Data centers play a key role in our digital society and economy. Without data centers, no internet. Who are the people that keep the data center – and thus the internet – running? To answer this question, we interview several professionals that work in the data center sector.
Dr. Ralf Dingeldein, CEO of Technogroup IT-Services GmbH, an information technology service provider for hardware and software in data centers, shares his vision and motivation in an interview with the DDA.
What do you value most in your job?
In my job, I appreciate that there is always the opportunity to continuously improve, achieve new goals and reach new milestones. To do it in a great team of colleagues, clients and partners inspires me every day. And of course, I stand proudly behind our important mission which is expressed in our claim – keep IT running.
What does your company do?
Our company maintains current as well as older IT systems, and provides its customers with support for technology changes, installations, migrations and training. Our growth strategy gives our customers and partners the security and confidence of working together with a large, well-known service provider that is able to provide a high level of efficient, reliable service performance and a very broad range of specialized IT skills.
How would you explain your job to your grandma?
My role is a combination of a motivator and an organizer, it’s about identifying market opportunities and getting colleagues excited about things. Of course, I also focus on implementation of plans and make sure that people have the technical processing options. At the end of the day it is the balance of our values of high performance, heartiness and handshake quality.
What does your typical working day look like?
My typical day starts with getting up and a lot of coffee – “I run on coffee”, I always say. Besides that, I start by looking at the sales and results of the previous day. Throughout the day, I have many different meetings with my colleagues, customers or partners. In the evening I try to let the day end together with my family or with sports. But way too often a dinner with business colleagues or business partners comes in between.
What is your background (studies/career) and how did you end up in the data center sector?
I am an industrial engineer; this is a mixture of business and engineering. I have a PhD in Computer Sciences, worked as an International Management Consultant, and then joined a large company in the machinery business with an extensive service network. The data center currently serves the technician network, which has surprisingly many parallels. As digitization has always been one of my hobbies in the past, the old “brick industry”, which is closer to the machine room or closer to the engine room of digitization, it was about finding a perfect combination. The highly developed and powerful service network in combination with the data centers where you see the automotive platform of all digitization affords, the economy and society, are fascinating.
What impressed you most when you started in this role?
What impressed me most is the level of the sophistication that we do have in our company, with our specialists and engineers in each on their respective fields. Here I feel safe. At the same time, I am very impressed about the speed of response and the quality of resolution of issues on 365 days a year and 24 hours on seven days a week.
What is your ambition in this sector?
My ambition in this sector is first of all to keep the role that we currently have. We are the Third Party Maintenance market leader in the DACH region in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I think we always drive to gain a more meaningful and solid position and also potential to become the market leader in continental Europe. Based on the superiority of our know how, the expertise, of our service network, the agility and speed of response, which are fundamental for our role.
If you would be looking for a successor, what type of person would you look for?
Being at the age of 46, which means I have now reached the middle of my professional career, I am not thinking of a successor. I rather hold to continue as long as I can, that would mean another 20 years before I reach the official retirement age.
Name: Dr. Ralf Dingeldein
Age: 46
Education: Industrial
Engineering
Company: Technogroup
IT-Service
Function: CEO
- Identifying market opportunities - Focus on implementation of plans - Setting strategic goals and making sure they are measurable and describable