Episode 017 - Jeffrey A. Moerdler - Data Center Industry Attorney Perspectives

11/29/17 • 98 min

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/

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Episode 016 - Atlanta's 55 & 56 Marietta Data Centers - Tim Kiser

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/

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Episode 018 - Gil Santaliz - Network Infrastructure Deep Dive Undersea Cables & Landing Stations

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?