Mark Slaga is the chief technology officer for Dimension Data North America, a member of Dimension Data Holdings, plc. The $2.7 billion company is a specialist IT services and solution provider that helps clients plan, build and support their IT infrastructures. Dimension Data applies its expertise in networking, converged communications, security, operating environments, storage, wireless and contact center technologies and its unique skills in consulting, integration and managed services to create customized client solutions.

In this role, Slaga is responsible for the North America IT organization as well as driving Dimension Data's technology vision, managing solutions and services development, and identifying emerging technologies to incorporate into the company's offerings. Previously, Slaga served as the vice president of Advanced Technologies at Dimension Data, where he spearheaded the highly regarded Converged Communications practice, which was named Cisco's IP Communications Partner of the Year for 2004 and 2005. Prior to that, Slaga was national practice director for Dimension Data North America's IP Convergence & Security practice. In that role, his group was responsible for more than 400 IP Telephony projects and the deployment of more than 250,000 IP phones in the continental United States, making Dimension Data the top-ranked Cisco IP partner in the United States.

Prior to joining Dimension Data, Slaga ran the southern region for TimeBridge Technologies, which was purchased by Dimension Data in 2001. At TimeBridge he was responsible for the expansion to new offices in the Carolinas.

Slaga began his career as a network engineer for Perot Systems Corporation, where he designed and implemented the network infrastructure for a large property and casualty insurance company that was deploying a new imaging-based insurance processing system. Upon leaving Perot, he worked for the Commercial Consulting Division at Computer Sciences Corporation where he consulted to various Fortune 100 companies. Mark then joined RPM Consulting, where he started as an internetworking consultant and then moved to Raleigh, N.C., to expand RPM's operations.

Slaga is a graduate of the Pamplin College of Business at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., with a Bachelor of Science in Management Science - Decision Support Systems. He has also gone through executive courses at Kenan Flagler School of Business, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) since 1996 and speaks frequently on topics such as VoIP and security.