The Unsung Heroes
of the Digital Age

Twin brothers Zachary and Jacob Smith are quintessential guardians of the digital frontier, jointly carving a unique path through the tech landscape while sharing a familial bond of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Zac, whose journey began with a childhood lawn-mowing enterprise alongside Jacob, has spent the last two decades perfecting the art of automating infrastructure platforms and building cloud experiences. His pivotal role in developing early Linux host Voxel and co-founding Packet has marked him as a key architect in cloud hosting, network automation and data centers. His leadership at Equinix as the Head of Edge Infrastructure further solidified his status as a luminary in the domain.

Jacob, combining his passion for digital infrastructure with a diverse background in creative marketing, co-founded Packet and orchestrated the development of its brand, developer & open source communities, and GTM machine. His leadership with industry partners — including Intel, AMD, NVIDIA and ARM — established Packet as a true industry innovator. At Equinix, Jacob worked to integrate and then scale “Metal” within Equinix’s global engine and spearheaded the company’s relationship with the developer and cloud native ecosystem.

Both inside and outside their tech endeavors, Zac and Jacob demonstrate a passion for community and creating new opportunities for others. From investing in and advising startups via their “Humans of the Internet (HOTI)” initiative, to rolling up their sleeves with dozens of community, social justice, and arts organizations.

Together, the Smith brothers exemplify a harmonious blend of business acuity, technological leadership, and community involvement. They are celebrated as guardians whose legacy is not just built on ones and zeros but also on the profound impact they have on the tech industry and the people who make it all happen.

Thank you, Zachary and Jacob, for your visionary contributions to digital infrastructure. We salute you!

Nabeel Mahmood is a vanguard in the tech landscape, renowned as a Technologist, Futurist, influential Board Member, and dynamic Keynote Speaker. Fueled by the pivotal question of “what’s next?”, Nabeel’s passion lies in harnessing technology for transformative and strategic advantage, while emphasizing the critical importance of digital leadership to forge the enterprises of tomorrow. He champions the philosophy of purposeful simplification in an increasingly complex digital environment.

Over two decades, Nabeel led major global tech companies through rapid growth, mergers, acquisitions, and international scale-ups. His expertise spans Big Data, Cloud, IoT, and Data Centers, showcasing a comprehensive command. An innovative spirit drives him to shape future enterprises with visionary zeal.

As a strategic foresight architect, Nabeel excels at identifying and utilizing the hidden potentials within new technologies. His influence extends beyond typical executive roles, reaching into boardrooms and advisory circles, where his wisdom shines in top-tier corporate environments. His advice acts as a guiding light for businesses, leading them towards future preparedness and inspiring innovative growth.

Amidst tech prowess, Nabeel Mahmood embodies giving back to foster community growth. His efforts uplift communities, champion causes, and drive social change through education, empowerment, and sustainable development. Nabeel’s philanthropy resonates compassion and empathy in society.

In the grand tapestry of technological evolution, Nabeel stands as a beacon of inspiration, a paragon of visionary leadership, and a harbinger of transformative change.

We salute you, Nabeel, you are a true titan of tech and a benevolent steward of humanity.

Rebecca Weekly’s passion for solving complex problems and driving execution with a team-first approach has established her as a formidable force in the world of digital infrastructure. Her readiness to embrace conflict, learn from being challenged, and her commitment to customer satisfaction are hallmarks of her leadership style.

As the VP of Platform and Infrastructure Engineering at GEICO, Rebecca is a guardian of the cloud, leading their ambitious hybrid cloud transformation. Her strategic vision was previously manifested at Cloudflare, where she led the automation of their expansive compute, network, storage, and AI systems in 300+ cities and 100+ countries delivering >20% of the world’s Internet traffic.

With an impressive tenure as President and Chairperson of the Open Compute Project, Rebecca has championed the scalability of hyperscale innovations, earning her recognition on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 and Business Insider’s Cloudverse100 lists, alongside being named CloudGirls Trailblazer for her impact on women in technology.

Outside her transformative work in tech, Rebecca’s life is rich with creativity and leadership, from rocking as the lead singer of Sinister Dexter to expressing her artistry through dance and choreography. A devoted mother and an MIT alumna, Rebecca Weekly embodies the essence of a guardian—shaping the digital landscape while nurturing the growth of her team, her family, and the global community.

Thank you, Rebecca, for your outstanding leadership. We salute you!

