IT Infrastructure Upgrades

Hotel tech adoption isn’t stuck because hoteliers are scared of spending. In fact, hotels spend many millions every decade on renovations, replacing furniture, fixtures, equipment, and upgrading HVAC systems without blinking. So it’s not about cost aversion. It’s about the perceived return on tech (and more crucially) the pain of getting there. Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly updates: https://lnkd.in/eHP5ida2 Unlike a room refresh, which shows immediate impact on guest satisfaction and average daily rate, tech upgrades are an invisible improvement. And they come with short-term disruption which is extremely real: retraining staff, adjusting workflows, and dealing with the inevitable problems when new systems go live. The gains are long-term and hard to quantify; the pain is immediate and very measurable. I’ve been a hotel managers going through PMS change, and the disruption is real (even if the system was better). Every team (front desk, housekeeping, reservations, night audit) needs training. Productivity takes a hit. Tempers flare. Guests feel it. And the manager has to hold it all together with a “smile”. Also, B2B software rarely “just works.” And unlike consumer tech, hospitality systems need niche functionality to handle the unique complexity that every hotel seems to have. The tools are built to be feature rich, not user friendly (yes, there are exceptions). In my opinion change management is the real blocker to hotel tech adoption. We don’t need better sales decks or flashier features. We need tech that’s easier to implement, intuitive to use, and respectful of the chaos that is daily life in a hotel. We need training tools that don’t assume everyone works 9-to-5 from a desk. It’s understandable that hotels to favor the furniture upgrade over the software one. One brings immediate revenue. The other brings disruption with a promise of future optimizations, it is the emotional perspective, the rational one is that tech is directing the majority of our lives today. If only we could build systems that were so easy to use that there was not training needed.

📣New NCSC Guidance on PQC Migration Timelines The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) just released a new publication to help organizations prepare for the shift to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This 16-page paper outlines the key steps for migration, how different sectors may need to adapt, and timelines for navigating this multi-year transition. “Timelines for Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography” breaks down key activities and recommended milestones to guide long-term planning: 📌 By 2028 • Complete discovery of crypto dependencies • Create your initial PQC migration plan 📌 By 2031 • Migrate highest-priority systems • Refine your roadmap based on ecosystem maturity 📌 By 2035 • Complete full PQC migration across your estate “It will not be possible to avoid PQC migration, so preparing and planning now will mean you can migrate securely and in an orderly fashion.” 💬 Link to the guidance in the comments. #technology #innovation #informationsecurity

How to prepare your hotel for the Agentic AI upheaval? I believe priority #1 for independent hoteliers, midsize and smaller hotel brands is to create true two-way APIs among three crucial technology pieces: PMS-CRS-CRM. This is the only way to prepare the property for the agentic AI, expected to take over hotel bookings, guest relationships and personalization over the next years. Where do hoteliers start? Implement a CRM technology to aggregate all of the property’s first-party and zero-party data, which is then cleansed, de-duped, enriched and appended. If you already have CRM in place, consider upgrading to a CDP to empower property operations and deliver above-and-beyond customer service and personalization. First-party data is the customer data (past customers & guests, website users, opt-in email subscribers, lists of corporate travel managers, meeting planners, wedding and event planners, SMERF group leaders the property has been doing business with or at least in communications with, etc.) that comes from the PMS, CRS, WBE, from the property's website, opt-in email sign-ups, even customer lists sitting on laptops of sales and marketing personnel. The CRM (and CDP for more complex independents, midsize and smaller brands) provides “a single source of truth” for guest data and creates 360-degree guest profiles, augments these with preferences, social media ambassadorship, customer engagement data, etc., which enables ALL hotel departments to do their job more efficiently and effectively. The more you know about your guests, their preferences, their likes and dislikes, their past stay history, and their RFM value (Recency, Frequency, and Monetary), the better you can deliver value, recognition, and personalized service. AI can make this process a thousand times more efficient and effective. Ex. Operations can now anticipate guest requests and preferences, and personalize customer experiences; Marketing can finally embark on one-to-one marketing and can significantly increase customer engagements via similar audiences marketing. First-party and zero-party guest data have become more precious than gold today due to government privacy regulations as well as browsers and search engines own privacy protections. The moral of the story? Before jumping into futuristic AI connectivity projects with Model Context Protocol (MCP) or Agent-to-Agent (A2A), take care of the fundamentals to prepare for the upcoming Agentic AI upheaval that will, inevitably, take over hotel bookings, guest relationships and personalization over the next years.

