DC Summit 2019: it just keeps getting better.
Yes it does! I was kindly invited by Data Center Consultores to this year´s edition of the Datacenter Summit, indeed the biggest event on datacenter technology & related topics in Costa Rica and the region.
What I liked the most about the event was the fact that the portfolio of lectures was really varied, with a nice balance between “techy”, really “inside the DC” topics and the contextual ones: the impact of tech in our society, updates on technological advancements and even the ecological footprint of our progress. Actually the motto for this year was “Revolución 4.0”, which of course is all about entangling the summit with the 4th Industrial Revolution concept as per Herr Klaus Schwab, founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum. So let me share some of the facts & opinions presented during the different conferences, at least the ones that impressed me the most.
In my post from last year´s event “DC Summit 2018: Game of Phones / 5G is coming“, we enforced the “winter is coming” analogy (GoT fan I am…). It is indeed coming, and sooner than what we thought before. As Oscar Chacón, leader for Claro Costa Rica (local subsidiary for the major carrier America Movil) shared, tests on this tech are already happening in the region, and Costa Rica will have its own set of exercises next year. It is quite impressive to compare the latency and speed specs of 5G to 4 & 4.5G networks. Just as a teaser, Mr. Chacón mentioned that the test – not even the final results – in Guatemala delivered a 1100Mbps speed, full duplex. The SMEs panel on this topic discussed the impact and benefits of 5G – this technology is not just a step ahead in speed, its a revolution that includes a new network topology (more granularity), less demand of energy for devices connected to it, an extraordinary small latency and above all, superb performance and stability. 5G, as per the panel of experts, will be the backbone of the Internet of Things and the enabler of a variety of other techs: robotics, a variety of Artificial Intelligence (A)) branches, biomonitoring and many other. It will be the “nervous system” of tomorrow´s world.
Another lecture that captured my attention was the presentation by Mr. Karlo Flores, where he revealed the astounding implications of AI for the medicine of the future. And believe me, astonishing these are… for good and bad. On the positive end, the customization and individualization of medicine will produce astounding benefits. Imagine individually-tailored drugs, treatments, tracking. 24×7 tracking. Customization as per the persona´s DNA. AI-powered prognosis, including the detection of nowadays undetectable early signs of many diseases. Moreover, future horizon of possible events and diseases as per medical history of the person, family, environment and related. On the other hand… privacy is a topic to address. Perhaps you are not aware of it, but we are already sending tons of personal data – including medical info – to undisclosed recipients worldwide. How? Well, “eyes are the window to the soul”, the saying says. Apparently corporations, governments and other have found a backdoor: our cell phones. These things, as per the presenter, are right now monitoring more than 100 physical parameters, including images of us, voice, movement, etc. And the kind of things that whoever is listening can conclude are amazing. Apparently, AI systems can detect early signs of Parkinson by humanly-undetectable speech treats. The voice and breath sound is also used to detect cardiac and respiratory trends and diseases. They also can detect balance and structural issues in our bodies as per gyroscopic + GPS tracking of ourselves when walking with these things in our pants´ pockets; and much more… Who has that data? To what purposes? Will our health insurance policies be affected in the future, for example? All these are questions demanding answers.
On a more positive note, Pascal Toque, expert in Smart Cities, delivered the most practical, concrete talk on this topic that I have heard. He outlined a blueprint for transforming a city into a Smart one. How? Well, three major steps as per him: 1) Connect IoT to the current infrastructure (talking about 5G…) 2) Create a Safe City: a city that is monitored and where data is collected. 3) Create a Smart City: data is not only collected, but analyzed, and trends, conclusions, recommendations and interactions are derived from it. A centralized command center is a requisite for this. Of course, “the devil is in the details”: curiously enough, Mr. Pascal shared that, as per his broad experience, the most challenging aspect is not the technical one, but politics: for a city to be smart, all its different “bodies”/areas (police, firemen, traffic control, water, power, telecommunications, etc. etc.) need to work as a joint force, sharing data, insights and pretty much everything. This is where “siloed” mentality gets in the way, and power feuds ruin the fest. Oh well… its human nature. We will get there somehow.
The lady on the photo atop – Lorraine L. – delivered an interesting speech on infrastructure resiliency vs climate change. Climate is changing – its a scientific fact – and it is causing extreme weather effects everywhere, ever more frequently. Our infrastructure – and IT/COM is not the exception – our infra needs to be designed so to endure these conditions. Eg, 5G will not be of any good if the 12% increase in lightning experienced by every 1 degree of temperature increase is not accounted for, not to mention floods, severe storms and other events. The speech was a nice refresher mixing the “Al Gore” flavor with the IT world.
Of course there were more lectures ranging from battery topics, electrical design for DCs, machine learning, digital transformation and future hospitals. What a menu! I´ll tell you something: you always learn something at the DC Summit event – loved this year broad scope, it is a day for you to catch-up with the latest. I´m already looking forward for 2020 – cheers and thanks for a superb summit!
