meet me room
JIM HART
– BUSINESS CRITICAL SOLUTIONS
Jim Hart has been CEO of Business Critical Solutions (BCS) since its
formation in 2016. Designed to fulfil a need in the market for an integrated IT
asset solution, Jim drives the strategic direction of the company and helps provide
assured outcomes for clients. With a total of 30 years in the M&E industry, he has
spent the past 15 years in business critical facilities such as data centres, mission
critical infrastructure and secure installations, with EC Harris, Mitie and Northcroft.
Can you remember what job you
wanted when you were a child?
I always dreamt of being a fighter
pilot and I actually went through
officer selection and I was accepted.
However, I eventually decided to
go down a different path during
my A-Levels that focused around
becoming a rugby player, which was
my other preferred option!
What attracted you to a career in
the IT industry?
The beauty of the IT industry is that
it never stays still and that change
is always embraced, which is
counterintuitive in the construction
industry. I have always been attracted
to the technology side of things and I
do love a gadget.
Looking back on your career so
far, is there anything you might
have done differently?
Taking the IT asset proposition to
market sooner. The experience
I’ve had in the technical real estate
sector has been fabulous, but times
have changed and now the need is
heavily focused on IT and driven by
IT enablement. Having moved our
focus to the IT asset with a holistic
view of IT infrastructure and technical
real estate needs, we will be able
to help clients more by immersing
ourselves within the IT industry with
the knowledge we bring from the
technical real estate sector.
How do you think the rate
of change in the data centre
industry over the next decade will
compare to the last 10-15 years?
There will be no comparison. If you
look at what has happened over the
last two years and compare that with
the previous five, the rate of change
has been phenomenal. Flexibility and
agility will be key for any business
going forward. If you look at some
of the amazing businesses that have
emerged recently, such as Airbnb,
the world’s largest accommodation
provider, but owns no real estate,
Netflix, the world’s largest movie
house, but owns no cinemas, Uber,
the world’s largest taxi company, but
owns no vehicles. The list goes on, but
the theme is one of an agile approach
that delivers explosive growth – all
underpinned by technology. IT will
become an enabling utility.
Are there any major changes that
you would like to see in the data
centre industry?
Just one. It is vital that the industry
proactively embraces change! This
will ensure the sector continues to
flourish moving forwards.
What are the biggest pressures
involved in your job?
As a specialist consultancy in a
niche market, ensuring we have the
necessary number of employees with
the right mindset and skill base is
always challenging.
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