Serge Charles

I'm a Consulting technical specialist with an extensive background in data centre technology spanning almost three decades across many different customer-facing roles. In one of my last positions, I worked as a Technical Solution Architect with Cisco, supporting the Sales teams, channel partners, and colleagues nationwide.

I enjoyed all aspects of a sales cycle: from the initial customer meeting to workshops and product demos, solution design, PoCs and helping customers explore their new purchase's capabilities. As a trusted advisor with a strong belief in the products I support, I always strive to meet the customer's needs.

Engaging with clients at all levels is extremely rewarding, and I have presented at hundreds of customer meetings, seminars, and workshops and conducted product- and solution-based education. In addition to excellence in selling technology, I have strong analytical problem-solving skills and am highly solution-focused. With the communication skills required to manage and work actively in cooperation with teams and individuals, I efficiently achieve desired goals in storage, x86 server architecture, networking, and virtualisation.

Despite my "extensive" 30-year career, I still felt I hadn't had the total IT exposure I desired when I left Cisco. I had several offers to do the same things effectively. But I had a short break instead to catch up on some personal stuff, including completing a Holistic Management course with Inside Outside Management. The course offers training in holistic management principles and how it can help you achieve better outcomes for yourself and your business. With these guiding principles, I set out to get a broader understanding of the world of IT. This change has led me down the path of working as a freelance consultant. This change has enabled me to understand better how different parts of the IT world connect and influence each other. It's like viewing a vast ecosystem, where each element plays a crucial role in the overall functioning.

Holistic Management principles, learned during my short break, surprisingly became a guiding light in my career shift. I discovered parallels between managing a business and navigating the complexities of IT. Like in nature, my central focus was fostering a sustainable and interconnected approach within the IT landscape.

By stepping away from my comfort zone and exploring new approaches, I found a path to personal and professional fulfilment.