Zahl has been involved in information technology both from a career perspective and through personal interest over that last 15 years. Having started out as an electronic engineer he rapidly moved into software development, real-time system and embedded process control. He also embraced the systems, networks and security design and administration disciplines during the technical hands-on part of his career. Since then Zahl has held a number of operational management and strategic planning roles with the managed services/service provider world. Zahl has been involved with the evolution of the data centre from the initial engineering approach to the slightly more scientific approach that's taken nowadays. Zahl founded the DCSG after having spent a number of years unsuccessfully trying to find a forum through which data centre skills, experience and best practices could be shared.