We talk scale and speed, then move like we’re underwater; invisible chains have a way of making excellence feel heavy. When ambition outpaces adaptation, friction wins. Cultural resistance, lack of vision and strategy, and inadequate IT infrastructure are the key culprits holding us back from reaching our full potential. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞  Change is a social process, not a software install. If the new way feels riskier than the old way, people will anchor to yesterday. Make the purpose unmistakable, make the path safer and easier, and reward visible behaviors, because stories and incentives outpace mandates. 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞  What do you think the chances of a successful transformation are if everyone has a different definition of what it means? Effective strategy specifies ends and means: a one-page teleology (why), a measurable objective function (what), sequenced commitments with resource trade-offs (how), and explicit disinvestment choices (what not to do). 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 Strategy collapses on brittle architecture. Modernization requires semantic consistency (a governed data ontology), interoperable integration (APIs over swivel-chair workflows), and explicit management of architectural debt (retire, refactor, or ring-fence with timelines). Reliability, security, and latency are not afterthoughts; they are the preconditions for scale, insight, and speed. Name the constraint. Design the cut. Make possibility operational. What other ‘shackles’ have you seen holding companies back? 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 '𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤' 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬:  https://lnkd.in/ejgDfiJC ******************************************* • Visit www.jeffwinterinsights.com for access to all my content and to stay current on Industry 4.0 and other cool tech trends • Ring the 🔔 for notifications!

Data Centers from an Electrical Engineer's Perspective ⚡️ Hello, everyone! As an electrical engineer, I've had the fascinating opportunity to work on a data center project with a capacity of 7.2 MW. I’d like to share a simple explanation of what a data center is, from my point of view. At its core, a data center is a building that acts as a massive storage facility for servers. Today, a significant portion of these servers is dedicated to storing and processing artificial intelligence (AI) data. But what does a data center look like from the inside, especially during the construction or foundation phase? When I see a data center, I look at a huge open space—often called a "data hall" or "white space." The critical part is ensuring this space and all the valuable data it holds are powered and served with the necessary energy. This is where the electrical engineering work truly comes into play. The power infrastructure can be broken down into two main parts: • Main Power Supply: This is the primary source of electricity from the local utility grid. We use large transformers to step down the voltage. For our project, we had 2500 kVA transformers. • Emergency Backup Power: A continuous power supply is non-negotiable for a data center. We have a robust backup system to protect the data and ensure operations never stop. This system consists of two key components: • Emergency Generators: These powerful generators, also rated at 2500 kVA, kick in automatically if the main power fails. • Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) System: This is a battery system, also at 2500 kVA, that provides instant power for a short period—just long enough for the generators to start up and stabilize. This is just a glimpse of the work I've been involved in recently. In the coming posts, I'll dive into more detail, especially focusing on power management, energy efficiency, and how we can achieve the required savings in a world where AI data centers are constantly demanding more power. Stay tuned for more! What's your experience with data center infrastructure? #DataCenter #ElectricalEngineering #PowerManagement #AI #Infrastructure #Technology

In the EU, Less Than Five Years To Migrate to PQC for High-Risk Areas The EU Commission now agrees with the US that the migration away from public key cryptography is with FIPS 203 (ML-KEM), FIPS 204 (ML-DSA) and FIPS 205 (SLH-DSA). Overall, ML-KEM will replace our ECDH key exchange methods, ECIES hybrid encryption and RSA OAEP encryption, while ML-DSA and SLH-DSS will replace our signature methods of RSA PSS, RSA PKCS#1 v1.5, ECDSA, and EdDSA. Now the EU — through the NIS Cooperation Group — has mandated a deadline of 2030 for the migration of critical infrastructure (eg water, energy, health care, finance and transportation) and high-risk domains for PQC (Post Quantum Cryptography) migration. This includes a First Steps and a Next Steps approach to the migration process. The foundation of this approach comes from a report from 18 cybersecurity agencies in the EU. In the report, it is recommended that organisations perform a quantum threat analysis for all their assets that use cryptography. From this, they need to develop a risk-oriented roadmap, which includes crypto-agility, and then plan the migration. Additionally, the report emphasises the importance of ongoing investment in PQC research and standardisation. The proposed timeline is: - By 31/12/2026. Implementation of First Steps by all Member States, and PQC roadmaps defined. Planning for high- and medium-risk use cases will be underway. - By 21/12/2030. The Next Steps are implemented by all Member States, and high-risk use cases have been implemented, and with transition planning for medium-risk ones. - By 31/12/2035. All of the migrations should be completed for every risk level. Read more: https://lnkd.in/evxgqFgw

From silent risk to silent victory. Not long ago, our data center environments were still carrying a hidden vulnerability: several critical devices were running on single power sources. It was a legacy design choice one that no longer aligned with the standards of resilience and high availability we strive for. We knew it was time to raise the bar. Today, I’m proud to share that every single device in our data centers now runs on dual power completely eliminating single points of failure. And we didn’t stop there: we also completed a full PDU tech refresh with zero impact on live systems. And here’s why this matters: Doing this in a highly critical, always-on environment — like in the banking or financial sector — is not just an upgrade. It’s a milestone. It means every change had to be precise, risk-aware, and flawlessly executed. The impact? • Rock-solid infrastructure • Reduced operational risk • Stronger service continuity for mission-critical operations Sometimes the biggest wins don’t make noise. But they change everything. #DataCenter #Infrastructure #HighAvailability #BankingIT #Resilience #TechLeadership #ZeroDowntime #OperationalExcellence #ITTransformation

