Think about the number of trade associations with roots in the data center industry and the impact on our professional and personal lives. Just to name a few: AFCOM, 7×24 Exchange, Infrastructure Masons, the Data Center Coalition, and the Data Center and Cloud Committee of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) which I am proud to chair.
Trade associations create the backbone of the data center industry—its community. During the COVID crisis, the data center community has emerged more important than ever before. If you work in the data center industry, it’s a great time to join a trade association and become active in that group.
NVTC is one of the largest and most influential tech associations in America. My colleagues on the Board of the NVTC include CEOs and senior executives, from companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Verizon, Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, CACI, General Dynamics and SAIC, and 10 presidents from colleges and universities with a combined enrollment of over 260,000 students. This Board along with more than a thousand member companies and partners gives NVTC a global reach.
The NVTC Data Center and Cloud Committee has more than a hundred member companies with a Leadership Board made up of senior executives from CoreSite, Digital Realty, Dominion Energy, Equinix, Google, InterGlobix, Munters and Visa. We are known for hosting exclusive, off-the-record briefings with industry leaders, influencers and experts. That’s an insider’s view that you cannot get from going to trade shows. Before COVID, our meetings would draw 100+ attendees for a 7:45 a.m. networking breakfast followed by a special presentation. But how can this committee and its community be effective when in-person briefings become Zoom calls?
Jennifer Taylor, President & CEO, NVTC
“NVTC is taking a leadership position enabling its 500 member companies to connect and network in order to help the regional tech sector innovate, grow and thrive, as well as create more in-demand jobs for the incumbent and future workforce,” said Jennifer Taylor, President and CEO of NVTC. “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our region’s economy, makes NVTC more relevant than ever before, as tech leaders look to collaborate with one another through the council’s member communities and digital events.”