Getting acquainted – a chat with a NonStop insider

Similar to our interview with Karen Ramirez a few issues back, Connect wanted to hear from HPE Product Management Manager Ian Inglis.  Ian has been in the position now for two NonStop Technical Boot Camp events, so it was high time to find out more about him and his NonStop Vision.

Ian, I know we have known each other for a while now but please tell the Connect readers a bit about your background prior to taking over NonStop product management.

Yes, happy to, I have been in the industry for quite some time, having had experiences with telecommunication systems, graphics workstations, UNIX servers, and prior to my current role I managed the HPE mission-critical scale-up servers’ portfolio.  Those experiences are a combination of technical and business that led me to having many different roles and working in several countries.   I joined the NonStop team in December 2022 and currently reside in northern California.  I’m also an avid fan of Formula One racing and I am looking forward to a trip to Silverstone, U.K. this year for the British Grand Prix.

Well, you’re in good company, I know Antonio Neri is a big fan of Formula One and even lent some of our AI talent to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in 2021 when they won. What did you know about NonStop before taking the position and what has surprised you about NonStop?

What I knew about NonStop before taking this position was based on working with Karen Copeland.  Thanks to Karen I got familiar with the great work that she led. For example, the effort it took to pull together the NonStop Technical Boot Camp and incorporate customer insights and feedback into the NonStop Solution and Roadmap direction.  At that time, she was also launching the “Showcase” program to integrate partner products into the NonStop portfolio. So, I was certainly aware of the strong NonStop solution, partner network and customer community.

We certainly miss Karen. She left us way too soon, but she’s about the best mentor/peer you could have had to take over NonStop Product management. It’s good to know you worked closely with her. Ian, now that you are more familiar with the ins and outs of NonStop, what would you like the rest of HPE to know and understand about this technology?

There is already a high awareness about NonStop within the executive ranks given the household customer names and the criticality of the role that NonStop plays in payments, manufacturing, telecommunications, healthcare, retail, and transportation globally.  Having attended two NonStop TBC‘s, I do not believe the NonStop customer base is aware of the regard HPE has for NonStop. What we can certainly do is step up our marketing of the value proposition and where we play a role in our modern world. This is key to not only attracting new customers but also to keeping the eco-system excited about the future and the place and role that NonStop will play in.

Ian who do you feel is NonStop’s biggest competitor at this point?  Who should we be ‘watching out’ for?

Competition is omnipresent, so I worry less about them than I do in trying to delight our current customers and to seek out new customers to provide an always on, modern platform for them to build their businesses upon. While my team and I interact with customers on a weekly basis, we had a very powerful customer experience during the NonStop TBC in Denver with the North America Customer Council.  There we had kind of a who’s who in payments, retail, and financial services.  The feedback provided was both insightful and candid, but most importantly it gave us key feedback on what mattered most.  I am grateful for that experience and look forward to the GTUG event in Europe in April this year.

Do you see new directions for NonStop post KLT (Kernel Level Threading) and Public Cloud?

That is always an interesting question because it is like trying to forecast accurately (smile).  What I am led by, are the customer needs and I am very interested in how we can solve their business challenges with solutions, not just a product.  Mega-trends like cloud, AI/ML, are things that we can do with our platform and partner solutions today.  Security is a great example where we have solutions that mitigate the more egregious threats to a business.  We’ve got the heuristics already there that can defend against ransomware or fraud.  Looking further ahead, I am delighted to have our new R&D Director, Arun Fernandes and his team of architects looking at what’s beyond the immediate top-of-mind concerns and I am looking forward to how we can delight customers even further.

We’ve experienced some executive changes at the end of 2023. Has that changed NonStop directions or strategy?

Yeah, sometimes I think we all get concerned with change, but in this case, with Casey Taylor coming onboard customers should feel confident that the business is in very good hands.  She has a tremendous background, and everyone is very excited for 2024 and beyond.  What’s clear is that HPE remains committed to the HPE NonStop business and we are seeing renewed focus and energy which is great for our customers, partners and our people.

Ian, we all appreciate your time and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We’ll see you at NonStop TBC in Monterey if not sooner.