Uptime Institute Membership
2023 Fall Americas Conference

The Westin Phoenix Downtown
Phoenix, Arizona, United States

October 24-25th, 2023

SPEAKERS

Digital Infrastructure Experts from Around the Globe

Matt Stansberry
Matt StansberryVice President, North America at Uptime Institute

Chris Brown
Chris BrownChief Technical Officer
at Uptime Institute
Ron Davis
Ron DavisVice President, Digital Infrastructure Operations
at Uptime Institute
Daniel Bizo
Daniel BizoResearch Director at Uptime Institute

Mike Doolan
Mike DoolanGlobal Operations Director at CBRE

Mark Shanley
Mark ShanleyVP Project Delivery
at US Bank
Scott Killian
Scott KillianVice President, Global Membership Services at
Uptime Institute
Todd Traver
Todd TraverVice President, Digital Resiliency
at Uptime Institute
Ryan Orr
Ryan OrrVice President, Topology Services
at Uptime Institute
Jacqueline Davis
Jacqueline DavisResearch Analyst at Uptime Institute

Tiffani Jarnigan
Tiffani JarniganESG Process & Innovation Manager at HPE

Max Smolaks
Max SmolaksResearch Analyst at Uptime Institute

Andrew Stevens
Andrew StevensPresident & CEO
at CNet Training
Jay Dietrich
Jay DietrichResearch Director, Sustainability at Uptime Institute

Sudhir Kalra
Sudhir KalraEVP of Global Operations at Compass Datacenters

Nathan Cutteridge
Nathan CutteridgeArchitecture Senior Advisor at Cigna/Evernorth

Conference Agenda

Agenda subject to change and will be updated as we finalize speaker and presentation details.

Day 1 - Tuesday, October 24th, 2023

8:00 – 9:30am

Breakfast Provided at the Hotel

Breakfast provided at the hotel before the data center tour.

9:30 – 10:00am

Data Center Tour, Walk to Data Center, Security Check-In

Depart from the front of the hotel lobby for attendees that signed up for the tour. Security check-in will be conducted upon arrival at the site. Photo IDs are required for security check-in.

10:00 – 12:30pm

Data Center Tour

This year we'll be visiting Digital Realty's Downtown Phoenix data center at 120 East Van Buren Street. 

12:30 - 1:00pm

Return to the Hotel

1:00 - 2:30pm

Lunch and Data Center Tour Feedback Session at the Hotel

Tour attendees will meet for a working lunch to note best practices and opportunities for improvement observed during the data center tour.

2:30 - 4:00pm

Break & Networking

4:00 - 5:00pm

General Member Registration

Conference materials will be available at the Membership registration table.

5:00 - 5:30pm

Conference Welcome & Executive Perspective

Matt Stansberry, Vice President, North America, Uptime Institute
Scott Killian, Vice President, Global Membership Services, Uptime Institute

Conference welcome and general announcements.

5:30 - 6:30pm

Industry Critical Update and Panorama

Max Smolaks, Research Analyst, Uptime Institute
Chris Brown, Chief Technology Officer, Uptime Institute
Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute

Uptime Institute presents the popular Panorama session, where the panelists and delegates discuss trends, events, and outages affecting the digital infrastructure industry.

6:30 - 8:30pm

Welcome Reception & Dinner at the Hotel

Join us for an enjoyable networking opportunity with a reception and dinner at the hotel.

Day 2 - Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

8:00 - 9:00am

Breakfast Provided at the Hotel

9:00 - 9:35am

How and Why Data Centers are Becoming More Regulated

Jay Dietrich, Research Director, Uptime Institute

Data centers everywhere are becoming more regulated, especially in the areas of resiliency and sustainability. In this session, we will consider why this is happening, what form the regulations are taking, and provide some guidance on how operators should respond.

9:35 - 10:10am

Water Usage: Metrics and Cooling Technology Choices

Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute
Jay Dietrich, Research Director, Uptime Institute
Ryan Orr, Vice President, Topology Services & Global Tier Authority, Uptime Institute

As water becomes a growing concern globally, it's essential to monitor and reduce its use in our digital hubs. This panel will discuss the importance of tracking water consumption in data centers, offering insights into practical steps for efficiency and sustainability. Simple changes can lead to better water use and a smaller environmental footprint.

10:10 - 10:45am

Managing for Resiliency in Chaotic Times

Matt Stansberry, Vice President, North America, Uptime Institute
Ron Davis, Vice President, Digital Infrastructure Operations, Uptime institute

Data centers are at the heart of an organization's digital infrastructure, serving as the backbone for mission-critical operations. However, with increasing complexity, unpredictability, and external threats, ensuring resiliency has become paramount. This session delves into the strategies, best practices, and emerging technologies that can help organizations effectively navigate the chaos and fortify their digital infrastructure against disruptions.

