Posts Tagged ‘Dallas’

SoftLayer was nominated for the Best Places to Work in DFW this year. I have no doubt that SoftLayer will win this!

The commitment and loyalty Management has shown to SoftLayer has reflected to the employees. There is a saying “Treat your employees just like customers or even better.” SoftLayer understands that and therefore one of the biggest assets of the company is the employees. The company offers employee break rooms with refrigerators, microwaves, and a various assortments of drinks and snacks. The satisfaction and motivation encourages employees to do a better job which translates into customers being more satisfied as well.

SoftLayer also honors employees who have done an outstanding job for that year and offers a few fun awards for their hard work.

Since we are growing and doing very well in the industry we feel that supporting the community is a key initiative. We recently donated to the Haiti Relief Fund then engaged the employees to get involved also by offering an additional company match.

As previously noted in a few blogs we are also a firm believer of being “green” and not only in the Data Centers. A recycling bin is put in each break room and the employees are encouraged to use them. Employees are also encouraged to print as little as possible to save paper and if they must print they must recycle the paper rather than throwing it away. Except for that really secure SAS 70 affected top secret stuff that must be shredded.

SoftLayer is growing at a rapid pace and who would not want to work for a company that is growing? I feel privileged to work at SoftLayer and embrace the “challenging but not overwhelming” mantra.

So this weekend I had an opportunity to go to something called ‘Scarborough Fair’ which is a renaissance festival about 45 minutes outside of downtown Dallas. To give some idea of how large this festival is, it is a 167 acre site. At this festival people of all ages participate in this organic performance of sorts. You’ll have knights walking next to you while you are getting a turkey leg from one of the many vendors; you’ll have people dressed up as gnomes shooting you with blow-dart guns filled with marshmallows, and lots more interesting things happening all the time. It is really a fantastic experience.

The reason I bring this up is because here at SoftLayer we stay on the bleeding edge of technology. If you hear about a new technology that comes out related to the hosting industry, you can be sure that SoftLayer is hard at work at finding a way to integrate it into our systems. At this renaissance festival there were people using very old techniques to make things that we take for granted now. I saw glass blowing, blacksmithing, coin minting and all of these things were accomplished without the use of modern technology.

It is easy to forget that there was a time before electricity, before cell phones, and before gasp the internet. All in all it was a very enlightening trip, and it really made me appreciate the ingenuity of the people of that era, and before. Sure, we have iPhones, Laptops, and Bluetooth, but when was the last time you saw someone blacksmithing a sword, or practicing their knife throwing (very cool btw)? I can type about a hundred words a minute, but I don’t think I would fare to well in a joust.

Yesterdays artisans are today’s programmers and developers. They designed ingenious inventions to handle day to day tasks. Our developers manipulate the virtual world to do all sorts of amazing things. If you have a chance to go to something like this, I strongly recommend doing so, and if you have kids then be sure to bring them along. Experience all the fun of the Renaissance, without worrying about that pesky black plague!

It’s been two and a half years (roundabout) since I started here at SoftLayer. It’s amazing to take a look back and see exactly how far we have come in that time. We sacrifice sleep for innovation and food for customer service. Our Development team works around the clock to continue to release products and features that further enhance our customers’ ability to take control of their servers and reduce interaction with our support team (although we’re sure that you love us, right?). It’s often fun to look back at the past and see exactly how far you’ve come. Sometimes when you’re buried in the day-to-day, it’s difficult to take a look from above to see that.

As I first set foot in the doors at the Dallas NOC, I walked into a maelstrom of activity. Brad showed me the ropes and walked me through my first server build. He showed me how to monitor server provisions and reloads and taught me everything (and then some) about hardware. Concurrently, two new datacenters were in the works – one in Seattle and one in WDC. As the company grew, the crew grew with it. I watched as our team grew with the company. I saw promotions, new hires, and new titles being added every day. I decided I had to get a piece of the action. After some trial, error, and plenty of downtime on an old PC, I learned a few things, and made my move to SysAdmin. I was lucky enough to have a crew who was willing to teach me some tricks of the trade.

