In an industry seen as highly commoditized, how do you differentiate? Doris Li Yeh, CEO and Founder of Mirapath, says the key to success starts with “providing the right solution, not necessarily the most expensive one.”
You might be thinking, I’ve heard that before. Fair enough – healthy skepticism is essential to good decision-making. So, bear with us a moment as we fill you in on Mirapath. Then, we’ll tell you exactly why the company is unique in its industry.
Mirapath is a data center and engineering lab infrastructure provider. The company helps its customers design, procure, install and manage IT and data center infrastructure, and provides equipment, software, consulting and hands-on services for data center deployments. They also decommission data centers, which is something you don't often read about but would need, if you were making significant changes in your hybrid IT strategy—for example migrating to a colocation data center.
DPIM Methodology – A Complete Solution Approach
Although a CoreSite Channel Partner headquartered in California, Mirapath has delivered racks, structured cabling, wire management, power supply components and deployment assistance for customers in multiple CoreSite facilities across the United States. And while they’re a longtime CoreSite partner, they are a supplier- and vendor-agnostic organization.
Almost every company is evaluating digital technologies aimed at automating core business processes. Data center expansion is foundational to that ongoing digital transformation, and enterprises want to reduce risks while accelerating the implementation of their data center investments. Careful planning, rapid execution and cost control are essential for achieving those goals. However, the fact is that the majority of companies making the move into colocation or expanding their on-premises data center simply don’t have the experience or resources for such digital infrastructure transformation projects.
That’s where the consultants at Mirapath come in. Jay Kahlon, Director of Services, and his team start each engagement by leveraging a methodology called “DPIM,” short for design, procure, install and manage.
“Our approach is very customer-centric,” says Kahlon. “We know from experience that each business truly is unique and that designing the best solution happens only by asking the right questions, both in terms of the technology and business goals, and listening objectively when customers describe the problems they have.”
A consultative approach has become more important, as so many companies turn their attention to artificial intelligence. With high-density, data-intensive use cases requiring more power and cooling than ever before, it’s literally business-critical to ensure the data center offers an environment capable of delivering performance and flexibility in what is uncharted territory for most enterprises.
Of course, a successful solution depends on collaboration with the data center provider. Mirapath’s trust in CoreSite is based on multiple engagements in which their customers were very happy with CoreSite’s data centers, operations personnel and customer service. “You make it easy for our customers. When they need something, you address it really quickly, and we have the same core values around customer service and experiences,” Kahlon says. "I think those are things that make the partnership work really well.”
Customer Success Manager – A Channel for the Voice of the Customer
Experienced IT teams know that technology alone does not drive success. The relationship between the provider and customer is a major determinant of the initial outcome and ongoing data center management. The dynamics of those relationships can be very different, depending on roles. Some customers are uncomfortable with conflict; it’s just human nature. Recognizing this, Mirapath created a Customer Success Manager position, which is rare in the industry.
That person is Jodie Lin. Her primary job is to be an unbiased liaison who will ask, even before there’s a problem at hand, “How can we make sure our relationship is better?” That puts Jodie in a very comfortable position with customers, and once they see that her desire really is to help them, they tend to be more forthcoming. “The dialogues that we have with our customers inspire us to keep innovating,” she explains. “While the seeds of that are sown when we ask a ton of questions, their transparency during and after implementation pushes us to continually improve our methodology.” Everyone wins.
Recruiting – A Vehicle for Futureproofing the Business
A June 2024 report forecasts that the demand for tech talent will grow to 7.1 million tech jobs by 2034 in the United States, from an estimated 6 million in 2023.* AI and digital transformation in general are exasperating an already vexing talent shortage issue.
Jodie echoes that finding, adding her own take on the situation. “More than 45% of our industry professionals have 20 to 25 years of experience. So that means all of us in the business will to be going to a lot of retirement parties very soon.”
What is Mirapath doing to take on that issue? Recruiting!
Mirapath has been connecting with talent at events such as Data Center World and Cisco Live. They have realized, however, that reaching out to potential future industry professionals needs to start at the high school and even middle school level. Mirapath brings in speakers from companies such as Netflix and TikTok to talk with kids about how data centers enable the steaming services and social platforms that are second nature to them.
Jodie points out that CoreSite data center tours are a significant part of the recruiting efforts. “CoreSite is an incredible partner, providing tours that are extremely helpful. Your Data Center Operations Technicians are proud of the facilities, and that comes through when they describe how data moves from one place to another, how power, cooling and backup systems work, and talk about the internship opportunities available in what is a very, very lucrative career. Not a lot of people know that.”
How the CoreSite/Mirapath Partnership Adds Up to Your Advantage
Simply stated: You can’t go it alone when it comes to IT modernization. It’s too complex, experience is paramount and, considering the pace of business today and the absolute necessity of digital transformation, the success or failure of your business is at stake.
And the fact is that not all data centers are equal, and not all IT infrastructure providers have the comprehensive set of time-tested services and staff to minimize risk and control costs. We’re confident that when CoreSite and Mirapath combine forces, your data center migration, expansion or optimization will be executed with precision and speed.
We’re ready to prove that! When the time is right, contact Mirapath at solutions@mirapath.com or get in touch with CoreSite to learn more about how our partnership can be to your advantage.
References
*State of the Tech Workforce, CompTIA (source)