Episode 023 - Rich Miller - Founder & Editor of DataCenterKnowledge.com and DataCenterFrontier.com

05/17/18 • 94 min

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?

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Episode 022 - Heather Vescent - Strategic Foresight and The Cyber Attack Survival Manual

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/

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Episode 024 - Phil Keenan - MicroCorp's Cloud Elements Division and The Anatomy of a Master Agency

This week on the I Love Data Centers podcast: MicroCorp’s New Cloud Elements Division and the Anatomy of a Telecom Master Agency, I interview the President of MicroCorp, Phil Keenan. When I first met Phil in Atlanta nearly 3 years ago, it was obvious he was different than every other executive I had met working in the telecom industry. He cut through the typical positioning BS right from the start, wanted to execute quickly, and viewed the industry through the same lenses I did. Truth be told, with the launch of the Cloud Elements Division of MicroCorp in April of this year, the vision of what we planned in our very first meeting has now become manifest. Our conversation covers the specific function and role the “Master Agency” plays in our industry and how a service provider can be successful in the indirect channel. We also discuss the who, how, what and why of MicroCorp’s new Cloud Elements Division. Most importantly, however, we discuss how the lessons Phil learned selling vacuum cleaners door to door in the UK helped shape him into the executive he is today. Show Notes: 1:12 Episode starts 2:15 Phil’s backstory 3:33 How Phil got into tech 10:19 What made Phil switch industries and move to the Channel? 13:02 The difference between the way Phil views the world versus how traditional telecommunication master agents view the world 17:23 What made Phil interested in Open Spectrum? 31:28 How does an indirect channel operate and what purpose does a master agent serve? 34:25 Why can’t carriers and service agents fill that role? 39:29 What’s the issue with letting the service provider do pre-qualification with the customer? 44:16 What is Cloud Elements and how will it empower agents to do more? 50:07 How does Cloud Elements affect the engagement between an agent and their client? 55:02 Phil’s ideas that have been valuable to his interaction with the community he works with 57:12 What will the next few years look like for MicroCorp? 1:00:22 The importance of trust 1:01:34 Phil’s first time walking into a data center 1:03:26 At what point did you realize that this was the industry you wanted to work in? 1:04:58 Common misconceptions service providers have about the channel 1:05:48 What it takes for a service provider to be successful in building relationships with master agencies 1:12:56 What do you think the main component to your success was? 1:14:18 What is some advice that you wish you had had five years ago? 1:18:35 What advice would you give an agent just starting out?