I watched a booking platform crash at 2am last night. The damage? $47,000 in lost reservations. Here's what most travel companies don't realize: Your tech isn't just "supporting" your business. It IS your business. A few hard truths I've learned: 1. Downtime compounds: That 30-minute outage doesn't just lose current bookings. It loses trust. Forever customers. 2. Legacy systems are ticking time bombs: "It's worked for 10years" means it's 10 years closer to catastrophic failure. 3. Mobile-first isn't optional anymore: 73% of travel bookings happen on phones. If your site loads slow, they're already on your competitor's app. 4. Integration gaps kill conversions: Customer enters info 4 times? They'll abandon at step 3. Every. Single. Time. 5. Your backup plan needs a backup plan: One server failure shouldn't mean business closure. But I've seen it happen. The travel industry moves fast. Your technology should move faster. Because while you're "planning to upgrade next quarter," someone just booked with the company that upgraded last quarter. Speed wins. Reliability wins. Seamless experiences win. Everything else? Just expensive lessons waiting to happen. P.S. What's the worst tech failure you've experienced while traveling? I'm curious how many nightmare stories are out there.

Even if you founded Orbitz and raised $30M+ for a travel startup. Doesn't mean it's going to work out. Travel startups are difficult. What most likely happened and why this travel startup failed. Journera, a heralded travel tech startup recently announced it was shutting down. They said in a press release that they "could not see profitability in sight." Why this innovative startup most likely failed and others like it will continue to fail. 1) Couldn't raise anymore capital for the business and cutting edge technology. When you go the VC route you have to keep on raising money. You never really stop until you sell, go IPO or become profitable. The later is really difficult when you take VC $. 2) Limited traction, meaning the core target customer didn't really need the product or service. In the travel industry the greatest asset is the transaction (a booking). If you're not creating a transaction or very close to it you're worth a lot less. 3) Launching B2B products into the travel industry with novel technology is highly risky, most fail. Why? The travel industry runs on 10-year cycles. It takes 10-years to get penetration for a novel technology product and 20+ years for adoption. The travel industry doesn't buy-in quick enough thus your stuck grinding away trying to survive. Journera just ran out of time. They need 5-10 more years. 4) Selling through to companies and people to benefit travelers is difficult. In B2B you generally always have to sell through people at companies to commercialize. You have to convenience the product head, the COO and other higher ups that your product or technology will benefit their customers in some way. This takes huge amounts of time and is why sales cycles in travel for B2B are 6-months (short), 24-months (long). The Journera CEO/founder is super talented. He will go on and build something in the near future that will impact millions of people. I can almost guarantee that. This travel industry is super difficult. Don't get discouraged. Startups are difficult and more fail than succeed even with huge amounts of cash. If you're starting or building a travel startup take a look at the TSi ON-demand video travel acceleration program. In the program we discuss things that not many in the travel industry talk about. Our goal is to help you advance your startup 6-18 months from where you are now and we point out a lot of the risks and pitfalls you'll most likely run up against. Some I've mentioned above. Keep building, keep risking, let's continue moving the travel industry forward. #ceos #ceo #travel #traveltech #traveltechnology #mergersandacquisitions #travelindustry #entrepreneurship #india #travel #innovation #technology

The ERP Budget Illusion 🎭 You plan for a tidy half-million. You prep your execs, align teams, select a platform. ✅ Timeline? 12 months. ✅ Cost? Locked in. Then reality kicks the door down... 📊 The Stats You Weren’t Shown in the Pitch Deck: 💸 64% of ERP projects go over budget 💥 1 in 6 blow past their budgets by 200% or more 🕐 Only 49% of ERP projects launch on time 🧩 Top causes: Scope creep (35%), under-resourcing (38%), integration nightmares (34%) 🧯 Median ERP cost in Europe? £625K and rising ☁️ Cloud ERP market is exploding — projected to hit $140B by 2030 📚 Sources: Panorama Consulting Group, Gartner, McKinsey & Company, Statista Want to Avoid Becoming the Meme? 💡 Here’s how to actually stay in control: ◾Build in a 25–30% contingency ◾Phase your rollout (don’t go “big bang”) ◾Prioritize user adoption over feature bloat ◾Invest in governance, not just tech ◾Assume customizations will cost double 🎤 Let’s hear it from the crowd: What’s the wildest ERP budget overrun you’ve seen? Tag your ERP survivors below 👇 #ERP #DigitalTransformation #ProjectManagement #TechStrategy #CloudERP #LinkedInHumor #Leadership #CIO #BudgetBurner #DannyDeVito