Employee Spotlight: Randall Wofford, Senior Manager, Data Center Operations

Meet Randall Wofford, Amobee’s Senior Manager of Data Center Operations. Besides working with his team to ensure the efficacy of our data center operations, Randall enjoys golf, fishing and busting moves as a Chicago Stepper. Get to know Randall, his passion for advocating change, and his excellent advice on making this “new normal” more adjustable in today’s Employee Spotlight. 

What exactly does a manager of data center operations do? What’s an average day like for you?

A typical day in the life of data center operations consists of overseeing all break-fix tickets; supporting business partners, for example: engineering, product, finance and their initiatives; project management of new deployments and decommissioning of older hardware. Capacity planning space, power and cooling, inventory management and contract management are also part of our remit. My team manages, monitors and supports over 6,000 servers and network hardware to ensure compliance to data center standards remains operational at all times. 

Big picture, why did you join Amobee?

Over the course of nearly two decades, I devoted myself to three Fortune 500 companies and when the opportunity presented itself to work for a truly innovative company with a start-up mentality, I jumped to the opportunity. I was intrigued with the prospect of building on the founder’s enthusiasm and commitment to the dream.

What makes Amobee the right fit for you?

Bringing my experience and knowledge to figure out the what, when and why, create, take risks and be on the bleeding edge of technology.

What do you enjoy most about working here?

Amobee is opportunity-driven where the focus shifts from ideas to action to implementation. This is very rewarding to me and, as a leader, my role is not to prevent problems or slow the pace of change. Instead, my goal is to focus on accelerating my ability to recognize and resolve problems.

What is it about the company’s vision and mission that motivates you?

I believe we are on the cusp of becoming the industry leader in TV, digital and social advertising, where embracing change and walking the talk aligns between vision, strategy, structure and resources will lead to a high rate of satisfaction for everyone.

At Amobee we value employee development, how do you keep growing and learning in what you do?

Covid-19 only accelerated the need for virtual collaboration. Although I miss face-to-face interaction, Amobee provides the right tools and opportunities to continue expanding my knowledge and staying up-to-date with industry trends, all while staying connected with my peers.

Many global Amobee employees are still working from home. Do you have any work-from-home tips for success you can share?

The key to success is to have a dedicated office space with limited distractions. Once the work day is complete, it is important to literally close the door and enjoy work-life balance.

As someone who has been working remote pre-pandemic, how do you practice  collaboration and staying connected with your colleagues?

I have been working remotely for a while, and the only change the pandemic has created for me is that my colleagues are adjusting to having more video or phone calls and managing their time effectively. 

When you are not hard at work, what do you like to do for fun?

Just about every weekend you can find me on the golf course. I picked up fishing during the pandemic and before Covid-19, I was an avid Chicago Stepper (type of swing dance), but it will be a while before I go back to it.

What are you looking forward to most in the next five years? 

We have a strong entrepreneurial presence and I see Amobee in the adolescence stage teetering on the brink of being in an optimal prime position where change is embraced in order to gain market share from weaker competitors. 

Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

One can argue the U.S was dealing with two distinct pandemics in 2020: Covid-19 and the fight against systemic racism. Amobee sits at a crossroads in its ability to help shape the narrative, illuminate injustice and demand responsibility in journalism. I am proud of the work that we’ve done and continue to do to support causes that matter. I joined Amobee to embrace my entrepreneurial spirit but I’ve gained so much more. I’ve been able to inspire, mentor and create real change. 

 

About Amobee

Founded in 2005, Amobee is an advertising platform that understands how people consume content. Our goal is to optimize outcomes for advertisers and media companies, while providing a better consumer experience. Through our platform, we help customers further their audience development, optimize their cross channel performance across all TV, connected TV, and digital media, and drive new customer growth through detailed analytics and reporting. Amobee is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tremor International, a collection of brands built to unite creativity, data and technology across the open internet.

If you’re curious to learn more, watch the on-demand demo or take a deep dive into our Research & Insights section where you can find recent webinars on-demand, media plan insights & activation templates, and more data-driven content. If you’re ready to take the next step into a sustainable, consumer-first advertising future, contact us today.