Getting to know datacenter employees: Cathrina Xavier
Microsoft’s success depends on our people. We are proud to introduce some of the talented folks in your community who work in our global datacenters. Discover what inspired them to seek a career in the tech industry, the different pathways they pursued, and what a day in the life of a datacenter employee looks like.
Introducing Cathrina Xavier
Datacenter Security Operations Manager
Osaka, Japan
Employee since 2022
Early days
Cathrina grew up in the small town of Klang, Malaysia, where she spent a lot of time either outside on the playground or playing computer games with her cousins. Her first experience with a computer was attending computer class in primary school when she was six, where she learned the DOS operating system and was hooked on the game Prince of Persia. Being an only child, she spent her free time escaping into video games (SNES and Sega) or reading books. She moved to Tokyo, Japan, right after she graduated and has since lived in Japan for almost 19 years.
The path to technology
Cathrina worked as an Executive Assistant at a foreign investment brokerage for 14 years until she lost her job due to the economic downturn, and this caused her to re-evaluate her goals and career aspirations. She was always drawn to the tech industry, so she applied for various positions where she could grow her knowledge and skills to start on a new path. She was offered a position in datacenter physical security where her years of experience in project management and communications were an advantage.
Superpowers
Cathrina’s superpower is never giving up. No matter how difficult the problem is, she will continue to look at all angles until at least a compromise can be made. She is also someone who would extend a helping hand to anyone, a peer or a stranger, any time she can.
A day in the life
Cathrina oversees the security operations of the many datacenters in Osaka and is the point of contact for all security matters within the metro. This includes attending site startup meetings and managing the security operation of active sites. She also conducts site audits to ensure that the security posture of the sites is up to Microsoft’s standards. She provides support to the datacenter operations team and other stakeholders to ensure all security processes and due diligence are covered across the sites. She is also involved in managing all datacenter security incidents.
Favorite childhood food
Growing up in a Eurasian household in Malaysia, Cathrina grew up eating a lot of her grandmother’s cooking. Her comfort food is a very hearty Eurasian Beef Smore (beef stew). It is made by marinating the meat with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves, and cooking it with potatoes and carrots. It is served with hot rice, and she loves adding some sambal belacan to add a spicy kick.
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