Moving on From Data Center Knowledge

Today I’m wrapping up my time at Data Center Knowledge. For both myself and our readers, DCK has provided a gateway into technology’s inner sanctum, the buildings where the Internet lives, as well as an introduction to the amazing people who build and operate them. It has also served as my chariot for an amazing entrepreneurial journey, from founding through expansion and acquisition. I’m deeply grateful for the experience.

Data Center Knowledge has been the fulfillment of a vision – the idea that a single journalist could become a publisher to the world. It seemed like a crazy notion back in 2005, especially for a guy who spent two decades working in newsrooms backed by printing presses and fleets of delivery trucks. But the power of the Internet made crazy things seem possible.

Over the past 10 years, DCK’s coverage of the data center industry has reached more than 21 million readers in 241 countries around the globe, from the tech hubs of Silicon Valley to such far-flung locales as the tiny Pacific island of Tuvalu, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and even Antarctica (yes, there’s a data center there).

The web site has grown along with the Internet industry, adding team members along the way. In 2012, Data Center Knowledge was bought by iNET Interactive, which in turn was acquired by Penton last month. This is the right moment for me to move on, and watch proudly as DCK continues to grow and evolve.

The good news: The Data Center Knowledge tradition of “all data centers, all the time” coverage will continue, with Editor in Chief Yevgeniy Sverdlik, Industry Analyst Jason Verge and Content Director Bri Pennington leading the effort. They’ve done an awesome job, and I’m proud to hand off to them. DCK is in good hands.

I’m not riding off into the sunset (although I do hope to enjoy sunsets more often). My plan is to take it easy for a few months, spend some quality time with Colleen and then do something new. I’m still sorting out what’s next, but you can stay in touch via Twitter (where I’ll still be tweeting out links to the day’s hot stories) and on LinkedIn.

The best part of this job has been the opportunity to spend my days connecting with really smart people who are working on Things That Matter. On one level, data centers are just bricks and mortar and power and cooling. The bigger story is that data centers power the digital economy that is transforming our world and our lives.

Sure, the Internet delivers tweets and status updates and cat pictures. But data centers also provide the mission-critical infrastructure powering 911 systems, the financial markets, global payment processing and government operations. It’s a compelling story, and one that has a long way to run. Thanks for accompanying me on the journey thus far. There are exciting things ahead.