Soon thereafter Lance announced even more growth. We’re now opening up a new corporate headquarters (watch the progress here!), our network map has been updated to add our new POPs, and there’s plenty more exciting news forthcoming. Needless to say SoftLayer doesn’t rest. While it may be rough at times, it’s great to look back at the last few years and see how far we’ve come. We’re a tight knit family. The ones that have been here for a while work closely to ensure our success, and the newbies are quickly taught the way of the SLayer. We’ll continue to grow, and opportunities for both our staff and our customers will be endless. Congrats to SL for leading the path, and kudos to our customers for making us the best in the industry!

Being the “cell phone person” here at SoftLayer has its challenges, to put it mildly. I thought that working with mostly boys (yes, I meant to say boys) would be a breeze compared to a bunch of women (we tend to be a bit ummm, picky?). I was terribly wrong! They are WORSE! Especially with gadgets like cell phones, considering the field we are in. For some reason a lot of them think that because they can configure a server they also know exactly what is wrong with their phone without actually troubleshooting it at all or why they MUST have this phone or that phone.

Reboot?! Why?! Hmmmm that was one of the first things I learned to ALWAYS do. I learned this from Jacob Linscott, my first IT guy back in 1997, who I work with once again; he is our Director of IT – Linux. I learned very quickly that I had better not EVEN think about calling him until I had rebooted my computer. Amazingly enough, I’d say the odds on a reboot fixing the issue with both computers and cell phones is very high, but that’s about the only thing that is similar in regards to issues between the two. I have been amazed at the multitude of varying issues as well as the information you can find online to fix a phone without having to call the carrier; and, that is a real life saver!

What baffles me is that everyone seems to know what’s wrong with their phone without actually researching it. When I say “So you Googled that and found info that said it was most likely the issue?” I get “nah, I just think that’s it.” I just shake my head, take their phone, and walk away. I Google my rear end off all the time! I am as specific as possible when I do a search. Such as, “my 8320 can send SMS, but is not receiving them.” Seems obvious, right? Wrong!

One would think the Geektopia of staff we have would do the same, WRONG! There is a world of knowledge and information out there regarding any number of BlackBerry and iPhone issues if you simply just take a few minutes to type your issue into a search engine. Heck, you don’t have to use Google, you can use whatever search engine you want! I’ve sent out emails regarding tips and tricks, the problem I seem to have is getting people to actually read the info. Admittedly, we get hundreds and hundreds of emails a day, some days thousands, depending on what group lists they are on; so I’ll give a little slack. It’s simply a case of missing the obvious, like when you are trying to fix a computer and it won’t work and it turns out to be the simplest thing that was forgotten, happens with phone issues too. Everyone just goes into panic mode when their phone isn’t functioning, amazing how we lived without cell phones just 20 years ago.

When SL was starting up just a few years ago, our VP of Sales was the cell phone person and he wasn’t too thrilled. He couldn’t WAIT to pass it on to someone else. I was the chosen one or sucker, depending how you look at it. I remember sitting in my cube my first week at SL, which wasn’t too far from his office, and giggling when he had to call the carrier and deal with some phone issues. I don’t giggle anymore. They told me by no means was it a punishment, taking over this particular job duty, but some days I wonder—especially the days when I get stuck on the phone for hours and hours trying to get a phone fixed, repeating myself over and over to 5 different people in 5 departments! It’s a source of some major meltdowns to say the least.

You see, we have about 130 phones throughout the company in four different locations. Dallas has Corporate and the DC and of course Seattle and WDC. So a lot of phones, a lot of folks, a lot of issues; from “My phone got ruined when I went hiking wearing khaki’s and got caught in a rain storm, the rain soaked through and ruined my phone, can I have a better one now?” to, “I lost it at the Christmas Party, sorry” to “If I step on it, does that mean I have to pay for it, because I want a better one?!” Yes, those are just a few of them, and obviously some of my favorites.

I, with the help of a few others, just recently upgraded 31 phones; Lance our CEO is cool like that. You see, the 31 were 8700c BB models, or fondly referred to as “coasters” around here. Of course they were spread across our four locations, so this required lots of coordination with someone on the other end of the line. This upgrade took over a month due to device issues (new phone to market at the time).

