Getting to know datacenter employees: Satyajeet Kakade
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 Satyajeet Kakade
Datacenter Operations Manager
Pune
Employee since 2014
Early days
Satyajeet grew up in Pune in a typical Indian joint family along with eight brothers and sisters, totaling 18 family members. Pune was a small town then. He spent most of his time playing outdoor games with his cousins and friends, and cricket was his favorite sport. Satyajeet often visited the family farm on weekends and holidays, spending time in the cowshed, animal yards, and the field.
Satyajeet was first introduced to computers at the age of 15 and got his first one at home at 19. All the kids at home took turns using it, mostly playing computer games, but during those days Satyajeet also learned to fix and assemble computers. Assembled PCs were in big demand around that time, and taking advantage of this opportunity and experience, he started a business with a few friends where they would buy the loose computer parts per customer requirements and sell it as one assembled unit. This stint not only helped him with his pocket money as a youngster but also grew his interest in technology.
The path to technology
Getting a secure job and starting earning was Satyajeet’s priority. Information technology was a booming sector around that time, and he thought it would be the right path to get what he was aiming for. He enrolled at Pune University for the Bachelor of Computer Science program and subsequently completed a Master’s degree in computers as well. However, by then it was the start of the recession and there were no jobs available in IT. So, he took his first job at an international call center in India supporting small office/home office networking products, which is where he gained fluency in English language and earned technical skills through certifications and experience. Later, Satyajeet worked with multiple multinational corporations in the IT industry and landed at Microsoft in 2014.
Superpowers
Satyajeet is grateful that his environment and surroundings in childhood taught him the importance of caring, sharing, differences, disagreements, respect, and values. It instilled empathy into him, because of which he naturally became good with people. Furthermore, the culture at Microsoft helped him understand the importance of listening. Satyajeet can diffuse tense situations and bring everyone together to work towards the goal. At the same time, he feels blessed to work with such a great team.
A day in the life
Satyajeet is an early riser and starts early in the day. He begins with checking emails and Teams messages. He attends team meetings where they discuss topics like safety, status checks on the projects, and ongoing challenges, Routine site walks help him to observe and learn. Since he manages multiple campuses, his staff is widely distributed geographically. As much as possible, Satyajeet tries to spend equal time with his teams, so he splits his days accordingly. That approach gives him an opportunity to interact with wider teams and partners in person. He proactively lets the team know his weekly schedule, so they know exactly where to catch him in person if they need. Satyajeet is cognizant of the fact that he is here to listen, enable, encourage, and serve his teams and Microsoft. He always looks forward to an opportunity to find challenges and support his teams to sail through successfully.
Favorite childhood food
Sundays were the most exciting days during Satyajeet’s childhood as his mom cooked his favorite dishes, chicken curry and dried fish masala. It is still his ritual to eat his favorite food on Sundays.
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