Garrick Sturgill – I Love Data Centers Podcast Episode 5
In this week’s I Love Data Centers episode – Data Center Trials, Fiber Optics, and House Music – Sean’s guest is Garrick Sturgill, the Director or Technology, Carrier Relations and Colo Operations at Centeris Data Centers based in Puyallup, WA, just south of Seattle.
First, Sean explores the three main threads within Garrick’s early and eclectic life (because it’s just that interesting); creating with 1980’s computer hardware, working as a Cyberpunk community DJ at tech savvy parties in Seattle, and learning how to work with fiber optics. Next, you’ll hear how these threads merged, eventually connecting Garrick into the broader world of the data center marketplace. Once inside the data center marketplace, Garrick experienced numerous trials by fire at the Westin Building Exchange (WBX), which has serves as the primary Internet Exchange in the Pacific Northwest. Finally, Sean helps introduce you to Garrick’s inner geek and how it grew into the ultimate geek job of playing with all the cooling, power and network infrastructure that makes a data center work. Garrick and Sean also explore Big Brother’s role in the data center marketplace, although an attempt was made to keep the conversation light, because Big Brother is always listening.
Episode 5 – Data Center Trials, Fiber Optics, and House Music
Episode 5 Show Notes
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Introduction 1:11
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Where are you right now? 2:36
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What Garrick does today 4:07
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How long have you worked within the data center space? 4:51
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How Garrick got started in the industry 5:51
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What is Cyber Punk? 10:55
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First time in a data center 14:24
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Building fiber infrastructure 14:53
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Building Amazon data center 16:44
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What made you decide to go into the fiber optics field? 17:47
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Primary role of data centers in the 90’s? 21:38
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How Garrick started moving up the technology stack 24:00
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Garrick’s experience in the Westin building (WBX) 27:08
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How Garrick moved up in his career 30:09
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Why does a data center in Miami directly impact the internet in South America? 42:16
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Garrick explains NANOG 44:37
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Garrick on the vulnerability of the American data center infrastructure 50:06
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Why the data industry needs a holistic standard 54:12
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Slab floor vs raised floor 58:04
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Where are you working now and what is the infrastructure like? 1:01:38
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What is the backdrop on your laptop? 1:09:07
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What advice would you give someone who is new to the industry? 1:09:38
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What is a common misconception about our industry today? 1:09:52
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How to contact Garrick 1:13:13
Links mentioned in this episode
Cyberpunk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk
Westin Building Exchange (WBX) https://www.westinbldg.com/
NANOG https://www.nanog.org/
7 x 24 Exchange https://www.7x24exchange.org/
AFCOM https://www.afcom.com/
Centeris http://www.centeris.com/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/garricksturgill
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