Keynote
The Voice of the Business: Connecting Data Center Decisions to Business Value
Andy Parham, Chief Executive Officer, Bick Group
Data center operators have never faced more complex and high‐stakes challenges than the ones they face today. More than 80 percent of data centers are at the tipping point of space, electrical, and mechanical constraints. And while these technical issues are real, the most daunting challenge data center operator’s face today is convincing internal stakeholders that investments must be made. The premium on balance sheet flexibility and operating expense reductions have drawn the executive leadership of most companies into the data center decision‐making process. In this new reality, data center operators must answer an entirely new set of questions, including: Why should we own and operate our own data centers? What is really a mission‐critical application? What is a reasonable disaster recovery strategy? How do we align our data center strategy with our sustainability policy? How can we move this balance sheet investment in data centers to an operating income issue? The key for data center operators is to get in front of these questions by engaging executive leadership in a collaborative, consensus‐driven, fact‐based, and creative process that drives alignment of the data center strategy with the strategic intent of the business. A core set of tools, processes and best‐practices will empower data center operators to succeed in this new reality.
About Andy Parham
Andy Parham directs the Bick Group’s work in more than 1,000 data centers each year. His team leads performance improvement assignments in both private and third‐party data centers with an emphasis on balance sheet optimization, operating expense containment, energy efficiency, disaster recovery planning and capacity building. Prior to joining Bick Group, Parham was a partner of VSA Partners, a leading consulting firm serving Fortune 1000 companies, including Harley‐Davidson, IBM, GE, Caterpillar, Enterprise Rent‐A‐Car, CME, Steelcase, Coca‐Cola and Allstate. At VSA Partners, he worked with executive leadership in these organizations to define their strategic intent and align all aspects of their businesses with their strategies.
Peer Learning
Building relationships with peers is the main reason data center management professionals join AFCOM and/or attend Data Center World. With new benefits and programs, Data Center World attendees get the unique opportunity to learn from colleagues before, during and after the conference.
Pre-Conference
*Local Chapters – Take advantage of your AFCOM membership by joining and/or attending a local chapter meeting. With 38 chapters worldwide, this is an invaluable way to meet and stay connected to peers.
*AFCOM’s Message Board – This brand new message board allows you to post questions and get answers from people who have faced the same challenges as you. What’s the difference between this and Linked-In Groups? AFCOM’s message board is not a place to advertise products and services, making your question more visible for others to answer.
At the Conference
*Case Studies – Come hear lessons learned and best practices from the people who are in the trenches. Attend these sessions to hear from your peers about their real-life data center situations. Every presentation in this new track of educational sessions is given by an end user.
*Round Tables – Round table discussions give you the opportunity to have frank discussions and get answers to your questions in a relaxed atmosphere.
*Data Center World Lunches and Evening Functions – These events during the show provide you with ample opportunity to network with other attendees.
Post-Conference
*Follow up with people you met at the conference by using the chat room on AFCOM’s new message board. Or, post follow-up questions on the board to get answers from other AFCOM members.
*Continue peer relation building by sharing what you learned at the conference with others. Write and become a guest blogger on AFCOM’s new data center blog.
Live Onsite Data Center Tour Available
Registered attendees for Data Center World will have the opportunity to attend a “Live” Data Center Tour on Saturday, October 3 at 4:00pm. If you are interested, space is limited.
Attendees will be responsible for their own transportation to the facility and will need to provide the following information to attend this tour:
*Attendees will need to bring a government issued ID card (Drivers License, Passport, Military ID, etc)
*DataSite will permit all guests legally permitted in the United States at the time of the tour
*In order to qualify to attend this tour, you must be a full registered attendee for the Data Center World Conference
(Sign-up is available during the online registration process)
DataSite is a world class data center facility built to meet the demanding power and cooling needs of the modern computing environment. The Tier III data center design provides for a completely redundant and continually operating facility that has a 100 percent uptime track record. DataSite Orlando is a purpose built data center constructed to provide IT enterprises a world-class facility. The 18-acre safe haven provides a secure private environment with multiple fiber and power feeds.
DataSite is designed to provide uninterrupted power to the raised floor. Multiple UPS systems eliminate fluctuations and electrical irregularities delivering clean, continuous power to all critical systems. Dual 12.4 kilovolt power feeds from diverse utility substations combined with multiple UPS, battery rooms and jet turbine generators power the building continuously.
DataSite has the ability to cool up to 200 watts per square foot of power consumption. With 2,750 tons of chiller capacity and 80-plus CRAH units, we can pinpoint the delivery of cold air to the exact floor tile. Triple redundancy on the water supply guarantees complete ventilation and heat rejection around the clock. The chilled water distribution system is available for the high power density water cooled supercomputers and blade servers of tomorrow.
DataSite employs a variety of security equipment, techniques and procedures to control, monitor and record access to the facility, including customer areas. DataSite is staffed with around-the-clock security officers to complement the physical security design of the facility, thus ensuring the protection of your critical IT operations.
