We ‘Deep Dive’ with Simon Harris, Director of Critical Infrastructure, BCS, who tells us more about life inside and outside the office.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data centre industry?
As with all my memorable achievements, this was a team effort and a relatively small project for one of my financial services clients. There were incredibly tight timescales as they needed to move some key servers from one data centre to another, requiring the construction of high-density computing space within an existing facility, against hard and challenging deadlines. We created a procurement route enabling a fast start on-site whilst retaining financial control and predictability of outturn cost. Thanks to the efforts of my team, the contractor, designers and client teams, the project was operational on time and within the sanctioned budget – but it was incredibly challenging.
What first made you think of a career in technology/data centres?
With my engineering services core competency in the background, it was the obvious choice. It is a sector where I felt I could make a difference, be challenged and have stimulating and developmentally useful experiences – and I was right. Over the past 20 years, I have been lucky to work on some amazing projects, delivering specialist mission-critical systems and data centre consultancy in developer, finance, defence, media and end-user environments. I have used my engineering background and technical skills in several techno-economic research projects for the UK government and policy influencers, shaping project delivery for pathfinder research in the low-carbon arena.
What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position?
If you are leading people you need to adapt your style to suit the situation and team but always be authentic in how you go about it. I would prefer to coach wherever possible but in an industry that moves as quickly as ours that is not always possible. I value creativity, decisiveness, effective solutions and clear communication – but with respect for how people can be made to feel so that they give their best.
What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data centre space?
There are several but the number one issue for our clients is power availability. Since we began the BCS biannual survey 15 years ago, the availability of power has been ranked consistently as the single most important factor in the choice of a new data centre. The results of our latest report (July 24) suggest this firmly remains the case, with nearly four-fifths of respondents choosing the availability of power as their top influencing factor. In addition, around a similar amount of our surveyed professionals expect their levels of consumption to rise over the next three years further exacerbating the issue.
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office?
During the season I play rugby most weekends. The sport conditions you to win and lose as a team and provides outstanding social opportunities in the widest sense. I have captained several sides at various levels over many seasons, and never get tired of pulling my boots on and giving my best. During the summer this country is blessed with some great things to see and do and I make the most of those opportunities. When all else fails nothing beats walking the dog followed by a good pub.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
The current political and social agenda around power provision is firmly focused on net zero and sustainability which is driving investment in these areas. Among our customers, there is evidence that the commitment to a move to source energy from renewable forms is strong. According to our latest Summer Report, over the next decade, 86% of our respondents expect to see at least 90% of their data centre energy usage to be sourced from renewable generation. Our industry is playing its role in the global quest for a responsible and sustainable energy future.
What are the region-specific challenges you encounter in your role?
The identification and recruitment of talent into our business and the wider data centre consultancy arena is an ever-present challenge. At BCS, we are taking a long-term view and spending a lot of time developing promising young talent in-house in an environment where they can thrive and feel valued through initiatives like our graduate apprenticeship scheme. This does not always deal with the immediate challenges, of course, but is essential if we are to continue to be successful.
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the coming months?
My teams specialise in projects within existing and legacy data centres and other mission-critical sites which are increasingly vital as the backbone of our digital infrastructure. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the average data centre is nine years old, while Gartner stated that any site more than seven years old is obsolete. Other estimates suggest that of the stock of data centres spread throughout Europe around 60% are more than 18 years old.
The problem is that these legacy facilities were designed during a period when the current technological advancements were not anticipated and will now struggle to cope with the escalating requirements of modern computing, such as higher data volumes, faster processing speeds and elevated IT power densities.
Upgrading and refreshing legacy sites is becoming noticeably more challenging and high ambient summer temperature events are bringing an increased focus on dealing with this challenge relatively quickly. No two assignments are the same, therefore, but time has become a commodity that there seems to be less and less of.