The guys in the Dallas NOC all know better than to laugh as they hear my cursing due to being on the phone for countless hours; or if they do, they’ve gotten much better about hiding it.  The point of all of this is to remind you that if you have a company cell phone and it has issues, be kind to your cell phone person and know that you are not the only one with an issue. Cell phones break. Cell phones die. Cell phones get dropped on the ground, in the toilet, or, my favorite, thrown across a room in anger every single day. So if your cell phone person can’t get to you RIGHT THAT MINUTE, try trouble shooting it yourself. No, not installing things, but maybe just try and look up your issue, and let them know what you found. Send them the link or print it out. It will make their day. Trust me on this one!

In this industry, it seems very easy to get in the rut of looking forward without stopping to take the time and look back. Whether it is a project deadline or just planning for the future, past accomplishments sometimes get lost in the day to day workload. I remember back on January 23rd of 2006—exactly four years ago tomorrow—when we opened the doors. We had 17 employees and around 1,000 servers in our one and only Dallas server room. With just 17 employees you can imagine we wore many hats, and I will not miss or take for granted prepping racks such as putting cage nuts or rails in ever again.
From our humble beginnings, things grew at a rapid pace to say the least. Over the last four years, we have grown to 175 employees, 25,000+ servers spanning facilities in Dallas, Seattle, and Washington D.C. and just recently passed $100 million annualized run rate mark. Not too shabby for four years, if I do say so myself.
The product and service offering have grown at an astounding pace as well. Thanks in part, I think, to our API—launched publicly in May of 2007. Was that over two years ago? It seems like yesterday. On top of that, there have been too many individual products to list here. Some highlights would fall into the areas of: CloudLayer, StorageLayer, backup solutions, and security solutions—just to name a few!
Looking forward I think 2010 is going to be a big year for SoftLayer, not that the past years haven’t been. I cannot get into any details; but, as usual there are big plans on the horizon, and you know we aren’t planning on slowing down anytime soon. Looking back, it has been a packed and crazy four years, but I would not trade it for anything.

To a lot of people when you hear the word family you associate it with your mom, dad, kids, cousins etc. But, have you ever thought about your employer or co-workers being a part of your family? Let’s evaluate this question. You spend on average about 40 to 50 hours per week, which means an estimated amount of 1,920 to 2,400 hours per year, with co-workers. There will be moments where you laugh and cry together; there will also be moments when a long time co-worker will make a decision to advance their career in a new direction with a different company, and new additions will be made. Each family member has their responsibilities and role to play; the same way each department here at Softlayer does.

When I first came aboard in the Accounting department here at SoftLayer I was a little intimidated because I was clueless to the web hosting industry and I didn’t quite understand what SoftLayer actually did. However, I knew I was a whiz in accounting and therefore I could master this. To help shed some light on my job and its responsibilities, my boss decided to take me on a tour of one our data centers located in Dallas, TX. I was expecting to see a large room that stored a lot of servers and computer monitors; boy was I wrong and totally amazed. The SoftLayer Data center was so well organized and structured. There were no loose cables, rather elevated flooring and a state of the art floor cooling system to protect the servers from overheating. I was really impressed with the Hardware Engineers and CSA’s working diligently as a team to ensure all orders were processed 100% accurately. Being able to see the datacenter helped me understand more in depth what my job entailed.

Our Development department plays a huge role as well. They make sure new products are launched to keep us competitive in the web hosting industry. What we are advertising stands up to our name. A lot of behind the scenes testing takes place, which requires multiple departments to work together. Our Sales reps are very knowledgeable about our products and services. They ensure that our customers are happy with their purchases and that they stay happy. They go above and beyond to make sure you are renting a server that benefits your business needs.

Families like to have fun, and so does SoftLayer. We do company BBQ events and holiday parties as well as toy, food, and blood drives. They also make sure we get lots of SL gear, which we love! But most importantly we have monthly meetings with management where we can voice our opinion. After all, a happy employee is what keeps the company’s customer service level up. In conclusion, SoftLayer is a family oriented business and I do consider each of my co-workers a part of a family; because like a family, we all have to pitch in with a helping hand and help one another out.

You’ve all heard how great it is to work for an innovative and cutting edge company from other staff, so I won’t bore you with things you already know. Let’s talk SL culture a bit; let’s get into the real “meat” of what motivates and fuels the staff on a day to day basis—the Dallas NOC staff specifically. It’s a bunch of dudes and me, the only chick. Yes, I am brave… very, very brave!

