There are businesspeople and then there are entrepreneurs; Marjorie Zingle fits firmly in the second category. She has an innate ability to successfully lead companies. After selling her last business, she found the entrepreneurial pull remained too strong to ignore. She quashed the idea of retiring and instead set out in a completely different direction.
“Being an entrepreneur has to do with the ability to look into the future and not really care that much about ‘business’,” says Marjorie Zingle, CEO and founder of DataHive. “All entrepreneurs know is they want to go to the moon or build gasless vehicles or build a company in a new way. Then they must surround themselves with the right people to make that dream happen.”
After she sold her third successful service company, an associate pointed her toward a failing data centre. “The facility was in desperate condition with few paying clients. The power was spasmodic, and the connectivity was almost zero. It was just a terrible mess,” she says. She purchased what was left of the data centre, then bought a small web hosting business that was being run by two SAIT students and dove headfirst into finding out more about what was necessary to turn the business around.
Zingle cleaned and painted the space, removed non-paying customers and set out to secure Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to support the business she intended to grow. With a couple of ISPs in place who believed in her, she began hosting client websites as she generated her vision for a data centre to be named DataHive. Over the next four years she grew the business, bringing in knowledgeable professionals along with new equipment to open the door for expanding DataHive’s offerings. She built upon the website hosting base and moved into the ever-evolving world of data centres, providing clients with efficient, cost-effective and secure IT solutions.
The result was an early iteration of today’s DataHive: an accomplished data centre offering secure solutions from colocation and hybrid cloud to deep-dive security testing.
Next, DataHive brought 30 top-tier ISPs on board, including five highly respected international providers. Her team fosters incredible relationships with all Canadian telecom companies to ensure clients’ IT needs are always met.
“We offer thousands of Points of Presence (POPs) worldwide to give our clients reliable, secure international reach. Additionally, DataHive has installed POPs in five different downtown buildings to provide state-of-the-art Edge service,” Zingle says. These services attract clients of all sizes from many sectors and geographic regions. Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company or a start-up just finding its footing, DataHive has become a valued and trusted IT partner.
What DataHive Can Do
The company learned early on that when it comes to Internet connectivity and response, seconds count. Clients look for both reliable and fast connectivity to support their global interests. To deliver this, the team offers tech solutions made easy with agnostic connectivity, boosting clients’ performance and scalability. With strict constantly monitored temperature control, 24/7 technical support, and three 100 per cent-dedicated bandwidth usage capacity at all times, this and other services help ensure the client experience is never compromised.
Clients have the option to colocate in customized cabinet space, from single servers to locked cabinets for multiple servers to an entire suite. This private colocation was the genesis of DataHive secure services, which is now celebrating its 20th year in business.
Busting Barriers to Break Through
The quality service and product that clients enjoy at DataHive have come from a determined work ethic and drive that started decades ago with founder Marjorie Zingle. She is a trailblazer in business, advancing as a sales rep at 21 years old by facing chauvinism head on and then continuing to fight against sexist notions in the business world as she ran her own businesses, all of which featured strong women in key roles.
“Chauvinism has changed but it’s still here. I’ve experienced it to varying degrees all my life. You do get some respect after you’ve proven yourself, but it’s just that you shouldn’t have to prove yourself over and over again,” says Zingle.
Now, this accomplished entrepreneur combats ageism and has battled to lay to rest the idea that technology, and starting a business in it, is just a young person’s game. She was recognized for her achievements with a “Seven Over 70” award given to prolific entrepreneurs who launched new ventures at an age when others were retiring. Zingle has also recently been recognized with 40 other much younger Calgarians when she received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for her entrepreneurial contributions in Alberta.
Zingle shares her experiences earned over decades in the working world with aspiring young people, and her mentorship has contributed to the success of the next generation of business leaders. Her advice to them is to be a sponge and soak up as much information as they can in order to learn to build their own success. Just as three amazing senior entrepreneurs helped guide Zingle in her business journey, she endeavors to do the same for others as they seek their own life dreams.
Zingle ensures that DataHive helps support important causes including the Red Cross, Salvation Army and War Amps. Her favorite is the THIRD ACTion Film Festival which celebrates positive aging and a productive third act in life. From starting her own charity or supporting her team buying gifts for the Secret Santa Service program, focusing on people in both philanthropy and business is a vital pillar of the company.
Staff Goes Several Steps Further
The company has been driven to serve, both the community and its clientele since the beginning, and a focus on exceeding expectations is ingrained in the business.
“It is part of the corporate philosophy to provide unparalleled service to clients,” says John Zhao, Operations Manager.
That means employees answer the phone and are available for questions and concerns 24/7. The team also educates clients about how the Internet and data transfers actually work, and the techs are happy to come in early or stay late to accommodate a clients’ schedule or timezone. The staff of 10 professionals – and growing – are dedicated to DataHive’s success and take pride in contributing to their clients’ success as well.
Zingle’s entrepreneurial leanings had her seeking out people who possessed certain skills and were wired to learn and grow. As a result, she has amassed a diverse group of people whose unique experiences and backgrounds introduce a different way of looking at challenges and situations that arise. This cross-functional thinking, along with the personal attention given to large and small clients alike, has led DataHive to grow and establish itself as a respected player in the industry.
