Getting to know datacenter employees: Sophia Khchai
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 Sophia Khchai
Datacenter Security Operation Manager
France
Employee since February 2022
Early days
Born and raised in Paris, Sophia has lived in this city all her life. She studied there, got married and settled there. Coming from a modest background, with a housekeeper mother and a working-class father, her parents taught her and her siblings, from a very early age, to appreciate the value of hard work and the importance of studying to succeed in life. It took Sophia a long time to understand what they were trying to teach her, and it’s only now that she realizes that their ambition was to make her a focused, independent, and accomplished woman.
The path to technology
Sophia began her career in public prevention and security policies, working for Paris City Hall. After graduating university with a master’s degree, she decided to join the private security sector. Her adventure in the world of retail security began, first in charge of managing the security for several stores in the country. She was entrusted with preventing losses and protecting store assets in multiple countries. Always having in mind, the values of hard work and a mindset of constant learning, she found that the opportunity to diversify her knowledge and discover the exciting world of datacenters was the logical next step in her physical security journey.
Superpowers
Being resilient and adaptable to any situation are Sophia’s superpowers. She works in the security industry, a male-dominated world with no shortage of challenges, yet she’s never given up. She always strives to learn from her mistakes and be the best version of herself, challenging herself to become a little stronger every day, and thus even more confident in her ability to do difficult things.
A day in the life
For almost two years, Sophia has been overseeing the day-to-day operations of all Microsoft datacenters in France. As the single point of contact for all security issues in the country, she responds to all requests from partners and stakeholders. She is involved right from the design phase, giving her recommendations on physical security throughout construction, monitoring progress right up to the launch of production. Assessments and compliance audits check are part of her role and responsibilities too. It’s a demanding role in a big country like France, but so rewarding.
Favorite childhood food
Chebakia
The chebakia, honey-coated Moroccan sesame cookie, is Sophia’s guilty pleasure with a big glass of fresh milk.
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