January is a busy time of year and we recognize this. That's why we were so pleased that despite having to push back our Meet @ Markley by a day this month (all due to Winter Storm Janus), we still had a great turnout and interactive session. Our guest presenter, Eric Bell of Cisco Systems, presented on a hot topic that is definitely on everyone's mind right now: securing mobility. It's a conundrum in many organizations - trends like BYOD and device/app innovations cause issues with network security and traffic optimization.  It's an inevitable industry shift, but luckily for us and our attendees, Eric shared best practices, both from an industry perspective, and to shed light on some of the solutions that Cisco offers, to help combat these challenges. Essentially, in order to offer such connectivity and understanding that employees and outside constituents will bring unsecured devices, the network must ensure three important practices to achieve unified access and mobility: predictability, visibility, and control.  

Q: You brought an interesting background to the company. Before joining Markley Group, you were involved in real estate, correct?

Jeff: Yes - that is correct. I helped create a leasing and management company for a 15-property portfolio in New York and held the position of Director of Leasing for two commercial portfolios, consisting of more than 12 million square feet of real estate.

Q: What made you want to join Markley Group?

Jeff: I was intrigued by the company and the unique challenges that a data center has - building and maintaining a secure but accessible building, what needs to be done to enable access for customers and room for expansion, etc. I thought there was some real crossover between my expertise in real estate and designing mission critical space and what Markley's needs were. Besides, I really wanted one of those portraits done of me.

Q: In your mind, what makes Markley Group different than other companies? Why should a company work with Markley?

Jeff: From day one at Markley, our only goal has been to make sure the client is happy. This starts with the initial visit to our facility and doesn't end when an agreement is signed. Our long term perspective on our business really enables us to be proactive in serving the client instead of having to focus on short term results.

You can find the rest of the interview here.