Episode 025 - Rob DeVita - Past, Present & Future of OPEN IX & Carrier Hotels

Rob attended one of my data center bootcamps in Denver years ago and instantly became an advocate for the education I was providing the industry. It took all of a few minutes for me to become a huge advocate of his as well, as he is, truly, a master of his craft. He also knows how to throw truly epic parties, which is another shared passion of ours. After nearly 2 decades working for various data center service providers, Rob made the jump to the client representation side exclusively last year and hasn't looked back. Our conversation covers the evolution of Open IX, an organization he currently serves on the Board of, lessons learned working in the industry, and a candid conversation about what the future of interconnection and carrier hotels might look like. Show Notes: 1:12 Episode Starts 3:34 Rob’s upbringing and getting his start in the industry 8:57 Working at AT&T 11:13 Working at Telex 12:31 Why Rob left 15:52 Rob’s thoughts on the Equinix acquisition 20:42 How is the heavy amount of construction going on in the suburbs affecting Dallas? 26:35 Why Rob decided to start his own consulting firm 28:53 What is Open-IX? 33:07 How Open-IX has evolved and how Rob got started in it 36:55 Are major companies like Google and Netflix still involved in Open-IX? 40:23 Should these major companies get a different rate? 43:07 Why are companies like DXLink trying to enter the US marketplace? 47:22 How will affect the monopoly companies like Equinix have on the marketplace? 52:25 Rob’s advice for newcomers in this marketspace 1:00:13 How the prime equity money coming into the industry is affecting how businesses operate 1:08:33 What is something you have learned over the past few months that has blown your mind? 1:11:37 Is there anything new entering the field that will change the industry? 1:13:56 The best advice Rob received while working at AT&T 1:19:20 How to get in contact with Rob Majeticks Website: http://mejeticks.com/