Schedule

Check in and pick up your name badge.

Enjoy a hot buffet breakfast.

Bob Cassiliano, 7x24 Exchange chairman, will open the conference, provide an overview, review meeting logistics and address general housekeeping items.

Shannon Huffman Polson (bio)
One of the first U.S. Army Women Apache Helicopter Captains and Pilots, Author of North of Hope and The Grit Factor

Tenacity, determination, grit and an innate ability to lead has defined Shannon Huffman Polson. An adventurous young woman, she summited Mount McKinley (now Denali) and, at the time, was the youngest woman to complete the attempt. From there, she was commissioned in the Army and was one of the first women to fly the Apache attack helicopter. Through her leadership and aviation skills she earned the right to lead two flight platoons and was the first woman to command an Apache flight company in the 2nd Infantry Division. With real-world stories and insights from in and out of the cockpit, she offers tangible leadership lessons for audience members to seek out their own targets and, where passion and purpose intersect, incorporate them into their own professional lives.

Cloud regions are declared, data center campuses continue to expand, new technology is forcing unprecedented schedules, we need the fabric of data center delivery to respond in kind…. and full stop. A global pandemic hits and threatens the growth and operations of the most essential and efficient communications networks on Earth, and attempts to stifle the most innovative minds by separating their teams. We refuse to be defined by all the negative. We find ways to adapt, and create a fabric for safety, inclusion and success. We create, educate and learn, and take the best ideas and adaptations to shape a better data center ecosystem.

MODERATOR:
Chris McLean (bio)
Director of Mssion Critical Services
MC Dean

Panelists:
Lane Anderson, M.E. (bio)
Executive Vice President, Global Data Center Development
QTS Data Centers

Éanna Murphy (bio)
Senior Vice President
Yondr Americas

Eric Zuhlke (bio)
EHS Manager
Google Data Center Construction

The pandemic of 2020 created a new set of realities that each of us had to embrace in our personal and professional lives. In the digital infrastructure industry, it showed each of us just how prepared our production environments were for stress, and how much stress these plans could accommodate. Looking back on what we saw, we have the opportunity to create much stronger operational plans, which account for much deeper and wider types of stress. And while another global pandemic of the magnitude of COVID-19 is less likely in the coming years, there are a wide range of other stresses that each of us must embrace in our strategic thinking and operational planning for complex digital infrastructures – which are now at the heart of each of our organizations.

Matt Stansberry (bio)
Vice President North America
Uptime Institute

The data center industry has been evolving since its inception. Today’s advances are just the next step in that evolutionary path. In many ways the distributed processing model being adopted today is really a full circle from where the industry first started in IT closets 45 years ago. As this next step comes into focus for the industry, we all need to better understand where it is going. The edge systems, in many ways, are just starting to take hold in the industry in a meaningful way. From cloud proliferation, to monetization of apps, to autonomous vehicle response and control, edge systems and the data centers they are and will be requiring will eventually dominate our landscape. With all of the potential uses these sites will take on many forms and land in many places. Our panel will explore the implications of how these systems and sites will affect the industry and what that affect will have on us all.

Moderator:
Jason Sanders (bio)
Division Manager
Turner Construction

Panelists:
Richard Bralley (bio)
Director
Vertiv

Ron Mann (bio)
VP of Engineering
TAS

Bill Radford (bio)
CIO
EdgePresence

Tom Widawsky (bio)
East Region Tech Principal
HDR Inc.

Both 7x24 Exchange International and iMasons have long recognized the challenge our industry faces in filling the talent pipeline, and both organizations have initiatives intended to address it. And, the challenge persists. Join the presenters in an open discussion about the industry initiatives in-place, what’s working, what’s not, and how we can work together better to solve this problem.

