Meet our NetApp Instructor Pete..

As you may or may not already know, Peter Green is our award-winning NetApp instructor here at Fast Lane. Pete has been a reliable asset in the classroom for Fast Lane, winning over 3 awards in the teaching field. We sat down with Pete to find out more on his background,teaching Netapp and what's to come in the world of NetApp.

What first Interested you in becoming a NetApp Instructor and how long have you been teaching for?

Having worked closely with NetApp from a technical stance with my last job as a Technical Pre-Sales Consultant on a backup product. When I left that role I took some time out and then approached Fast Lane to see if they needed an instructor for the said backup product, I was told that there wasn’t a requirement for an instructor however, they were looking for a NetApp instructor and would that interest me instead. So using the knowledge I already had with NetApp it was an easy decision.

I never aimed to be an instructor and I became an instructor many years ago when I applied for a technical job at EMC and ended up getting a job as an instructor and really enjoyed it so when an opportunity was given to me by Fast Lane to teach NetApp it was a very easy decision. As a result I have now been teaching NetApp for 5 years.

What is your favorite NetApp course to teach and why?

My favorite course is CDOTDP. The reason is difficult to quantify is it because I enjoy teaching the course and it allows me to introduce a lot of my own real life examples to help teach it or is it because I get to talk for 5 days and no one tells me to shut up ! I guess we will let the students decide on that. However the course itself is one of the fundamental key courses from NetApp that helps students understand what they have and how to use it and what else it could do for them, so it has lots of side spurs that we talk about as students begin to unravel what they thought they knew but now understand what they actually have and how it works and why they are configured the way they are for their environment. It is a course that allows me to interact with the students and introduce to fun into the course without detracting from the key learning objectives.

What do you enjoy most about being an Instructor?

I love the interaction with the students, knowing where they are at and how my teaching can assist them to better understand the product and what else it can do beyond what they thought it could do. Sometimes you can see students trying to compare what we are doing in the labs with their own installation and helping them to understand why they may be set up the way they are and what could be the next step to accelerate their environment to a whole new level.

Have you seen many changes within your time teaching?

Have I seen many changes, well the answer has to be a definitive yes NetApp’s ONTAP software has just gone a bit mental with so many enhancements and new features with every release and with two releases a year it has been evolving at an incredible rate, so much so that the competition are struggling to comprehend the accelerated advancements coming out. Since NetApp made the tough choice to stop any further development of ONTAP 7-Mode and focus on Cluster Mode it would be fair to say the flood gates have truly been opened. Now with the shift in direction to be integrated with “The Cloud” again another paradigm shift is a foot. NetApp are currently the lead in Cloud Integration and have a clear defined focus as to where they will be within the Cloud moving forward.

Any future predictions to the world of NetApp training and the way in which people learn?

Although NetApp training is on a par with other vendors the fact that we do Class Room, Online and Flex training accommodates most students dynamics of learning. I’m not sure if there will be much of a shift from this as it works so well for students and they have the flexibility and choice as to whether they prefer to be online or in class. Methods of learning are very much unique to each students and as an instructor our goal is to accommodate each learning style without detracting from any other method preferred by other students. It’s not easy and can very much be a challenge daily, but that’s what makes it fun and interesting. It may be worth understanding that in a recent study it is believed that students will only retain 10 to 12 % of what we teach them, and no that’s not because we are bad but because the human brain will focus on key points and will drop the rest. So filling time with WAFFLE just detracts from this key percentage. However, by re-enforcing the learning and allowing the students to work through labs at their own pace will help to increase this percentage.

What’s hot in the world of NetApp right now?

So what’s hot, well to say that Cloud integration is burning hot would be an understatement. NetApp are very focused on Cloud and are currently the industry lead on integration and accelerated convergence. As companies begin to understand what “Cloud” means for them NetApp typically already have a solution to fit that gives the customer what they think they need and so much more on top.

Do you have any hobbies you enjoy doing during your free time away from being a Fast Lane Subject Matter Expert?

So hobbies, well this year myself and my dear wife have taken up Angling every Saturday. Although I would consider myself a “Passive Angler” (I don’t catch much), for its not really about the number of fish or their size but more about being able to switch off, relax and regain focus ready for the following week. I think my photos of the lakes as the mist raises off the water are more successful than the act of catching fish. So I guess my hobby really is photography and fishing is a great excuse to get the camera out.

All NetApp training offers can be found at www.flane.co.uk/netapp.