Sustainability, Innovation, and Partnership Series - Episode 2

#KingstonCognate introduces Prof. Sally Eaves and Neil Cattermull

Prof. Sally Eaves

Prof. Sally Eaves is a highly experienced Chief Technology Officer, Professor in Advanced Technologies, and a Global Strategic Advisor on Digital Transformation specializing in the application of emergent technologies, notably AI, FinTech, Blockchain & 5G disciplines, for business transformation and social impact at scale. An international keynote speaker and author, Sally was an inaugural recipient of the Frontier Technology and Social Impact award, presented at the United Nations in 2018, and has been described as the ‘torchbearer for ethical tech,’ founding Aspirational Futures to enhance inclusion, diversity, and belonging in the technology space and beyond.

Neil Cattermull

Neil has over 35 years of experience working with technology across multiple sectors and brings a unique perspective on easily understood technical strategies to technical and non-technical audiences. Technology analyst and social media influencer across emerging technology sectors. Leading industry analyst across multiple business sectors, including Cloud, Blockchain, 5G, storage, and many others, as well as CEO at the Future as a Service - enabling consumers of technology to make the right choice, one service at a time.

Does experience matter these days in business?

So why should we gravitate to businesses in the modern day when we can subscribe to or buy services, fit-for-purpose devices, and much more? Experience matters now more than ever in this low loyalty landscape. Somewhere over time we have forgotten the value of relationships in business and traded in for a “want it now” culture.

Business relationships are so very important and, in a world where fake news is rife, shouldn’t we nurture those once valued business relationships and be handheld through the minefield of the latest technology acronyms? Longevity, experience, and loyalty were once held as three business pillars, supporting every entrepreneur and organization. Depth of experience across multiple products and services is extremely difficult to achieve but if you focus on a few, you will have deep expertise with those chosen few-expert status. That is where Neil would ask his questions and accept valuable advice!

How can Kingston Technology assist with the DC challenges?

When Sally and Neil agreed to be interviewed about these key industry topics, Neil discussed at length the challenges that all businesses face today, not just data centers. He recalled how, nearly 20 years ago, he was assisted with memory upgrades across the entire enterprise estate of a major bank. This went against the grain of vendor-badged memory, even to the point where one vendor threatened to take the matter further and not validate the warranty of each server hardware device. He stood firm and moved forward, saving money, time, and enabling growth by doing more with less.

Today, most products and services we consume are commoditized with a faceless web portal that we use to order, track, and trace the delivery. Human intervention is extremely key and Neil's relationship with Kingston spans over 20 years. He knew he could just pick up the phone and speak to an experienced human who is not afraid of discussing his commoditized product purchase with a “maybe this would work better for you” answer.

Choosing the right partner

In conclusion, the times are changing, and we need to move with them, no buts accepted. We have a tremendous history of pulling together and working for a greater good when times are tough. However, we do not normally look at the repercussions of our quick fixes or new concepts due to a lack of experience.

We must think long term with a sustainable head to analyze the steps we are making, as future mistakes could be irreversible in business and beyond. The move to a digital cloud is here so Neil's biggest advice now is to pick a technology partner that challenges you constructively, has the longevity in the market you need, and the experience you can trust.

Watch this video to find out more from industry experts on sustainability.

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