1. Reflecting on the last eight years, could you share insights into the journey and experiences you've encountered since the beginning of Blackcore?
It’s very strange to look back and think about how far we’ve come, it’s been a significant portion of my life and I have grown just as much as the company and products have in that time. I’ve been able to work with some amazing people and learn a lot from them. A lesson we learned early on was to be open to feedback and change, almost a decade on and this remains part of Blackcore’s ethos. Client feedback has shaped many of the decisions made at Blackcore and I think that our willingness to work towards a common goal with our clients has really defined our products and services.
2. When did you become CTO and what does your new role entail?
I was promoted to CTO in July 2023, after 8 years of working at Blackcore. During those 8 years, I have shaped the product range and started key internal teams like support and research and development. I know this company and the technology we use intimately. My role focuses on making sure our products, and services fulfill client expectations for the high-performance, enterprise server industry and ensuring we have the right people in the right roles to deliver improvements, new ideas, and better services. I am focused on how we achieve the next step, figuring out what are we lacking, communicating what the data says about our performance, and determining what we are going to be doing 1, 2, or 5 years from now.
3. What has been the highlight of your career so far?
There have been many standout moments, but I think for Blackcore, our first event in New York highlighted how we had evolved as a company and a brand. We had high engagement from clients and vendors alike, and it felt like stepping into “the next phase”. I’ve also had many fun (and sometimes frustrating!) days tinkering with unreleased Intel CPUs. However, something that brings me a lot of joy currently is seeing the various teams at Blackcore grow in size and expertise. I often go into the lab and am met by excited team members waiting to show off the newest prototype they’ve 3D printed, or the latest test results from a proof-of-concept system – it’s great to see the creativity and passion we’ve managed to foster.
4. What advice would you give to younger generations who are interested in a career in technology?
IT is an ever-expanding behemoth – one of the fastest-growing industries for the last 20 years or more. There’s always new tech, emerging markets, and sudden new applications that can have far-reaching effects on society. Look at the recent AI boom for example. For me, this is what makes it special.
All of that stems from the industry being driven by people who are creative, inquisitive, and love to solve problems. If that sounds like you, then you will absolutely thrive in any technical field.
Outside of that, I think the tired old cliches apply - passion, hard work, and career goals are what propel you.
Lastly, I think a key trait is humility, knowing it’s okay to be wrong, and it’s okay if you don’t know everything – as long as you’re open to feedback and prepared to learn. There are many smart people in the industry, seek out their advice and knowledge.
5. What do you envision for the future of Blackcore?
In the short to medium term, our core focus is on customer experience improvements. Right now, we have a fantastic product, with the best feature set we’ve ever had but there’s still a lot we can improve on for the surrounding elements. How clients order, receive, maintain, and interact with Blackcore is a key focus area of improvement for the business. We’re looking heavily at automation, systems improvements, and enterprise toolsets to help make Blackcore easy to integrate into any client's existing ecosystem.
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James Lupton