Dennis Cronin (bio)
Chair, iMasons Education Committee and
Founding Member, 7x24 Exchange International

Jeff Omelchuck (bio)
Executive Director
Infrastructure Masons

Hosting data in a Multicloud environment has become an increasingly prevalent industry strategy, and federal agencies are no exception to realizing the benefits. But what happens when mission requirements limit the benefits of cloud deployments? Enterprise data centers remain an integral component of the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community’s infrastructure. From Greenfield site selection to supporting legacy facilities, this session will discuss the stakeholders and decision drivers behind growth of the USG’s critical mission infrastructure.

Samuel Goodman (bio)
Engineer
United States Department of Defense

To address the ever-increasing power requirements, data center design engineers are turning to medium voltage (MV) power distribution. The traditional approach of using multiple, large conductors to distribute low voltage power throughout the facility has evolved into using medium voltage distribution throughout large data centers. While this new method allows for stepping down to low voltage close to the load, improper installation and testing procedures can lead to immediate or premature failures. Most electrical contractors do not have extensive experience installing MV equipment, and are often unaware of MV-related “gotchas” that do not exist at lower voltages. Inexperience with MV best practices from a testing standpoint and failure to follow manufacturer installation instructions are common causes of electrical events and unplanned outages.

Brandon Sedgwick, PE (bio)
President
Hood Patterson & Dewar

Google is succeeding in attracting and retaining diverse talent. Be part of the ongoing conversation as Brenda shares her perspective and experiences with concrete examples you’ll be able to utilize at your own organizations and reap the benefits of a more diverse team.
Organized by the Women in Mission Critical Operations (WiMCO) Committee

Brenda Standridge (bio)
US West/Central Regional Data Center Operations Director
Google

Check in, pick up your name badge and enjoy a hot buffet breakfast.

Bob Cassiliano will review day one highlights, recognize the conference Corporate Leadership Program sponsors and give a 7x24 Exchange update.

Is it not ironic that the industry collecting performance data on all the world’s industries, shares very little real performance data about its own operations? Year after year we read reports on datacenter incidents, anomalies and outright crashes with statements that X % of incidents are caused by this and Y % are caused by that. We keep hearing about the human factor in all these incidents but no details. How much of the human factor is due to inexperience, lack of supervision or poor security controls? Likewise, on equipment incidents, how much is infant mortality, overload, lack of maintenance or old age? The reports we read are based largely on interpreted events with much extrapolation on frequencies. It is DCIRN’s charter to create a statistically significant knowledge database of global data center incidents, their causes and the solutions effected to prevent their reoccurrence.

Moderator:
Dennis Cronin, DMCO (bio)
CEO Americas
DCIRN and
Founding Member
7x24 Exchange International

Panelists:
Scott MacIntire (bio)
Vice President of Client Services
Salute Mission Critical

Jeff Omelchuck (bio)
Executive Director
Infrastructure Masons

Vali Sorell (bio)
Principal Hardware Engineer, Datacenter Integration Services
Microsoft

Ben Stewart (bio)
Senior Vice President of Operations
NTT Global Data Centers Americas

The data center market has long had experience with capturing data and interpreting that data into actionable intelligence. Still, most available systems are not easily integrated across domains and various equipment communications protocols make creating an integrated predictive analytics platform challenging. However, Compass Datacenters and Schneider Electric are working together to learn how they can better leverage IoT data streams from the critical infrastructure to better manage long term service and operational costs while reducing downtime risk. This joint presentation will look at how Compass and Schneider are piloting a system that unifies all the data streams into a single gateway and feeds to the cloud through a cyber-secure portal where subject matter experts develop and train a rules-based predictive analytics platform. This presentation will review the current use of analytics in the data center, while demonstrating the potential evolution of predictive analytics through Compass and Schneider’s case study.

Adil Attlassy (bio)
Chief Technical Officer
Compass Datacenters

Wendi Runyon (bio)
VP of Strategy & Business Development
Schneider Electric

This panel discussion by OCP Advanced Cooling Facility leaders will look at key issues and solution evolution associated with adding liquid cooled IT as standard practice in the life cycle of data centers. Discussion will include review of case study and deployed designs, including trade-off discussions – temperatures, dew point operation, heat rejection paths. Optimized use of liquid cooled IT maximizes efficiency, sustainability and enables reuse of heat/energy.

