It's the everyday employees at the barclays Dubai Tennis Championships who make sure everything runs smoothly
What's the worst thing that can happen at a tennis tournament - a week of non-stop rain, the top players coming down with a virus, or perhaps a world shortage of tennis balls?
For Faizan Billah, IT security administrator, the worst thing that could happen would be to lose internet connectivity - particularly in the press office. Without this essential technology, the Dubai Tennis Championships would effectively grind to a halt.
What is your job at the Dubai Tennis Championships?
I am the network security administrator.
What is your normal job?
I work for the IT department and look after the servers, the network and everything at Dubai Duty Free.
How long have you been working on-site at the tennis championships?
This is my sixth year. Over the years we have improved a lot, sorting out problems and making the network stronger. We've have strong backing from our MD, Colm McLoughlin, and this backing goes all the way down to our IT director Ramesh Cidambi. Without their support we wouldn't have such a huge infrastructure.
Do you enjoy it?
Yes, I enjoy it too much - that's why I'm on my sixth year. It's fun and you get to see different things, meet different people and see some of the players.
Who uses the IT network?
Everyone from the players, ATP officials and WTA officials to the press office and international media. All of them require some sort of equipment and particularly the internet in specific places.
How big is the network?
We have six to seven different networks operating. The box office, for example, will need to connect to its back office to collect sales. The shop network needs to be connected to the back office, the Dubai Duty Free infrastructure and the press office. It needs to be very strong.
In the press office at the start or finish of a match, everyone's in a hurry to send their stories, so it's a crucial, critical time for us. We can't have a disconnection even for a few seconds. International photographers need to send big pictures, so it needs to be connected all the time.
How is the infrastructure holding up?
This year it's pretty stable so far. Hopefully it will stay fine throughout the tournament.
How long did it take to set up the networks?
We've been planning the network infrastructure for one or two months. We had to apply for the lines and make sure the internet connectivity is robust, so when the tournament started, we had everything up and running for everybody.
What's your biggest nightmare?
My biggest nightmare would be if my wireless was disconnected at the press office after a crucial match. There would be nothing worse than that because there would be hundreds of people looking at you to fix it. At the end of the day I would be the one who's blamed, even if it's some device that's not working.
This is why we've planned everything well we and have everything backed up. This reduces the down-time if something bad happens with a device.
What's your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is to make every person happy in terms of their IT requirements. We can't make everybody happy but the main thing is that they should be connected, so organisers can do their jobs and so ATP/WTA officials can talk to their back offices abroad.
At the end of the day we want to make sure that everyone is happy and everyone is connected - we are appreciated for what we do.
Which player would you most like to see?
Maria Sharapova.
Would you work at the tennis championships again?
Why not. Hopefully it will be bigger next year - a bigger venue. I think the tennis will get much bigger in Dubai. I would like to thank my management, Mr McLoughlin and Mr Cidambi for all their support in terms of IT. I've had really good support from them, that's how we're so successful.