Fernando
There ain´t no such thing as a “good, pretty, fast & cheap” project
The core argument of this article is so simple that it has already been stated in the title. It´s a straightforward idea: to my humble criterion, a self-evident truth. But… alas, reality is complex and we humans are masters of self-deception. Moreover, self-deception has the terrible mania of becoming part of organizational culture, especially in large organizations. What I just said is wrong, beg your pardon. The inverse is the correct statement: organizations have the suicide obsession of self-deception. Hence, it is time to talk about project drivers, restrictions and priorities. Buckle up, here we go:
In my experience, every project has a driver. What do I mean by “driver”? In this context, it means the ultimate restriction to respect. It could be time if urgency is key. It could be cost if a limited budget is cornerstone. It could be quality if excellence is the choice. It could even be scope, if it is all about meeting a list of requirements. But the argument stands: there is always an upmost aspect to attain above all the other. Not two, not three. There is one and only one driver. Of course, this doesn’t means that there could be a secondary parameter to respect or even a third, but a scale of priorities is always inherently present. Moreover, as per the nature of projects (of reality we may say), if we accelerate the pace, the rate of resource usage increases, which translates in more costs (unless you cut scope or quality). If the scope increases, this implies more time and/or cost. If the budget is reduced, it will impact the pace, the scope and/or the quality of the outcomes. These are hard, historically proven facts: it’s the old triple-restriction story yet once again. Nonetheless, and as stated in the opening, we don’t have these truths as clear and present in our minds as they should. BTW, when I say “we”, I mean mainly the PM community but this applies to the entire universe of project stakeholders: Sponsors, PMOs, Steering Committees, Managers, Directors, SMEs, you name it. All right, but “So what?” you may ask. Let’s conclude this short article then with a practical conclusion:
PMs should be the first evangelists of this truth. Every time we receive an endeavor, we must ask: “What is the project driver?” – and explain the nature of the question and the implications of the answer as well. It should be a mantra, a fixation, a standard procedure, over and over again. On the other hand, organizations and their leaders (Managers, Directors and especially C-Suite staff) must acknowledge this truth, once and for all. People making org decisions must align the project portfolio to strategies, priorities and drivers. There ain´t no such thing such as a “good, pretty, fast & cheap” project. Sometimes the election of the driver isn’t easy, but that is the nature of life: deal with it. You need to choose. Omitting or even deferring this crucial point is a recipe for failure.
The “fast, cheap, flawless, all-requisites in” endeavor is an absurd lie: an utopia that crashes with reality. Let´s stop daydreaming. We see the consequences of this every day in the Project Management world. In the intent of finishing with a positive note, I have also seen the POWER of enforcing the project-driver good practice. It works as an strategical enabler that provides clarity, an ultimate criterion for decisions and a leverage for success: a no-brainer for a true Sponsor. Thus, let´s choose. And let´s choose wisely.
Cheers!
Fernando
Photo by Brian Wertheim on Unsplash
COURSE: Delivering PMP cert preparation at INTEL CR
“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” ― Phil Collins
Have I shared that I love teaching? If not, here it goes: I DO, I just love it. It´s just that teaching, when done from 
the heart, goes way beyond an unidirectional transfer of data: to put it in geeky terms, a network/ethernet hub can do that, in any case. The real value comes from a very different place. The best teaching puts the “professor” in a frank, open conversation with the class. The best sessions are a true exchange of perspectives, experiences and ideas, where the teacher leaves the archaic and imaginary podium so revered in the past century and becomes a facilitator. There is – and there should never be – shame in a “I don´t know” answer – both from a student or a professor. There is no disrespect in a “Let´s research together” statement and there is no better feedback than a frank, open smile from the class. And this safe exchange & study environment was what we constructed together at the latest PMP Certification Preparation course delivered to a group of leaders from INTEL Costa Rica. For over two months, and powered by the Universidad Nacional (UNA) “Open Education” area, we met every Thursday at the modern and massive local headquarters and explored together PMI´s approach to Project Management, the PMBOK, it´s interpretation and shared anecdotes, tips and knowledge: we LEARNED.
Furthermore, we simulated the actual certification exam and discussed strategies for taking the test (BTW – free tip: if you want to certify, you not only need the experience and the theory, you need preparation and a plan to attack the test per-se. In other words: you not only need to know, you need to prepare to answer efficiently). We also dared to challenge the theory, following the “start with why” principle (S. Sinek). Mind-maps, process flowcharts and “put-it-in-your-words” exercises made terms and ideas palatable and catchy. Tough topics and gray areas were not hidden and as a group, we searched for answers, with different persons serving as trailblazers at different times. And humor was a true ally to us all.
May this short post put in writing my gratitude to these excellent professionals, to the Universidad Nacional (UNA) 
and to INTEL Costa Rica: buckle up, new PMPs on the horizon – THANK YOU GUYS for all what I learned from you!