Moderator:
Don Mitchell (bio)
Data Center Division Manager
Victaulic and
Co-Project Leader
OpenComputeProject – Advanced Cooling Facilities sub-project

Panelists:
John Gross (bio)
Owner and Mechanical Engineering Lead
JM Gross Engineers

John Musilli, PMP, CDCE (bio)
Solutions Architect
Critical Project Services

Vali Sorell (bio)
Principal Hardware Engineer, Datacenter Integration Services
Microsoft

When it comes to building a data center, organizations need to balance timelines and costs with their unique geographical and technological requirements. To this end, supply chains play a critical role in the success of every data center project. When supply chains are optimal and reliable, projects stay on schedule. But this is often easier said than done. During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, many organizations saw firsthand just how fragile supply chains can quickly become—and what happens when they fall apart or run into unforeseen delays.

Rob Coyle (bio)
Data Center Facilities Lead
Open Compute Project

Bret Lehman (bio)
Data Center Facilities Project Lead
Open Compute Project

There are multiple ways for dissipating the heat generated in a data center. System types available are all evaporative cooling; wet/dry cooling; non-evaporative cooling and hybrid. The following criteria can be used to make an informed decision: location; IT load by year; climate data; cost of electricity and cost of water/ sewer. With these criteria, a variety of simulations can be used to determine the best method of IT load heat rejection. The presentation will explore ways to determine what system or a choice of systems is best based on total cost of ownership.

R. Stephen Spinazzola, PE, LEED AP, ASHRAE BEAP (bio)
Director
Shumate Engineering

There is no denying the challenges ahead in addressing sustainability. But what does that mean for data centers? To achieve sustainability we must balance economic, environmental and social factors in equal harmony. We must live within the means of our natural resources. We must consume our natural resources, natural resources such as energy, in a sustainable manner. Yet, our data centers are continuing to consume more and more energy as the demand for data processing and data storage grows and this will have a significant impact on the environment and cannot be ignored. So what do we do and how do we do it?

Melissa Chambal, CDCDP, CDCMP, CDCEP, CDCAP, CNIDP, CTPM, ATS, RCDD, (bio)
US LATAM & Canada Technical Manager
CNet Training

Bob Cassiliano will review highlights from day two and address housekeeping items of interest.

Beyond enhancing the convenience in homes with devices such as smart thermostats and doorbells, the Internet of Things (IoT) has redefined our relationship with data. The first generation of IoT deployments transitioned SCADA-style solutions to IoT Platforms, offering advanced insight and more comprehensive integration, increasing the capabilities and flexibility in managing facilities, machinery, and infrastructure, often at a global level. We are now entering the second generation of IoT enablement where instead of IoT supplementing an operation, it is now becoming the integral solution within itself. Aided by the marriage of analytics, telecommunications advances, and edge computing, IoT ecosystems are becoming the key to solving some of the world’s most challenging problems, both big and small. This seminar explains the evolution underway for IoT from supplementary technology to being the answer within itself, using several real-world examples to show this natural progression and how this is intrinsically tied to edge computing.

Luke Dalske (bio)
COO
Radix IoT, LLC

Michael Skurla (bio)
CPO
Radix IoT, LLC

Ultimately, 5G networks will permeate cities to support a wealth of applications via antenna networks. In this presentation, Keith Rutledge, GM, EdgePoint for Compass Datacenters will present an overview the live “test lab” being developed in concert with the Autonomy Institute and the University of Texas, that will exemplify the structure of future urban 5G networks, and how it will be used to answer critical questions surrounding the combination of technologies comprising these configurations including: defining coverage areas, antenna densities and the ratio of edge/micro facilities to antennas as well as considerations regarding bandwidth, latency and processing power.

Night Keyes (bio)
COO
ATRIUS

Keith Rutledge (bio)
GM, EdgePoint
Compass Datacenters