Zen Kishimoto

Analysts, Staff, and Affiliates

Title: Principal Analyst

Profile:
Research Coverage:

Smart Grid, IT Applications for Energy Efficiency and Energy Use Reduction, Green IT, Green Data Centers, High-Tech IT Infrastructure and Operations, Telecommunications Services, Enterprise Software, Embedded Systems, Internet and Network Security, Networking.

Research Focus and Biography:

At AltaTerra Research, Dr. Zen Kishimoto examines and helps develop IT solutions that reduce energy use in large organizations. Zen’s specific areas of focus and expertise include facilities energy efficiency, smart grid, green IT, data centers, and cloud computing. Zen’s broad technology background and diverse functional roles at individual-contributor and executive levels in large corporations and startups is a strong basis for conducting research in the greening of IT and the role of IT in greening other elements in the enterprise marketplace. Both strategic and tactical insights based on these experiences are necessary to make IT and its related technologies greener, and to make other elements greener by applying IT, since both a holistic and component-level view are necessary. This is especially the case in Zen’s areas of concentration—smart grid and data centers—in which a large number of elements interact in a complex manner. Smart grid functions as a seamless cohesive system, but consists of numerous power, communications, and IT technologies and operations. In a data center, software, computer hardware, and networking components, as well as facility elements are interrelated and configured in a complex manner.

For over 25 years, Zen was involved in various technology areas as a user and a vendor, including software development methodologies, process, and tools; Open Source Software (OSS); Internet and network security; embedded software and systems; networking; Web; and VoIP to name a few. Based on exposure to those multiple technology areas, he can take a view from the perspectives of a user and a vendor of each technology as necessary.

After working for Fortune 100 companies, Zen has been a successful entrepreneur and software business consultant specializing in product management, turning technologies to viable business, and covering each phase of product management. This includes market research, technology assessment, project management, technical marketing, promotion, product launch, business development, and sales. As a consultant, he has produced numerous research papers for his clients in the areas of software and telecommunications.

In addition, Zen, originally from Japan, has a network of business contacts and relationships in Japan and is keen on the green IT/technology market outside of the US, bridging language, culture, and business practice for his clients. As greening of IT and its related technologies requires a global view, he can give his clients appropriate advice and comments that are not confined to the US domestic view.

Finally, before joining Alta Terra, Zen played CTO, COO, and other executive roles in Silicon Valley startups, including Cardsoft. Earlier he served as functional general manager and senior director at NEC Technologies, where he started the Internet business unit. He has held technical positions at NEC, Hewlett Packard, and GTE. He is also the principal of IP Devices, a software business and market research consultancy specializing in IT infrastructure.

Blogs:

Zen and the Art of Data Center Greening
Zen and the Art of Smart Grid Development
(See "Blogs" in menu to left.)

Education:

Zen received his PhD in computer science, MS in electrical and computer engineering, and BE in electrical engineering from Northwestern University, the University of Massachusetts, and Kyoto University, respectively.