Graham Forrest
Senior Storage Architect
With over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, Graham Forrest is a cornerstone of expertise here at DTP Group, specialising in innovative HPE storage solutions. Graham’s journey began at just 18 with a Leeds-based reseller, where his early roles included installing IT systems for clients across industries such as banking, law, and government. By age 20, his talent for solving complex IT challenges had already solidified his path in the sector.
-
Throughout his career, Graham has consistently been at the forefront of technological advancements. His early certifications, including SCO (Santa Cruz Operations) and Compaq (now HPE ASE/MASE), marked the beginning of a legacy. Notably, he was among only five UK experts trained on Compaq Non-Stop clustering and was the first certified. His technical acumen played a pivotal role in implementing 10% of the world’s Non-Stop cluster solutions, including a high-profile, three-day turnaround project for the Ministry of Defence after other partners faced a 12-week roadblock.
Since joining DTP in 2012, Graham has been instrumental as a Senior Storage Architect, delivering resilient, innovative, and future-ready solutions for diverse industries, including education, government, enterprise, and healthcare. His expertise spans HPE’s portfolio, from legacy systems such as EVA to state-of-the-art technologies: Primera and Alletra.
Technical Expertise
Graham holds a wealth of certifications that underpin his hands-on expertise, including but not limited to:
- HPE Certifications: HPE ASE (Edge-to-Cloud Architect, Storage Solutions), HPE Master ASE (Storage Solutions), and HPE Recognised Subject Matter Expert.
- Brocade SAN: Certified SAN Professional, Certified SAN Designer.
- Virtualisation & OS: VMware Certified Professional, Red Hat Linux System Administrator.
- Delivery Qualifications: Certified to deliver HPE solutions across GreenLake, Nimble, Alletra, Primera, SimpliVity, and more.
-
Memorable Client Success Stories
Graham thrives on turning challenges into success stories, including:
- LJMU (2023): Recovered critical system data during a major SAN failure, averting potentially catastrophic data loss.
- Ayrshire College: Designed a tailored HPE GreenLake solution to overcome capacity issues within tight budget constraints.
- Gradwell’s: Architected custom racks with precise power usage to address challenging space and power constraints.
A Lifelong Commitment to IT Excellence
For Graham, IT is a constantly evolving landscape: “Every day is a learning day.” His dedication to continuous training ensures he stays ahead of the curve, mastering the latest technologies to meet clients’ needs. Whether architecting disaster recovery systems or enabling seamless hybrid cloud environments, Graham’s focus on preparation and excellence is unwavering:
“Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. I know you won’t let me leave unless it’s working.”