Paul Walker - Virtualisation Specialist

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How did you get where you are today?

I've been in the IT industry, on and off, since around 1986. In that time, my employers have included Interface Solutions, one of the largest distributors of IBM technology in the UK, and Notability, which was acquired by Logicalis in 2005. Since about 2002, when I started working with VMWare's products, my main interest has been virtualisation technology. My current role at Logicalis is virtualisation team leader.

What are you working on right now?

Well, for one thing, me and my team along with other teams in Logicalis are building a resilient, load-balanced virtual infrastructure stretching across two campuses for a major UK university. And a lot of my role is involved with capacity planning and design, including handling tenders - there's a massive amount of interest in virtualisation right now, because it's the best way to tackle data centre costs, the primary challenge many organisations are facing right now.

Who or what has been the greatest influence on your career to date?

At one stage in my career, I was working in a photographic laboratory for three brothers who had set up the business in their garden shed and built it into a network of eight branches around the UK, which enabled them to retire early as multimillionaires. They taught me a lot about the human side of business, and about relating to other people as your peers, regardless of management hierarchies. I've kept their ideals with me throughout my career and, most importantly, their ethos that you should do what you love in life. In fact, they gave me the opportunity to get out of the photography and back into IT when they challenged me to build them a network for sharing electronic files at a time when digital photography was in its infancy.

Who in business do you most admire - and why?

For the reasons outlined, I admire anyone in business who is successful at doing what they really love.

What aspect of your job do you find most satisfying?

Helping people both within Logicalis and our client base to achieve their goals.

What has been your most valuable lesson learnt?

Don't chase a big carrot! I once made the mistake of leaving a very comfortable position when I was headhunted by a new start-up with promises of big money and a better lifestyle. The venture capitalists pulled out of that business and I ended up with no job at all. Sometimes, you've just got to think really hard before making difficult decisions, and consider all the likely consequences of that choice.

Which are you favourite websites and blogs?

I'm a regular visitor to the VMWare technical forum, http://www.vmtn.net/

How do you spend your downtime? Where? With who?

I spend it with my wife - she's a bear artist who makes and sells collectors' teddy bears internationally and in the UK.

What lifetime ambition have you yet to achieve?

My boyhood dream was to visit the Seven Wonders of the World, which we learned about at primary school. I've yet to see even one of them!

Tell us one thing that most people don't know about you...

I run http://www.endometriosis.org.uk/, a website that offers support to women suffering from endometriosis [a painful gynaecological condition that affects one in five women worldwide]. My wife suffers from this illness, so I know how important it is that other sufferers don't feel like they're alone. Right now, we're campaigning for Downing Street to recognise endometriosis as a chronic debilitating illness under the Disability Living Allowance guidelines, because sufferers are sometimes in such constant pain that they can't work. You can support this work by signing the petition on the site.