AH4R
“ I have the opportunity to pioneer and build something that hasn ' t been built ”
PHILIP IRBY CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER , AMERICAN HOMES 4 RENT
Partnership with gravity9 gravity9 is an IT consulting company that unites art and science in building the consumer ’ s digital journey . Irby partnered with gravity9 seven years ago , when he worked at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas . gravity9 helped Irby transform the hotel ’ s identity and their rewards programme .
“ I knew that they shared my vision for abstraction and domain-driven design and microservices ,” says Irby . “ I knew that AMH had an opportunity to build from the ground up , so I brought gravity9 over as well .”
Their shared vision , previous experience and longevity have made for a great partnership .
“ The key to our partnership is , gravity9 has an exact understanding of our strategy and vision for the platform , and that comes through in the work that they do , and also in the work that my team does with them .
“ I ' ve worked with lots of vendors and there are people that will tell you what they want you to hear or what you want to hear - and people that will tell you the truth . Telling the truth in a partnership usually results in more respect and greater capability to work together . I think in the relationships that I ' ve had that have been successful , that ' s one of the core foundations - being able to speak openly about differences or things that we need to be working towards .”
The next 12 months will be transformational at AMH . The company is adding a number of components to the platform , enhancing some that they already have and focusing on building the platform further . Irby is determined that that has got to be the focus .
“ If you lose focus on trying to create that platform that is flexible , adaptable and capable of change , then you start to become a monolith . You move down the path towards brittle , unsustainable infrastructure and applications .”
Every 12 months holds that for AMH . Irby and his team will stay focused on the future and on flexibility . sustainabilitymag . com 119