Meeting Fred
Baumhardt
Fred Baumhardt has recently joined the ranks
of VMware locally as Regional Director for
Sub-Saharan Africa. We take some time out to
get to know him a little better.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where were you born &
what did you aspire to be while you were growing up?
them into a more inclusive economy. I see the major global
players and their huge R&D budgets bringing technology to
Africa as they develop it, meaning global experiences that
are cloud-driven will be available to Africans on the same
day as to North Americans, Asians, Europeans, and others.
Q: Virtualisation and the cloud. Fact or fiction?
A: Virtualisation and the cloud is as much a fact as oxygen and the air we breathe. Whilst there is still a place
for non-virtualised hardware-dependent technology in the
world, virtualisation and cloud computing will very soon account for the vast majority of human computing, although it
will still be inappropriate for a few scenarios. The discussion
though, is rapidly moving away from words like virtualisation, and moving to business words like agility, flexibility,
and elasticity.
A: I was born in Brazil in 1976, and have lived in five countries (UK, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, and Switzerland),
and have spent a lot of time in France and the US. Personally I believe I’ve made a great decision in moving to South
Africa which will be my home going forward. I was educated
in Brazil, Canada and the UK, and spent time at university
in Canada and Switzerland, after which I aspired to go into
business and work in the corporate world.
Q: How did you get involved in the IT industry? Was it
by accident or design?
A: I got into IT because I was good at technology and
engineering, and all things academic seemed a bit dry to
me. Playing with hardware and making things work was a
passion. I saw the arrival of the internet and the first 9600
baud modems giving way to DSL first-hand. The fact that
people paid me to do what I loved was a bonus!
Q: Why IT specifically though?
A: I joined the ranks of our industry as a lowly help desk
and lab assistant at university. I found that IT (NT 3.51,
DOS, and Windows 3.1, with some Solaris) came easily
to me and I loved making computer systems work. It went
from a hobby to a passion. I would spend time overnight
and all my spare time setting up systems for small businesses almost for free. Over time, I got into consulting, and
did some pretty big projects and joined Microsoft in 2000.
I worked my way up from consulting, into technical sales,
then sales, then sales leadership. My days with network
cards, server guts, racks, and kit are a fond memory, and I
love getting into data centres as much as possible. Now at
VMware I am privileged as I get to spend a lot of time with
partners and customers who are building the most dynamic
and advanced data centres in the world right here in
Southern Africa!
Q: What is your view of the local IT industry, and what
do you think will be the main drivers shaping it in the
future?
A: I am passionate about the potential of the African IT
industry. Technology, especially mobile, is a great equaliser
in allowing us in Africa to empower our citizens and bring
Fun Facts:
Favourite car? Range Rover diesel – but a close second is
any true AMG from Mercedes.
Favourite holiday destination? Skiing in the Alps.
Favourite drink? Mojito – and from my Brazil – caipirinha.
Favourite place to live? Johannesburg- best major city in
the world!
Favourite music? All types – I like dance music, rock and
80s and 90s. But I also like classical and chilled-out electro.
XBOX or PS4? Xbox One wh