanta marketplace affected you?

01:14:11 What is the backdrop to your laptop?

01:18:20 When was the last time you had a client impacting event? How did you manage it, what did you learn, and what changes have been made because of that event?

01:21:11 Tim on Cloud Services

01:22:28 If you could go back in time and offer advice to yourself when you were just getting started in this industry, what would it be?

Links mentioned in this episode:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtcommunications/

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: Meet Me Room and Internet Exchange Innovation in the Data Center Industry, I interview Hunter Newby.

If you've worked in the data center industry for more than a few years and haven't heard name Hunter Newby, you simply haven't been paying attention. Hunter is a 20 year data center industry veteran who innovated the concepts of the Meet Me Room (MMR) and Internet Exchange (IX). Our paths finally crossed last year during a data center conference in DC and a friendship quickly ensued. The conversation shared here covers how Hunter got started in the industry post college, the large impact his father has had on his approach to life, what the catalyst was for starting Telx in 1998 and what it was like boot strapping and growing the company through 2009.

 

I am certain you will enjoy listening to this interview as much as we enjoyed having the conversation together!

Episode 15 Show Notes

2:16 Interview starts

3:48 Where Hunter comes from

6:21 How did you get involved in tech?

13:10 Hunter’s first experiences with computers

14:45 Hunter’s first experiences in data centers

19:36 What led you to want to work at places like MCI WorldCom?

21:00 Going to WorldCom for the first time

26:16 What it took to get Telx up and running

30:09 Did the bubble bursting in 2001 affect your business?   

40:43 Thoughts on Open-IX (OIX)

44:57 Why has nobody revolted?

51:15 How Hunter got Telx to become Digital’s exclusive Meet Me Room Provider

58:51 When did things shift to charging for cross connects in Meet Me Rooms?

01:00:20 Where did the peering exchange come from?

01:16:39 What is one belief you hold that most people would find crazy?

01:20:36 What is a common misconception about the data center industry?

01:25:17 What is one of the most influential pieces of advice you received when you were young in the data center industry?

01:28:22 Hunter’s upcoming work, and how to get in touch with him

Links mentioned in this episode

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunternewby

http://www.hunternewby.com/

"We Need a revolution in our behavior, in our ethics, rather than just a revolution in our technology." -Brian Patrick Green

I was introduced to Stuart Robbins through reading his book, "Lessons in Grid Computing: The System Is a Mirror," over a decade ago. As a young professional that had just transitioned from being a full time entrepreneur to working in "Corporate America," the book provided a foundation in systems theory as it applies to corporations and Information Technology. After reading the book, I reached out to Stuart directly and somehow convinced him to join me for lunch in San Francisco back in 2005, which initiated a friendship that has persisted ever since.

In truth, there are few books, outside maybe Frank Herbert's science fiction novel "DUNE," that have as many passages underlined and my chicken scratch throughout the open margins than Stuart's. There are also few executives and consultants I have ever met as humble and enlightened as Stuart who can navigate and intertwine fluently the topics of sociology, psychology, technology, systems theory, theology, politics, ethics, entrepreneurship and corporate culture. As such, you can imagine how overjoyed I was to have the stars align to spend a week with him in Raleigh as he mirrored me in my office (even living in the guest wing of my home) for an entire week! This episode is a snap shot into one of the many reoccurring and enlightening conversations Stuart and I had throughout the time we had together.

Please note, this episode is different than most and, to be blunt, rather heavy listening. My hope in sharing this conversation between Stuart and myself, however, is that it contributes to your evolutionary journey and experience within the intense and rather overwhelming times we live in today.