Sincerely,
Fernando
“Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder.” ― Eberhard Arnold
DataCenter Summit 2018: Game of Phones / EDGE is coming…
Intro
I had the opportunity to attend the DC Summit Latin America 2018. Let me be candid: this was my first visit to this recurrent annual event, hence my upfront expectations were truly neutral. I must admit that has changed – the quality and variety of presentations during the event is really good. In the following paragraphs, let me try to summarize an all-day event for your benefit.
So let´s start with the post title: besides the geeky reference to the famous HBO´s series “Game of Thrones” line, I am trying to reference the EDGE computing topic, which I believe was at the heart of the entire event, and the 5G wireless communication new standard (coming to a city near you really soon).
So, for starters, what is EDGE computing? In my own words, it is basically an IT infrastructure strategy in which the computing power is located near the consumption of its outputs. This strategy makes sense in those cases where the latency (the interval between the data output and its input after processing) is crucial. Examples of these situations are robotic-intensive industrial facilities (just imagine a robot waiting for input in an assembly line), hospitals (real-time tests or surgery), financial institutions, etc. Actually, as appointed by one of the presenters, Mr. Gustavo Barrantes from IBM, the EDGE computing strategy is particularly attractive to the smart cities trend, where we will see more and more sensors capturing data, including river levels, pipeline vibrations, temperature measurements, route traffic, rain, pH, electric, water, gas and data lines detailed monitoring, etc. As a matter of fact, a couple presenters pointed out that we have produced more data in the last two years than in all the prior history of mankind. BTW, an EDGE computing center should not be envisioned only as a container: other options are skids, enclosures (stand-alone rack-level systems), modular small buildings, colocation, etc.).
Humanity has produced more data in the last two years than in all the prior history of mankind
5G: a revolution is coming
Both Mr. Barrantes from IBM, Mr. Alexander Muñoz (another presenter from Grupo Electrotecnica, a major DC provider in the region) as well as the joint panel of experts assembled at the end of the event made it clear that the Internet of Things is a reality and it is coming. Its just a matter of time… or to put it in more accurate terms, of more resilient and faster infrastructure availability. That in turn translates into both EDGE computing – which we have already mentioned – and faster connectivity, particularly 5G. Let me be honest: to this point, I was not clear about the key role of 5G in the next 5-10 years. To this point, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and any other you have heard are wireless service network targeting human consumption. In other words, all the wireless service networks we have used and known up to this day are designed for human consumption. This is not the case for 5G: this network is designed to support much more than solely human-originated traffic, but machine to machine (M2M) as well (perhaps I should say Thing to Thing… some stranger than other). It is WAY faster (at least 10X), and data is compressed in more efficient ways, saving energy (quite a plus for mobile phones). Anyway, point is: the real traffic, the real burden on tomorrow´s networks will not be “we the people” (even consuming HD video), but things, all kind of things exchanging data and more data.
43% of data will move through EDGE DCs in the near future. As per Gartner, 44% of orgs are looking toward EDGE DCs.
Energy: move on!
Another interesting and recurrent topic discussed during the summit was energy (this already smells like a soup of bits, electrons and atoms: mix and stir!). Several presenters converged on similar ideas. Phil Isaak, a reputed technologist, pointed out that EDGE DCs are particularly compatible with green/alternative energy solutions, simply because of their small scale (compared to the traditional titanic DC): fuel cells, wind, solar, even immersion cooling (check out the cool tip-of-the-spear approach to submarine DCs tech by Microsoft). Mr. Isaak also commented on the fact that EDGE DCs run on their own micro-grid, which is in turn a glimpse to the future of electrical networks (check out Solar City by Tesla as an example). And speaking of energy, two representatives from the World Green Building Council attended the summit, including Juanita Alvarez (Americas Head for the WGBC), who delivered a moving speech toward the importance of improving our building global portfolio to a better energy management performance.
Conclusion
At the end of the summit (I mean, besides the social activities ;o) ) there was a discussion that I particularly enjoyed: a panel of experts who discussed the business, social, tech and economic benefits of transforming Costa Rica (country of the event) in an international hub of DCs for the Americas, similar to what Ireland has done in Europe. The SMEs perspective was positive: the fact that the country produces more than 95% of its electricity from renewable sources, the quality of the manpower and its geo location are terrific advantages. As per the panel, political push is required. On that perspective, the Vice-Minister of tech stated that the government is looking forward to have at least partial 5G coverage before the admin ends, and further coordination among local institutions is already happening. Lowering energy tariffs and further support to the IT private sector (eg, taxes) would provide more tail winds to this initiative.
Let me finish this post by re-stating my opening comment: my take after the event is quite positive, the DC Summit is an opportunity to learn, to do networking and to catch a glimpse of the future. I truly recommend the event to anyone in the IT sector; Im already looking forward for next years event.
So, cheers, chapeau for the DC Summit! See you in a new post.
