High above the clouds
Dan Lowe is a lover of planes who sees cloud services progressing from blue sky hype to reality
What was your first job?
Doing software testing for a US business collaboration tool; I became interested in IT at an early age.
Planes, trains or automobiles?
I love my cars but I'm also fascinated by the wonders of flight. When travelling from Birmingham to London on the train, I'll often take the monorail to the airport, have a coffee, and watch the planes fly in and out.
What is your favourite joke or the one you heard most recently?
I fear I'll damage some of our vendor relationships if I share that.
What was your best business trip or junket ever?
A three-day trip to the F1 Turkish Grand Prix last year, courtesy of our datacentre cooling suppliers.
What was the best holiday you ever went on?
Recently, my brother and I and our respective partners did a Top Gear-style race from home to the Alpe d'huez resort, France. My partner and I drove and my brother and his fiancé flew. It was great fun, very challenging and a desperately close race, followed by a week skiing with friends.
If you had a week to live, how would you fill it?
Doing a thorough hand-over at work. Seriously, though, I would say all the things I've never got round to saying to my friends and family, and thank people for their help in what I've achieved.
Will we see businesses take green ICT more seriously this year?
It already is. We're under constant pressure to improve our Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) number, and to demonstrate effective use of power to our clients.
Will virtualisation become as profitable for the channel as pundits predict?
The steady progress of cloud services from hype to reality is driving the need to deliver raw processing power and storage for the least capital and operational expense. The cloud has ridden in on the back of cost saving, and radical solutions are needed to match these aspirations.
Print or online news?
Midweek I prefer online news. At the weekend, it's print. If I had to choose, a pint in the pub with the Sunday Times wins every time!
Will the economic recovery continue?
Yes, but the pace of recovery will be determined by the election and who wins, and by what margin.
What does the channel most need to learn to succeed and grow this year?
Customers are increasingly technologically aware. Respect this and make sure you always know more than they do.
Is IT well taught in schools?
The young blood entering my business out of school is exceptional. Whether this be a result of school, hobbies or environment I can't be sure, but it can't be bad.
Daniel Lowe is managing director at UKSolutions