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When I joined Global Switch, the Tai Seng Singapore data centre was in its very early days, but even then I could see the potential of what we were offering. From my background in IT and disaster recovery, and with the way internet use was growing, I knew that bringing discreet server locations under one roof with the leading carriers was a great move. The fact that we have submarine cables landing inside the data centre itself was another unique feature. It all added up to an excellent sales pitch that proved a big appeal for more and more businesses.
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We were a small team back then and I got to work closely with the Operations Director and build the business up almost rack by rack. That is a once-in-a-career opportunity and I loved the challenge of it.
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Our customers were mainly financial institutions and corporates in the first few years, attracted by the low capital expenditure of taking space in a data centre and the access to top quality outsourcing at a reasonable price. With the liberalising of the market and the arrival of more carrier companies, that added a new dimension to the business and brought in a lot more companies. The net result was that we saw pretty much constant growth and our sales went from strength to strength.
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With both our Tai Seng and Woodlands Singapore data centres now reaching capacity, I have been given the opportunity to move into the role of Sales Director for the Asia Pacific region. Focusing on the Hong Kong data centre, it is a chance to leverage the relationships I have built over the years and bring even more business to what is now officially the largest carrier-neutral data centre in Hong Kong. We are a much bigger team now with all the resources and support that brings, so I am the connection between the customer on one side and the operational specialists, project managers, lawyers and other specialists on the other. It is a combination of sales manager and diplomat to a degree!
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Obviously Hong Kong has been going through a period of geopolitical uncertainty, but what is clear is that it is going to continue to be a key financial and commercial hub for the region. Both state-owned and private businesses in China are going to be a key driving force going forwards, so I am drawing on all my longstanding contacts in mainland China to compete for a bigger slice of those segments.
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The world of data centres has changed unrecognisably since I started two decades ago, which has been fascinating and brought lots of new possibilities. But what I love is that there are elements of my role that are the same whether I am selling a new data centre in Singapore or Hong Kong – that’s the thrill I get from going out, making connections and winning business.