Rob Coyle’s journey from a lineage rooted in construction to becoming an advocate for sustainable data centers reflects a fusion of tradition with cutting-edge innovation. His hands-on upbringing, paired with his education in aviation systems, ignited a passion for technology that led him to the data center industry. There, Rob recognized the urgent need for innovation and sustainability within these vital facilities.

Armed with expertise in mechanical and electrical systems, Rob has advanced his career by pioneering open-source, modular data center solutions, advocating for sustainability, accessibility, and cost-efficiency. His conviction in open infrastructure is a cornerstone of his vision for a greener future.

Rob’s belief in the transformative power of community and shared knowledge has been evident through his contributions and leadership at the Open Compute Project. Committed to empowering communities and driving significant progress, he focuses on dismantling technical barriers, thus allowing individuals and organizations to pursue their missions effectively.

Thank you, Rob, for your dedication to community empowerment and your relentless pursuit of breaking down barriers. Your work continues to inspire and enable a more sustainable, accessible, and efficient world. We salute you!

Dean Nelson stands as a paragon in the realm of global digital infrastructure, his career spanning over three decades is a chronicle of dedication and transformative leadership. As the driving force behind Cato Digital, he pioneers in delivering cost-efficient, carbon-neutral compute platforms, strategically positioned to meet contemporary needs.

As founder of Infrastructure Masons, Dean has led a community that’s vital to global infrastructure projects worth over $200 billion. His pioneering work at Uber, especially the Metal as a Service (MaaS) platform, has impacted services globally, from ridesharing to autonomous tech development. At eBay Inc., Dean significantly scaled digital platforms for a massive user base and was instrumental in the high-profile eBay-PayPal split.

Dean is acclaimed in the tech industry for his architectural and operational innovations, including the sustainability-focused Digital Service Efficiency (DSE) method. His influential work in data centers is driving a more efficient and connected digital future.

Thank you, Dean, for your exceptional service and for inspiring a legacy of progress and sustainability in the tech world. We salute you!

Navigating the vast and intricate domains of data centers, cloud, and digital infrastructure, Bill Kleyman emerges as a beacon of expertise and innovation. His accolades, including the global recognition by Onalytica Study for his pioneering contributions to cloud computing and data security, speak volumes of his leadership in the industry. With over a decade and a half devoted to cybersecurity, virtualization, and the data center sphere, Bill’s insights are not only profound but transformative.

His partnership with the Infrastructure Masons culminated in notable accolades such as the 2020 IM100 Award and the 2021 iMasons Education Champion Award, underscoring his relentless pursuit to diversify and enrich the digital infrastructure talent landscape. Bill isn’t just an industry analyst; he’s a visionary, guiding digital infrastructure teams to redefine the paradigms of data center design, cloud architecture, and security frameworks. As the esteemed Program Chair for the AFCOM Data Center World Conference and a contributing voice in leading digital infrastructure publications, Bill Kleyman stands tall as a guardian, shaping, protecting, and innovating the pillars of our digital world.

Thank you, Bill, for being an inspiring Guardian and trailblazer in our industry. Your legacy will undoubtedly echo for years to come. We salute you!

With a commendable legacy spanning over four decades in the IT industry, David Cappuccio stands as an emblematic Guardian of the Infrastructure. His esteemed 30-year tenure at Gartner, culminating as a Distinguished Analyst and VP, is a testament to his unmatched expertise and profound influence in the sector.

At Gartner, David didn’t just observe the transformation of IT; he led and shaped it. Managing diverse teams across domains like AppDev, Networking, Data Centers, and more, his leadership has been instrumental in steering both technology research and its practical application, managing organizations of varied scales and significant financial responsibilities. Nowadays, David shares his immense domain knowledge in various capacities, illuminating the path forward in an ever-evolving digital world. His unparalleled experience and dedication make him an undisputed Guardian, ensuring our digital infrastructures are not only robust but also future-ready.

David, thank you for your invaluable contributions to the industry. We salute you!

Ed Soo Hoo stands out as an inventive intellectual at Lenovo’s Field C Suite, where he bridges technology and enterprise to craft transformative business solutions.

With a special knack for navigating the dynamic realm of edge compute, data centers, and cloud, Ed aids leaders in harnessing fresh organizational capabilities.

His unique approach to operational models, grounded in a deep understanding of the “new normal”, is further elevated by smarter technology and design thinking principles. Thank you Ed for everything you do. We salute you!