At Geist, we get it. Data center downtime is our biggest fear, too, which is why we bake reliability into design, testing, manufacturing and maintenance processes for all our products. Downtime has no place in the modern data center, and everything our employees do on the clock in some way contributes to facilitating business continuity. 

Off-the-clock, though, it's a very different story. Just like you, an appreciation of, and enthusiasm for, life inspires us more than anything else. Sure, we bring certain virtues to and from work with us every day – reliability, dedication, honesty, attention-to-detail. But we're at our happiest and most fulfilled when we're with loved ones, or indulging in our hobbies, passions and pet projects. In this context, downtime has a very different meaning. It means worrying less and living more. 

That's why it's people, then process and technology, at Geist. We never forget what comes first, and we value our customers' personal downtime because our own employees can empathize. Here's the proof:

1. Meet Brook Mooney: Biker extraordinaire, survivor, technical product manager

By trade, Brook Mooney is a technical product manager who works on Geist's data center infrastructure management (DCIM) products, Environet and Racknet, in the Fort Collins facility. But on weekends, you'll find him a mile high, sashaying on two-wheels through mud puddles on one of Colorado's many mountain sides. When you see him pop wheelies and expertly navigate precarious terrain on his mountain bike, it's almost hard to believe that just a little over a year ago he was bed-ridden with a life-threatening health condition.

Thanks to the support of his family, his friends and his co-workers, Brook is now back at work creating best-in-class DCIM features by day, and tearing up the mountainside by night. And if you asked him what he likes about his profession, this is what he'd tell you: 

"While downtime in the data center environment is a terrible thing, I love knowing that the products we create help give data center managers the peace of mind they need to really enjoy their own personal downtime."

2. Meet Ranelle Rundquist: Winemaker, landowner, director of product management

Everyone needs some form of safe harbor at the end of a long week to forget their stress. Ranelle Rundquist, director of product management at Geist's Lincoln, Nebraska, facility, finds her rejuvenation in the land. 

For the past decade, Ranelle has been hard at work cultivating grapes at her family-owned vineyard in Syracuse, Nebraska. In 2015, she and her husband corked 500 bottles of wine. They have since launched the Safehouse Winery, which borrows its name from the notion that "everyone needs a safe house both in life and beyond." And when Ranelle isn't in her safe house, she's helping her customers find theirs. 

"I am constantly challenged to improve our products to give our customers solutions that simplify their day-to-day lives," Ranelle says, "so our customers can relax during their own personal downtime."

3. Meet Savio Gough: Family man, outdoorsman, system engineer

Savio Gough, a DCIM system engineer in Geist's London office, is no stranger to hard work. From onsite data center visits to client communications to technical support, there's never a dull day.  

But Savio will be the first to tell you that his family is his life, and there's nothing he values more in this world than a weekend well spent with his wife and children. For him, downtime has a poetic simplicity: skipping stones at the park, helping his son complete one of his most recent LEGO creations, working on a jigsaw puzzle and just joking around with his family. When he is on the clock, Savio takes pride in knowing that he's making it easier for someone, somewhere, to do the same:

"At Geist, I work everyday to design and build systems that provide our customers with the confidence to unplug from their work lives and enjoy their own downtime."

4. Meet Parker Guthrie: Wakeboarder, 'merman', engineering supervisor

Sink or swim? For Parker Guthrie, there was only ever swim. Since age 2, he's been as comfortable in the water as on land. 

When Parker isn't contributing to Geist's data center solutions, you'll find him on a lake in Florida, catching some serious air on his wakeboard, or lounging with his family on the water. But during the week, Parker never feels like he's watching the clock. This is partly because he enjoys the work and the people at Geist, but also because he's aware that the work he does matters much more to clients than meets the eye. 

"I enjoy knowing that the systems I build help prevent downtime in data centers so our customers can get out and enjoy their version of the water - whatever that may be."

Whether on the mountain, at home, in the fields, on the water or anywhere else, the Geist team is committed to ensuring that there's no downtime in the data center, so you can spend your own downtime relaxed and at ease.

What does downtime mean to you?