About Jake Foster

Technology strategist, infrastructure architect, and CTO helping organisations design resilient, scalable IT platforms.

I’m Jake Foster, Director and Chief Technology Officer at Prosperity 24/7, a business and technology consulting firm based in the Channel Islands.

For over two decades I’ve worked with organisations to design and implement infrastructure platforms that are secure, reliable, and built to support long-term business growth. My focus has always been simple:
technology should enable organisations to move faster and operate with confidence.

Today I lead the technical strategy and solutions teams at Prosperity 24/7, helping clients modernise infrastructure, adopt cloud technologies, and build resilient platforms that support critical workloads.

What I Work On

Most of my work sits at the intersection of infrastructure architecture, cloud strategy, and operational resilience. I help organisations design environments that balance performance, security, and cost while remaining adaptable to future change.

Areas I regularly work in include:

• Enterprise storage architecture (SAN and hybrid platforms)
• Backup, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience
• Virtualisation architecture and infrastructure modernisation
• Public and private cloud strategy
• Hybrid infrastructure design
• Technology governance and operational standards

I’ve worked across a wide range of multi-vendor storage platforms, replication technologies, and virtualised environments for organisations in diverse sectors — from “keep the lights on” estates to modern transformation programmes.

My Philosophy

Technology projects often fail not because of the technology itself, but because architecture decisions aren’t aligned with the real needs of the business.

My approach focuses on:

• Practical architecture — solutions that work in real operational environments
• Resilience by design — systems built to withstand failure and recover quickly
• Cost-effective scalability — platforms that grow with the organisation
• Technology adoption — helping teams embrace modern tools and practices

I’m particularly interested in helping organisations modernise legacy infrastructure while keeping operational stability, governance, and security front and centre.

Leadership & Experience

At Prosperity 24/7 I oversee the Technical Solutions function, guiding consultants and architects who deliver projects across infrastructure, cloud, and security disciplines.

My role blends hands-on technical architecture with strategic leadership — ensuring that the solutions we deliver remain both technically sound and aligned with client objectives.

Over the course of my career I have worked with organisations ranging from small businesses to large enterprises, helping them navigate complex infrastructure challenges and implement sustainable technology platforms.

Sharing Knowledge

This blog is where I share insights from real projects, lessons learned from infrastructure architecture, and perspectives on emerging technologies.

Topics I regularly write about include:

• Enterprise storage platforms
• Infrastructure architecture
• Cloud strategy
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Technology leadership

My goal is to provide practical insights that technology leaders and engineers can apply in their own environments.

Outside of Work

When I’m not designing infrastructure or thinking about resilience, I like getting away from screens and into something a little more analogue.

I own and continually tinker with a Honda S2000 — a car that’s become a long-running personal project. I enjoy modifying, refining, and maintaining it: the small upgrades, the obsessive details, and the satisfaction of improving something that’s already brilliantly engineered.

The S2000 is one of those cars that rewards being driven properly, and there’s nothing quite like taking it out on a clear day with the roof down. It’s a great reminder that sometimes the best experiences come from simplicity: great engineering, a responsive machine, and an open road.

The Garage

S2000 “Spec Card” (My Version)

Not a dyno sheet — more like the vibe check. I keep it simple: thoughtful upgrades, tidy maintenance, and maximum smiles-per-mile.

• Platform: Honda S2000
• Theme: OEM+ / driver-focused
• Focus: reliability, feel, and fun
• Best mode: roof down, clear roads

My reset button: a drive with the top down, no notifications, and nothing to troubleshoot except the next corner.

Home Lab & Automation Experiments

Like many people in technology, my curiosity doesn’t really stop when the working day ends. I run a small home lab where I enjoy experimenting with platforms, automation tools, and infrastructure ideas that may eventually make their way into client solutions.

One of my favourite playgrounds is Unraid — a flexible (and surprisingly capable) environment for storage services, containers, and virtual machines. It’s a great way to explore modern tooling without the overhead of a full enterprise stack.

I’ve also been spending time with n8n, an open-source workflow automation platform that makes it easy to connect services together, build integrations, and automate the “glue work” between systems.

Home Lab Stack

Tools I’m Tinkering With

• Unraid: storage + Docker + lightweight VMs
• Docker Containers: services, dashboards, utilities
• n8n: workflow automation + API integrations
• Backups: testing restore paths (because “backup” isn’t a strategy)

The fun part is how quickly you can go from “that would be nice” to a working automation or integration — and then keep iterating.

A Typical n8n Workflow (The “Useful, Not Fancy” Kind)

1. Watch for an event (webhook, email, RSS, calendar update, monitoring alert)
2. Enrich the data (API call, lookup, transform, filter)
3. Take action (create ticket, send Teams/Slack message, update a system, log to a dashboard)
4. Track outcomes (store results + notify only when it matters)

This is where automation becomes genuinely valuable: fewer manual steps, fewer missed signals, and more time for work that needs human judgment.

My rule for home lab projects: if it doesn’t improve reliability, visibility, or quality of life, it probably doesn’t survive the next tidy-up.

Escaping Into the Disney Bubble

Every so often the best way to recharge isn’t another gadget, another project, or another technical rabbit hole — it’s simply stepping away from it all. For me, one of the best places to do that is Walt Disney World.

There’s a phrase Disney fans often use: “the Disney Bubble.” It’s that feeling you get when you arrive on property and the outside world quietly disappears. The emails stop, the meetings fade away, and suddenly the only real decision left is what ride to go on next — or more realistically in my case, what food to try next.

My favourite place in the entire resort is EPCOT’s World Showcase. Walking around the lagoon feels like a relaxed tour around the globe, with each pavilion offering its own atmosphere, architecture, and most importantly, incredible food.

One of my favourite ways to spend an afternoon is simply wandering the countries with no particular schedule — stopping for a snack here, something interesting to drink there, and enjoying the small details that Disney’s imagineers build into every corner.

Sometimes the best travel plans involve no plans at all — just wandering EPCOT and deciding which country to eat in next.

It’s the perfect counterbalance to working in technology. Infrastructure architecture is all about complexity, optimisation, and solving problems. Disney World, on the other hand, is about slowing down, enjoying the environment, and appreciating how thoughtful design can create genuinely memorable experiences.

Plus, if you happen to eat your way around the world in the process, that’s hardly a bad thing.

Why I Build LEGO

Another way I like to switch off from the constant pace of technology is something much simpler: building LEGO.

On the surface it might seem like a nostalgic hobby, but for me it’s become something closer to mindfulness. Building a LEGO set forces you to slow down and focus on one thing at a time — finding the next piece, following the design, and watching something complex gradually come together.

There’s a certain satisfaction in seeing a build evolve step by step. What starts as a pile of pieces slowly becomes a structure, a vehicle, or an intricate display model. The process is calm, deliberate, and surprisingly absorbing.

It’s also a reminder that great design often comes from thousands of small decisions working together — something that’s just as true for infrastructure architecture as it is for a well-designed LEGO set.

After a long day solving technical problems, there’s something incredibly relaxing about solving a LEGO instruction manual instead.

And of course, at the end of the process there’s a finished build sitting on the shelf — a small but satisfying reminder that sometimes the joy is in the process, not just the outcome.

Connect

If you’re interested in discussing infrastructure strategy, cloud architecture, storage modernisation, backup resilience, automation, Lego, Disney, homelabs or cars feel free to reach out.
Email

Email Me

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/linktojakefoster