We like to eat, if you didn’t already know. Our own CTO, Sam Fleitman, actually competes in BBQ contests. We are his sponsor; go 3 Bars BBQ (best ribs you will ever eat)! Work hard, play harder, eat like pigs (and eat pigs too, we love bacon), that’s what we know and love! On this particular day, I decided to go pick up Chipotle for anyone who wanted some. Chris “Mank” Menard was goofin’ on William “Blue” Spencer; and, somehow it was decided that if Blue could eat 3 Chipotle burrito’s in under an hour, we’d all chip in and pay for his lunch. Blue can be somewhat of a braggart, so everyone was into it. Little did we know…

He began on his first one, polishing the puppy off in around 3 minutes flat.

Let me be sure you understand and know the Chipotle burrito. These things are packed full: meat, rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce; they are a good 1-2 pounds each I’d imagine.

He starts the second one, and this is where we all think he’s going to slow down. That first one was a breeze, but the rice should start to expand in his stomach within no time. Wrong again, this one went down just as easily, but he decided to take a bit more time. This one clocked in at 3 minutes, 30 seconds. Although he was admittedly full, as you can see from his expression, he forged on…

Blue took a brief break, to let it all settle in before the 3rd and final burrito, but only to have some Mt. Dew and mess with our minds. We knew we’d be buying those burritos, especially when he decided to toy with all of us with this pose. Yes folks, that is the 3rd one, almost gone.

The 3rd was downed in about 4 minutes 15 seconds and that was only because he was having too much fun messing around with us, as we stood on the other side of the table in amazement, horror, and total disbelief. The guy is an eating machine!
We even got our next order free, thanks to the Manager at Chipotle (around $150). When I picked up the order, she asked why there were 3 for Blue, I explained the situation; she loved it and told me that if he did it, to give her a call and the next lunch order was on her! So, I kindly gave her a ring; and, the following week, we got lunch paid for completely!

Thanks for entertaining us Blue! What’s next? It’s been long enough…Hopefully you will be reading another blog soon, with another meat-tastic challenge!

So, for those of you who don’t know, I just got married. It was awesome. It happened on the 21st of November in Tulsa. Mandy and I got a chance to see a bunch of our college friends that we have not seen in a long time. Two weeks have passed, and we are still getting phone calls from different people telling us stories about the night. Everything went well, and now we are back in Dallas living the married life.

The thing that I want to talk about is the fact that Mandy changed her last name to Collins. This concept raised a memory of mine from childhood. When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I woke up one day and walked into our family’s living room. My immediate family was there, plus some cousins, uncles etc. They were all over to watch some football.

Well, I made an entrance and just yelled, “I HATE MY NAME! Cody is a stupid name and I do not want to be called this anymore!!!” Then, I ran out of the room to ponder what name I should be called from this point on…

About two minutes later, I came up with my new name. I was set on it. For sure, this was going to be my name! I ran back into the living room and said, “I will no longer respond to people when they call me ‘Cody’. I will only respond if I am called ‘William’!”

So the day went on, and I stayed strong. I would not respond to my brother, sister, mom, dad, or anyone that was over at our house if they called me by my “old name”. So, people ended up giving in and started calling me William for the day. Then the night came, and I became upset and cried to my parents. “I don’t want to be William. I want to be Cody again,” and I ran into my bedroom and went to sleep.

Well, that was my story, and the point is… I hope Mandy is happy with her new last name! I guess she has no choice. Haha. She’s stuck with it!

SoftLayer Technical Support technicians train continuously for the challenges that are inherent in supporting the vast array of products that SoftLayer offers. Besides training individually in their time away from the NOC, technicians are always talking about issues they have seen, and the resolutions they implemented.

Knowledge gained by one tech in tackling and conquering a specific issue is shared with all for the betterment of the team. Like a gladiator in the bowels of the Roman Coliseum of old preparing for his fight, the SoftLayer Support technician must be ready to do battle. Disciplined cross-training is the order of the day; mental and physical preparation is key. A technician must enter the halls of a SoftLayer datacenter ready to conquer whatever comes through the gates! It is truly a battle worthy of the Coliseum.

You might ask how a day in the SoftLayer NOC resolving technical issues compares to a battle fought in the Roman Coliseum. Well, if you measure a “battle” by the excitement and tension in the air … the blood, the sweat, and yes, at times, the tears, the pain of defeat, and the celebration of victory, then SoftLayer Technical Support technicians are definitely involved in a true battle worthy of the Roman Coliseum on a daily basis.