10:45 - 11:00am

Break: Refreshments available

11:00 - 11:30am

Heatwave Inside the Data Center

Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute

Typical server silicon power has jumped threefold in a decade. The industry at large anticipates a continued steep trajectory for server power in the coming years as a bout of competition between chip vendors, as well as between cloud operators, push chip and system design envelopes. This growing concentration of heat will pose as a growing pain for data center infrastructure. Liquid cooling is widely seen as an end-all solution to this challenge and a solution for sustainability issues, but these expectations may prove overly optimistic.

11:30 - 12:00pm

Resiliency Challenges of High Density Cooling

Jacqueline Davis, Research Analyst, Uptime Institute

Densifying IT will press cooling systems to handle high heat while still delivering resiliency and efficiency, steering operators to refined precision air cooling designs as well as direct liquid cooling (DLC). Jacqueline Davis discusses how data centers can remain resilient as cooling systems evolve to accommodate dense IT.

12:00 - 12:30pm

Reducing Cost & Carbon Through IT Efficiency

Jay Dietrich, Research Director, Uptime Institute
Tiffani Jarnigan, ESG Process & Innovation Manager, HPE
Nathan Cutteridge, Architecture Senior Advisor, Cigna/Evernorth

Tracking and improving data center infrastructure energy efficiency, meaning the data center energy use relative to the total work processed, is critical in helping organizations to contain both the costs and carbon emissions that result from IT infrastructure growth.

12:30 - 2:00pm

Lunch Provided at the Hotel

2:00 - 2:30pm

AI & Power: What We Know So Far

Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute

Generative models are driving an unprecedented AI hype-cycle, with projections of soaring investments. As anticipation builds for next-generation AI, experts foresee a surge in data center capacity needs. Yet, how AI will reshape data center infrastructure remains unclear. In this presentation we explore what AI may mean to the infrastructure.

2:30 - 3:00pm

IT and Facilities: Addressing the Disfunction

Matt Stansberry, Vice President, North America, Uptime Institute
Ron Davis, Vice President, Digital Infrastructure Operations, Uptime Institute
Sudhir Kalra, EVP of Global Operations, Compass Datacenters
Mike Doolan, Global Operations Director, CBRE
Mark Shanley, VP Project Delivery, US Bank

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, the synergy between IT and data center facilities is essential for seamless operations and business success. However, many organizations face challenges stemming from the dysfunction between these two critical components. This session looks into the issues, strategies, and best practices for achieving harmonious collaboration between IT teams and data center facilities management.

3:00 - 3:30pm

Digital Resiliency: Observations and Findings

Todd Traver, Vice President, Digital Resiliency, Uptime Institute

In an increasingly interconnected and digitally reliant world, businesses and organizations face a growing need for digital resiliency. This session presents valuable insights, real-world observations, and key findings to ensure your organization's digital operations remain robust and adaptable in the face of disruptions.

3:30 - 3:45pm

Break: Refreshments available

3:45 - 4:15pm

Understanding the Human Factor: Knowledge, Certifications, Qualifications and Mitigating Human Risk

Andrew Stevens, President & CEO, CNet Training

Whilst it is a fact that unplanned data center outages occur, with a surprisingly high amount of these being attributed to human error, it is a subject that is very rarely openly discussed. Here is where Andrew Stevens will start that conversation. He will delve into the importance of on-going knowledge development, how you can prove individual and team skills, and how tapping into their potential will help to identify, address and mitigate human related risk within mission critical facilities.

4:15 - 4:45pm

View From the Field: Management & Operations

Ron Davis, Vice President, Digital Infrastructure Operations, Uptime institute

Observations from 10+ years of management and operations assessments - insights, lessons learned, and recommendations for continuous improvement.

4:45 - 5:55pm

Open Mic: Inside Track & Technical Roundtable

Uptime Institute will lead a discussion on relevant Inside Track discussion topics. This will be followed by an open forum allowing attendees the opportunity to pose questions and discussion topics to the Membership and the Uptime Institute team on pertinent issues and topics.

5:55 - 6:00pm

Conference Closing Remarks

Scott Killian, Vice President, Global Membership Services, Uptime Institute

Closing comments and announcements

6:00pm

Adjourn - Networking and Drinks at the Hotel

Register to Attend

Registration Details

There is no charge to attend this event.

Attendees are responsible for their travel and hotel expenses, and any additional food and entertainment expenses outside of the conference.

Registration is open to Uptime Institute Members and invited guests. Membership events are not open to equipment vendors, suppliers, consultants or engineering firms.

Requests to attend will be reviewed and approved by Uptime Institute staff.

Submit your registration request and our team will follow up on your request within 72 hours via email.

Seating is limited, so please take a moment to register now to secure your spot at the Conference. 

Event Location:
The Westin Phoenix Downtown
333 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 85004
+1 602-429-3500

Registration Closed

We hope you were able to join us.

Registration for this event is now closed.

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Membership is the industry’s largest community of end-user professionals responsible for the development, management, and operation of mission critical digital infrastructure. Uptime Institute Membership is open to companies who own and operate their own digital infrastructure or use colocation or cloud providers to power their critical IT needs.