“Working in a relatively small company like DataHive brings greater visibility. Having the opportunity to enjoy wider responsibilities and tasks, plus a closer relationship with coworkers creates a more collaborative environment.DataHive’s staff has an amazing teamwork ethic no matter the situation,” says Krisztina Ivaszuk, Communications Development at DataHive.
Alberta to the World and World to Alberta
Alberta businesses know the importance of reliable, secure, high-quality Internet to interact globally. When moving data around the world, speed and productivity become a priority. Security is also an absolute necessity when moving data back and forth between timezones.
“I first realized the necessity of a strong international Internet service when a message from New York peered to Chicago, Seattle and Russia before arriving in the client’s server in Calgary. From that day on, we actively pursued a goal to offer our clients the fast, consistent, quality transfer needed in the 21st Century,” Zingle says.
Now, DataHive clients have neutral connectivity and direct access to over 30 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) physically located in DataHive. Collectively this represents some 6,000 points of presence worldwide. In fact, the service allows clients to negotiate directly with the provider of their choice.
Clearly, DataHive’s status as an ISP hub opens an exciting new vista for Western Canada businesses looking to expand their operations across continents. With two decades of expertise and counting, DataHive possesses the ability to facilitate global data transit no matter the scale – from start-up to enterprise.
Cybersecurity is serious business and business leaders understand how crucial it is to ensure their data is protected. To reinforce this, DataHive goes the extra mile employing two Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH) who continually monitor network and data transfer intrusions at entry points. By diligently seeking out anomalies, possible vulnerabilities are identified, and this constant oversight helps ensure prevention of unwanted intrusions.
To stay on top of illegal eventualities, a security framework is continually updated, which has resulted in over 16 years of freedom from data centre compromise for clients.
“Every server in the world is under threat of hackers every moment, even as new software is created. The competition amongst black-hat hackers is very serious,” says Tomas Florian, Enterprise Architect. “By working with a client, our CEH can help reveal the presence of unwanted, illegal activity.”
Occasionally, it is necessary to help clients protect data from threats within their company as well. Recently, for a client who suspected his confidential emails were compromised, DataHive’s CEH helped create a plan to verify his suspicions and then safeguard future communications.
Managed Services
DataHive maintains strong relationships with clients and the team goes above and beyond to ensure they are providing great service in all areas 24/7/365. With the company’s managed services, clients based outside of the city can work with DataHive’s specialists on changes needed for their servers. Knowledgeable and skilled technicians make these managed services important value-added time savers and offer peace of mind for clients.
Also, with the ever-increasing need for a safe way to connect client-to-client securely, DataHive became the first data centre in Western Canada to offer an Internet Exchange Point (IXP). This infrastructure allows client-to-client data exchange directly without going onto the Internet. This not only provides faster inexpensive service but also helps keeps client data secure by isolating it from public networks.
One area that has captured the attention of clients is private cloud storage as a way to secure active data. As a Canadian company with strict privacy laws, clients are assured safekeeping of important or often-used data.
“What sets us apart is definitely our client-focused approach to everything. We recognize the uniqueness of each client, go several steps further to uncover their specific requirements and then creatively provide solutions that fit like a glove. ‘One-size-fits-all’ doesn’t exist at DataHive and that’s what makes it exciting,” says Eunice Abiona, Business Development.
The culture and core values instilled from day one are of innovation and service through teamwork and respect. There are regular meetings and lunches and special recognitions to celebrate great work. This also helps to ensure the work each staff member undertakes matches what he or she is most passionate about.
The Next Act
DataHive’s vision is one of staying ahead of the curve and the team is proficient at keeping both technology and business practices on the cutting edge. For example, while no clients have asked for it yet, the data centre is ready with 5G for when they inevitably will. It also is regularly upgrading systems, technology and equipment to ensure clients enjoy the best service to meet their efficiency goals.
“It’s a matter of always looking to see what it is you can do next or what opportunities the demand will bring,” says Zingle.
Opportunities abound and DataHive has expanded its offerings to include virtualized services. Clients enjoy the advantages of operating their own business without the expense of purchasing and maintaining hardware, the operating system, automatic data backups and the benefits of an Edge data centre. This allows client data to be quickly processed locally before connecting to other networks further afield.
Data centres have a reputation for being big energy consumers, and Zingle is involved with a group of industry professionals across North America seeking efficient ways to reduce energy demand and operate in the most energy efficient ways possible. Last year, the company increased the data centre power efficiency by 20 per cent’.
“Every year our plan for the future is when a door opens, go through it. If it slams shut in your face, another door will open,” says Zingle. For 20 years, DataHive has been encountering doors and breaking through them to bring clients the best, most modern data management and security options possible.
“I foresee nothing but a promising future for DataHive. With so many growing opportunities in Edge computing, cybersecurity, hybrid storage and so many other industry verticals, these are exciting times for DataHive,” says Abiona.
And as a consistent fixture in an ever-changing global landscape over the past 20 years, DataHive looks forward to being part of these exciting opportunities ahead.
DataHive’s mission is to empower clients with state-of-the-art technological solutions designed for specific applications. As Guardian of sensitive data, DataHiveSecure seeks to provide innovative resolution of corporate safety challenges, increasing security, reducing operational costs and latency.
340, 840 – 7th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 3G2
Calgary sales: (403) 313-1106
info@datahive.ca • datahive.ca
