Gregory Drake

Background

About Gregory Drake

In 2008 I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to start my IT career, and I’ve never looked back. I was hired on at DGI in 2009 and have been happily part of the family ever since. I’m now an experienced manager who has overseen multiple departments, including presales engineering, project services, managed services, installation services, project management, and logistics and facilities.My engineering focus was on Cisco collaboration, where I worked to obtain my CCNP Collaboration certificate, along with many other collaboration specializations. In addition to my collaboration background, I’ve had many opportunities to work with different OEMs and technologies, including Meraki, HPE, Juniper, Mitel, ShoreTel, and Microsoft. I’m well-versed in mixed vendor environments and currently manage a multisite, multi-provider datacenter utilizing MPLS and BGP. While engineering has been my priority, I’ve had opportunities to work as an account manager, presales engineer, project manager, among other things. This experience has positioned me well to provide leadership to our team, helping drive customer outcomes based on their unique needs.Early in my career, I was advised not to look at the specific technology-related task at hand but the bigger picture of what that task was enabling. At this time, I worked for a COE, serving local schools and educational programs. This perspective stuck with me. The efforts weren’t about fixing a computer, a printer, or a switch. Sure, nobody likes when a copier doesn’t work (we’ve all seen Office Space), but it was really about the collective function of these technologies—ultimately enabling someone to have a better future through technology and education. This perspective is one reason I love DGI. While DGI supports many different organizations, our focus is education. We have a passion for helping schools, enabling our current and future generations to become their best selves.I’m an automotive enthusiast outside of work that can usually be found in the garage on the weekends. If I’m not tinkering on something, I’m likely trying to enjoy the beautiful outdoors that Northern CA has to offer.I’m always open to connecting regarding our company, what we can do for you, or talking tech. Feel free to message me on LinkedIn if you’d like.