Picture, if you will, a well-trained, focused individual walking into the Dallas Infomart with his security badge in hand. He is not there to pass the time or participate in some mind-numbing repetitive task. He is there to do battle with a beast named Technology. With a strategic plan in mind, he enters the elevator preparing himself mentally for what surely awaits upon entering his cubicle. As he opens the door to the NOC, he is greeted by his fellow “warriors”. Some are weary from battle, yet have a sense of satisfaction about them as a Roman Soldier of old looking across the battlefield at his conquered foe.

The stories of a multitude of battles won, and maybe even a few lost, are recounted. The technical warrior packs some sustenance from the chow line (the loaded NOC break room refrigerator), and settles into his chariot he likes to call a cubicle, pulling out his weapons, a keyboard and mouse, and bringing up the battlefield onscreen. He begins with the speed of a cheetah typing more and more furiously as each ticket darts to and fro trying to elude him. The warrior is undaunted. He will not be defeated today. Yes, he may need to look to his comrades in arms for assistance in flanking the enemy, but in the end, as a team of highly trained warriors, they will prevail.

This day will not be without its casualties, but the warrior must always repeat to himself, “I will not let our customer’s down. The enemy (technical issues) will not prevail…not on my watch.”

As did the citizens of Rome, I take great pride in our warriors and the superior way in which they continue to win battles for the glory of our customers. The inspiration for this writing came from a recent victory in which a warrior named Stefanus (Steve) stood in victory after wrestling with a beast of an issue, which he finally destroyed while the customer rejoiced and his wealth increased. All the warriors: Krishenus, Jamesus, and Samuel gathered around Stefanus to congratulate him on his victory. Of course, they all knew that the ultimate victory was enjoyed by the SoftLayer customer.

-David

Eight years ago I was blind-sided by a horse, or at least my wife’s out-of-the-blue love for one.

Ginger and I were like most young Dallas couples, our sights set on the typical American dream of budding careers, a small starter home, and if we were lucky, 2.3 children to complete the picture of the modern American, dual-income, go-getter lifestyle we all look forward to growing up.

Then something unexpected happened.

We ventured out of our little bubble in the city for a day in the country with a few friends, one of whom happened to hold down a career about as far from my imagination as possible – farrier. Or in less exotic terms, a horseshoer. Depending on your perspective, things went either uphill or downhill from there.

Before the day was done, my young wife had convinced me she needed a horse. More specifically, she needed Buster – the horse she’d met and rode that day.

Apparently it was love at first sight.

Love between a girl who’d never been on a horse in her life, and a horse who obviously didn’t care much for the primary human benefit of horse ownership – horseback riding.

Before long we were horse people – after surrendering an end-of-year bonus that in my mind was better devoted to the always popular big screen TV and surround sound system. To this day the World Series is still somewhat less than exceptional on our single speaker 27-inch, 12 year-old Sony. With rabbit ears.

But man, does Ginger love that horse.

And I’ve grown to love him as well, along with life in the country. We now have three horses, down from five after the recent sale of Prima and her young colt Cinco, and I find an amazing sense of comfort and solitude associated with life on a small ranch, and the responsibilities that come with it.

There’s something to be said for the smell of a horse after a day pushing pixels around a screen. Or the taste of fresh eggs for breakfast – pulled straight from the coop – instead of a McDonald’s breakfast burrito, wolfed down behind the wheel on the way to the office.

You might think life in the country, filled with the care and feeding of animals, the mending of old fences, the drinking of too much beer on a trail ride; and life at SoftLayer dealing with the ever evolving world of technology and its impact are mutually exclusive. A situation designed to create a constant state of angst – of questioning one’s place in the world. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Regardless of how much those of us at SoftLayer enjoy our work, and the satisfaction we take from tackling the challenges presented by the constant cry for innovation, we all need our hideaways – our place of refuge from the ever increasing pace of modern life. To my surprise, I found that refuge in a horse, and the life that came with him. Hopefully those of you reading this blog will be lucky enough to find your refuge. Life today moves amazingly fast. If you don’t slow it down once in a while, you just might miss the best part.

Here’s to finding your horse, wherever or whatever it may be.

-Ed