Technical Operations, the Network’s Beating Heart Feras Al-Suliti | Director of Network Operations
It all started with a telephone call from Al Jazeera Media Network’s Human Resources department in March 1999. I was summoned to complete my employment credentials. I had mixed feelings of anxiety and concern simply because I was joining a professional media vehicle where every second counts. I climbed my career ladder from the bottom up, beginning as a video editor; joining hands with Al Jazeera journalists within the newsroom; sparing no effort gathering, documenting and editing news to appear in the optimal technical shape.
The scenes of the planes flying into the World Trade Towers on 9/11 are unforgettable. Within seconds, the newsroom turned into a busy beehive. During the Arab Spring revolutions, I was tasked with leading both the Ingest Unit and the Library & Archive. I was then entrusted to lay down an engineering and operational plan for the Network’s Central Digital Archive Department under the AJWT Project. It is a complete infrastructure project that included civil and power, MEP, multiple data centres, as well as technical infrastructure and full-fledged studios.
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