Always look forward and always adapt. As Wachter has led the way in innovation and as the technological world around it has rapidly advanced, one thing has stayed consistent: the ability of Wachter’s team to continue looking forward and adapting. From upskilling current employees to seeking out the best and brightest in this competitive field, Wachter ensures its clients that the best team is being brought to each and every project.
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This constant ability to source and develop the leaders in network integration, like Matt Tyler, Vice President of Strategic Innovation and Business Development, has allowed the company to flourish for nearly 100 years. Speaking with The Route to Networking podcast hosted by Hamilton Barnes, Tyler went in-depth on areas of focus that has seen Wachter drive business growth for clients during a time of unprecedented technological change as well as sharing his predictions of what our future tech workforce will look like.
Joining Wachter in the mid-2000's before working his way up the chain of command to his present day position, Tyler has two decades of experience in the network integration space. Two decades that have produced some of the most disruptive technologies, forcing organizations to adapt and innovate their networks, and Wachter to advance its workforce.
“When we first started we were putting in 10 megabits per second, which is pretty slow compared to today’s standards. I remember early in those days saying ‘you know? I’ll never need anything more than this. This will accommodate everything we need to do.' Within three or four years, it was a complete rip and replace,” said Tyler when discussing what his biggest takeaway was since starting in the business as a 14-year old summer employee for an electrical contractor. “Keep your mind set forward, but work within the present,” he said.
Exciting Career Opportunities and How You Can be at the Forefront
This is an exciting time in the network space. So many new technologies are influencing these roles and the next big instrument is the large scale adoption of video.
As the need for video has skyrocketed, so does the need for new, advanced technology. And with that advanced technology comes the need for a trusted integration partner. Networks have become more robust as technology advances, for every one minute of the day 500 hours of video is being uploaded to YouTube. “The networking requirements to process and transport all of that video is through the roof,” said Tyler.
With these continued updates to technology, our team works determinedly to advance their knowledge of current industry trends. From our apprenticeship program that begins with a multi-week, intensive bootcamp, to regularly scheduled trainings on new and updated technology for all of our technicians, Wachter’s team is prepared for any challenge a client may send our way.
Network Ability Sets You Up for Success and Organizations For Sustainability
It's not just video. Wachter stays at the forefront of new technology. Assisting American agriculture to be more sustainable through indoor vertical farming sees the utilization of warehouses 25,000 to 2 million square feet and up to 40 feet tall. These organizations are sustainably growing everything from fish to salad greens.
“Now we can grow year round in colder climates, it’s more sustainable as you have control over evaporation and your water utilization, you’re not using pesticides because you don’t have bugs and insects to really worry about,” said Tyler.
The organizations that are producing these sustainably grown goods rely on Wachter to ensure the vast amount of systems that are required to run an indoor vertical farm, from network solutions to IoT devices, are integrated and running properly. These include AV systems along side the industrial controls which monitor water levels and temperatures.
Due to the number of systems and expertise required for these systems, Wachter deploys teams with the necessary expertise while also providing top of the line training for said teams, ensuring the client and technicians are confident in the finished project. From an IoT perspective, Wachter has the capability to create, implement, and monitor sensors that measure everything from vibration, temperature, humidity, and are growing on a daily basis.
All of these are being run through a network, if not multiple, that are managed by Wachter and can be integrated for data processing, ensuring there are numbers behind every decision made.
The Future is Yours Through Upskilled Labor
Labor shortages and finding individuals who are able to do specific jobs is going to lead to the individuals running business to, eventually, automate those roles.
“Automation is, through and through, what is going to happen over the next 10 years,” said Tyler.
As the concerns around automation and job loss surfaces, Matt reminds us that the mindset needs to shift. “Everybody worries that you’re going to put these people out of business. But you’re really not.... We’re building wireless networks to support autonomous guided vehicles... Where, maybe you had 30 or 40 forklift operators, now that’s all automated,” said Tyler.
He says you need to upskill that talent. Forklift operators are now maintaining the networks that the automated forklifts are operating on. “We’ve upskilled people and haven’t put anyone out of a job. And we’ve made a safer, more enjoyable work environment,” said Tyler.
For more of his thoughts around the future of networking, what an upskilled workforce looks like, and to catch the full interview make sure you check out Episode 95 of The Route to Networking Podcast.
Wachter is continuously looking for the next generation of network integration experts. For more information on what working on our team is like and to see our latest openings, please check out Wachter Careers.