Introducing Mark McGinn, Chairman & Founder of MarXtar Group. Mark is a seasoned professional with over 25 years’ experience of delivering Systems & Service Management across the full spectrum of Senior Management, Marketing, Product Management, and Technical roles. Mark has been referred to as the Yoda of the IT world.
On 18 April at 10am, Mark will be taking to the stage at SITS, Theatre 2, to present ‘Black Holes in Asset Management.’ In this seminar, he will discuss some common problems in IT asset management and how rectifying them requires a holistic approach, with a focus on accuracy, and compliance.
- How did you get into the profession?
‘Constructive laziness’ as I prefer to call it; that, and an aversion to getting wet. I started out in a particularly rainy corner of the north of England supporting PCs and networks. Getting to some of the systems meant crossing open areas of the sites I worked at, so a desire to be able to do things remotely, stay out for the rain, and to minimise the steps required to deliver repetitive tasks so that I could spend more time on things that were more interesting led me to endpoint management tools and integrating them into early service management tools.
- What advice would you give young people looking to get into the industry?
At the beginning of your career, the thing that you love and are best at might not even exist yet, which is something I’ve always loved about being in IT. Look around you and learn what you can about what you can see. Be flexible by building your knowledge and understanding how different aspects of IT come together so that whatever comes your way you can adapt and excel.
- What’s your most memorable work moment?
At a previous company we would often do fancy dress and thought it highly amusing to dress up for the evening event of our main vendor’s partner conference in Munich, Germany. Unexpectedly, I found myself the recipient of an award for engineer of the year, so had to head up on stage in full Bavarian mode wearing knee-length lederhosen with a particularly fetching feather in my cap. The American CEO presenting the award didn’t even crack a smile.
- What are the key points you’ll be covering in your seminar session at this year’s SITS?
“Black Holes in Asset Management’ will cover a range of areas, but I suppose the main part is that often we see a gap between the people that want to use the information and the people responsible for the provision of that data. With the proliferation of data sources, a lack of understanding of where data comes from, and what data is used for, can lead to some challenging situations.
- What are you looking forward to the most at SITS?
For me, SITS is an opportunity to catch up with people I don’t otherwise get a chance to see. This can be people at the various vendors as well as people I’ve known over the years.
Meet Mark at SITS, The Service Desk & IT Support Show, on 17-18th April 2024, ExCeL London. You can now register for your free ticket here.