2024 Trends to Watch Analyst Call: Cloud & Data Center Research Practice

Roy Illsley

Chief Analyst, IT Operations

Roy’s key areas of research include cloud computing, cloud-native technologies, IT strategy, IT operational management, and data center technologies. He also advises on quantum computing, automation, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and workspaces. Roy uses his extensive experience combined with Omdia’s surveys and market data to understand how technologies will add benefit to businesses.

He works in the enterprise team and has over 40 years’ experience in the IT sector working for a variety of consultancy and end-user companies with experience in defense, utilities, automotive, retail, and fast-moving consumer goods industries. He joined Butler Group as a senior analyst in January 2006. Roy has worked on many major report projects, white papers, and primary research. He also delivers keynote speeches globally. He has a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in electronic engineering and telecommunications, an international MBA, and is a Member of the Institute of Engineering Technology (MIET) that holds the registered status of a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

Dennis Hahn

Principal Analyst, Data Center Storage

Dennis covers data center storage technologies, including SAN, NAS, DAS, cloud storage, NVMe over Fabrics (NVMeOF), and software-defined storage (SDS). He has more than 25 years of broad storage industry technology experience, which includes storage systems design, product and project management, corporate and product strategy, and storage innovations development and market insight.

Specializing in storage technologies, Dennis has created winning products, such as the MetaStore SAN, which grew to $60 million in annual revenue. He also holds patents in storage systems design, data caching, and hybrid cloud data migration. He is certified in Agile development practices and cloud solution architectures.

Before joining Omdia (formerly IHS Markit) in 2018, Dennis worked at NetApp and contributed to the E-Series product line, which is worth $1 billion. He also held positions at Symbios Logic, Engenio, and LSI.

Dennis earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, US and MBA from Wichita State University, US. 

Vladimir Galabov

Senior Research Director, Enterprise Infrastructure

Vlad is responsible for the enterprise infrastructure teams at Omdia, including the cloud and data center research practice and the cybersecurity research practice. He guides the teams’ research strategy and produces research with a focus on disruptive trends, such as infrastructure upgrades necessary to enable broad adoption of AI, as well as the impact of AI on the enterprise infrastructure stack.

Vlad joined Omdia, formerly IHS Markit Technology, in 2016. He assumed the responsibility for the cloud and data center research practice in 2021, developing many of its unique, industry-leading technical analyses, including its flagship “single source of truth” data center capex and capacity model. He held senior positions at Intel and Ciena, where his data-led insights served as a central input into the companies’ strategies. Key market models he developed include an in-depth analysis of telecommunications network operations costs, a PC inventory tracker, and an actionable IoT market forecast. Vlad’s work has even facilitated decision-making in the British Parliament. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and management from Aston University, the UK.

Shen Wang

Principal Analyst, Data Center Power & Cooling Systems

Wang Shen is a principal analyst in Omdia, Informa Tech. He has been responsible for the consulting and custom studies in data center tech areas, and now he leads the data center physical infrastructure, thermal management, and sustainability research practice.

Prior to joining IHS Markit (Now as Omdia) in 2017, Wang Shen worked at eldoLED B.V. in the Netherlands as technical application manager on smart power electronic products. Before that, he developed smart conceptual electronic products at Philips Research in Eindhoven, he published technical papers on international journals, and hold several patents.

In the meantime, Shen was also a technical translator and reviewer for industrial publishing houses, and also a columnist for industry medias, he has successfully conducted many research cases, and often gives speeches at data center power & sustainability related conferences or seminars and quoted by industry medias.

Shen earned an MSc (Ir.) degree in Sustainable Energy Technology from Technische Universiteit Eindhoven and a BSc degree in Electric Engineering & Automation from Fudan University.