 Welcome to JSA TV, where we're covering the latest stories, trends, and innovations from leaders in global connectivity, real estate, and the networks within. I'm Buffy Harakitas, and we are coming to you live from Data Cloud USA here in Austin, Texas. And joining me today is Jose Ruiz of Stream Data Centers, where we'll be talking about Data Center customer experiences and the agility within the space. And you are recently a new hire to Stream, so congratulations on your new role. You are SVP of Global Accounts and Platform Strategy. How are you enjoying your new role so far? You know, I'm not even in my full first month yet, but it's been a fantastic experience to just meet the team and really get immersed into everything that Stream is doing so far. Yes, they're a wonderful organization, and your addition to that wonderful organization, Stream Data Centers, follows the industry trends that we've been seeing when it comes to data center procurement and the new improved customer experience. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? Sure, sure. I think that, you know, data center providers and customers are really aiming for the need for this enhanced customer experience, right? Before it was very transactional, and I feel like the complexity of what the requirements are becoming, right, with a lot of the new technology coming online, AI, I mean, there's a thousand buzzwords today that translate into big demands, right? So being able to connect with the customer and go into every opportunity with an open mind and the customer needs to feel that they're getting taken care of, right? And that's just kind of like a cliche, but in essence, if you are really intentional with that partnership, that relationship, a lot of things can happen. Yeah, and you spoke a little bit about these complex demands and these large-scale deployments of enterprises and customers globally. Can you tell us a little bit about what's driving that need up for better engagement and enriched account experiences versus those merely transactional deals? So it's kind of like a shift, right, with customer experience in our industry today. I think so too, yes. I think it's a function that the technology is coming so fast that customers are trying to solve in real time. And as data center providers providing that capacity, I feel like the relationship needs to be more personal, right? We need to be able to understand the customer's growth requirements in a way that we're anticipating what they're going to need so that we can actually act on that growth and be aligned on our strategic initiatives. It's almost like being a few steps ahead of the customer, right? Yes, it's easier said than done, of course, right? But I feel like if you can connect with your customer and establish a relationship that allows them to partner with you so that they can tell you what are their pains, right? What are they trying to solve? How do they want to grow? Where do they want to grow? I think that will certainly enhance these relationships. Yeah, definitely. And of course any customer wants to feel taken care of. It's just the way the world works, especially in today's tech savvy world and landscape, you know, customers have, you know, so many different channels and resources to leave reviews and so on and so forth. So customer experience is more critical than ever. But beyond the pure experience, which we hear stream is really known for, by the way, sure having proper customer engagement strategies can translate into more tangible infrastructure and IT benefits. Can you tell us a little bit more there? Certainly, that was a big question. So let me unpack it. I think that it really requires a symbiotic relationship with the customer. And I think stream has done a great job in having those relationships to date. So not that I'm going to have an easy job coming in, but at least, you know, that partnership has been very well established. And so now we just tailored this data center solution to that customer. And with that comes scalability, with that comes, you know, the ability to allow the customer to focus on their core competency so that we can provide their capacity needs. So it's like they set the table for you and now you get the opportunity to take it to the next level when it comes to customer experience. Yeah, you know, I've been, you know, to date, I don't know, maybe a dozen customer calls and just amazed in how the stream team has actually been able to to connect with these customers. And the conversations are different, right? Instead of being so transactional, right? So, OK, well, there's do you have inventory? Yes or no? Right? It's more of, OK, so where can we grow together? Right. So it's very refreshing. Yeah. And, you know, this market, the data center market is so fast moving and dynamic, you know, it's changing and new markets are emerging every day. What's the secret to balancing a demand for high touch relationships with the need to still be agile and move so quickly to keep up pace? Great question. From my perspective, I think the the the secret is integration. We've been talking about that, you know, being able to have that close partnership relationship with customers, but, you know, being able to integrate at another scale for it in my from my perspective is the key, you know, so that could translate into, you know, technical teams talking to each other and collaborating on what's coming in the next three, five, ten years, right? And I believe that that integrated approach, right, would definitely increase the value of those relationships, thus being able to grow together in this industry. Wonderful, wonderful insight there. As a new leadership hire for stream data centers, let's talk about bringing fresh new ideas and skills to the table and different perspectives on the whole. What do you think would be a good idea for leadership teams to continue expanding strategically at data center companies? And what do you think the data center C C suite of tomorrow will look like? It's a pretty important question, right? When we talk about data center C suites, what what they will look like in the future? Yes, it's a great question. Well, I think that, you know, the C suite will certainly need some some fresh perspectives, right? And and there is there's a multitude of fantastic talent in the industry. I've grown in this industry for for over a decade. And I've seen those people do great things. It's going to take that that thought leadership approach, that creativity approach that that thinking outside the box leader, right, that that can hire great talent and unify a team to get them to work the right way. Yeah, well, that's the C suite of the future. According to Jose Ruiz of stream data centers. Thank you so much for that great insight and thank you for joining us. Jose, is there anything else you wanted to add? No, thank you for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity and looking forward to the rest of this event. Yeah. And thank you, stream for the continued partnership. And thank you viewers for tuning in to JSA TV. Stay curious, stay connected and happy networking.