Spotlight Employee: Feroz Ali

Job: Director of Network Operations
Mantra: If I love it, I build it (or at least make it faster).

When I first heard about ooma through a former colleague, I have to admit I had my doubts.After years of running 24×7x365 network operations at DirecTV and 8×8, I decided to ease into an early paid retirement or, in other words, enter the field of management consulting. But then I heard about this cool little device that was going to revolutionize the landscape of home telephony, and I couldn’t resist going in for a quick meet-and-greet. That was back in September of 2006, although it seems more like last Tuesday. And that former colleague of mine? He now sits in the cubicle beside me. Since then, I’ve assembled a great team of leaders (and friends), who’ve helped architect the robust service infrastructure into what it is today.

Of course, challenge is nothing new to me. I’ve always been something of a thrill-seeker. As a teen, I literally kicked butt as a champion amateur boxer, winning several regional divisions, including the Golden Gloves (sorry, the annoying editor made me include this).

But, hey, I’m a lover, not a fighter. So around ten years ago, I threw down my gloves and picked up a guitar pick and a wrench… When I’m not whittling away the hours with my team, I can be found (or at least heard) careening down the racetracks of NorCal in my 1989 IROC-Z Camaro that I began rebuilding in 1997 [check out the video below!].

As for my bike? I’ve been rigging and riding my beloved Yamaha R1 with the same crew of 30 or 40 friends, many of whom I’ve known since age 13. Of course, we’ve added a few junior additions to the mix, but it hasn’t stopped us from hitting the road loud and hard.

My greatest passion outside of work (and, umm, home), however, is music. I just formed a new band a few months ago. Our major influences include Stone Temple Pilots, Zeppelin, Rush and Pearl Jam. We’ll be putting together a set of originals by summer, since we’re not the cover type. We’re still searching for a name, so any suggestions are welcome!

I was also asked whether my penchant to peek under the hood and rebuild extends to my personal life. But on that question, I respectfully decline a reply.

| 2 Comments | News

2 Comments

1. Santhosh | April 30, 2008 @ 8:39am

   Hi,
   Is there any plans of launching this product in India? Does the current product work in the Indian subcontinent?
   –Santhosh

2. VBob | April 30, 2008 @ 4:18pm

   Hi Santhosh, at this time ooma is only available for purchase in the United States, though we’re always looking at new expansion opportunities in the future.

   The ooma System has been designed to work in the US. We can’t guarantee that all of ooma’s features will work outside the US, although we have heard from a number of people that it has worked quite well when installed in other countries. Please note that certain restrictions apply when you use the ooma system abroad, for example, compliance with applicable local laws.

   For more information, please check our updated Terms & Conditions (section 5: international usage).

   Also, if you’re looking to place calls to India, you can check out our international rate table on the learn page [click the “Interntional Rates” badge]. These rates may be lower than what your current provider uses. Of course, any call to a US number will be without charge.

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