I currently serve as the IT Manager of a medium-sized architectural practice in Sydney with 50 employees. The nature of our work specializing in architecture, urban design and interior design projects require high-end workstations running BIM and other specialized software. Some of these include Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, Adobe Creative Suite, Lumion and Rhino, all in a Microsoft Windows environment.

With five individual physical servers, our previous IT infrastructure required an update. The task of this major upgrade was Project Managed by Sam Akbari. This involved the configuration of a virtualized server VMware environment with fault tolerance, new SAN and NAS storage, fibre channel backbone and managed switches over a three-storey building.

Sam understood our complex and intricate requirements. He offered very real and tangible suggestions and was exceptionally adaptable.

With immense support and willingness at all times, Sam was always available and went above and beyond his responsibilities, involving himself with all aspects of the rebuild ensuring that our servers and network were always operable throughout the entire project.

I can clearly recall an instance where Sam, being aware of our rigid business requirements, worked more than 48 hours to meet a strict deadline. Sam’s enthusiasm and energy along with his reliability and honesty have earned my respect.

Ronald Lum
IT Manager, Tzannes Architects