Axcient Team Spotlight: Meet Marc and Xavier Robot!
It’s not exactly commonplace for a solution provider to have a mascot, but Axcient isn’t your average vendor. Thanks to Marc Ybarita, our Support Team Lead, “Xavier Robot” first came to life in January 2022. After multiple design updates, Xavier Robot is making his debut as one of the latest members of the Axcient team. Keep reading to learn about Marc and Xavier Robot’s journey and discover what he’s doing today!
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Who is Marc Ybarita?
Marc Ybarita is Xavier Robot’s creator. He was born and raised in Cebu, Philippines, before moving to the U.S. at 15. His first interaction with a computer was during a keyboarding class in his junior year of high school. As you may have guessed, it was a match made in heaven. After graduating, Marc went on to earn an AA in Computer Programing and a BS in Computer Science.
In 2012 Marc joined Axcient in the Mountain View, California office as a Support Engineer. More than 11 years later, he’s a Tier 3 Support Team Lead. Marc explains, “I provide technical and non-technical guidance to my team to help our MSP partners consistently and successfully back up their systems. In the event of a disaster, we support local and cloud virtualization to restore files, folders, and entire systems completely.” He credits his mentors for teaching and showing him the value of learning from others.
What is Xavier Robot’s origin story?
Marc has long been interested in machine learning (ML) and has a fair amount of programming experience. He’s been creating animations for his Axcient team for years, but he wasn’t sure where to start with 3D. In December 2021, Marc purchased an online course to learn how to put his interest into practice. He dove headfirst into the 3D modeling, animation videos, and lessons to learn everything he could. Marc was determined and spent significant time following the lengthy but detailed training materials.
Marc’s dedication came to fruition in January 2022 when the first generation of Xavier Robot was born. Using the free 3D software Blender to make Xavier Robot come alive, Marc was a proud new papa! Xavier Robot’s design was based on a “Welcome to Axcient” swag gift he received in 2012. The digital clock face, flexible arms and legs, and “Axcient” branded body came to life but lacked the strength and security Axcient is known for.
“My initial version of Xavier was funny because of how skinny his arms and legs were. After multiple design updates and changes, I finally settled on how he looks today. His design is simple, yet elegant.”
– Marc Ybarita, Axcient
Where is Xavier Robot today?
Axcient is thrilled to have Xavier Robot on the team today. Fully outfitted in indestructible, Stormtrooper-grade armor, Xavier Robot embodies Axcient’s multi-layer, security-first approach to business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR). He’s obsessed with proactive cybersecurity using BCDR automation and efficiency – something he inherited from Marc, and he’s also fascinated by MSPs. He loves how they help SMBs fight bad actors, so he wants to help them do it faster, more reliably, and cost-effectively.
But, hey, he’s not just about BCDR – Xavier Robot has a full and exciting life in his digital world. When he’s not talking shop at the hottest MSP tradeshows or celebrating the latest peer-to-peer callouts in Axcient’s “Kudos” Slack Channel, he’s living BIG.
He celebrates the holidays…
Is a dedicated gym rat…
Loves cookies and “salad”…
Can’t wait for Axcient’s upcoming Linux backup offering…
He is patriotic…
And he even drives a custom Axcient motorcycle!
He’s funny, has a great attitude, and doesn’t take anything as seriously as BCDR. Xavier Robot loves to dance and be a goof. He’s everyone’s friend and hopes to be your friend too!
What’s next for Marc and Xavier Robot?
Marc will continue raising Xavier Robot with new adventures and applications across Axcient. Soon, Xavier Robot will be animating the x360Recover vault security measures and getting his own Transformer and Axcient sports car.
Among other projects, Marc plans to leverage Xavier Robot’s settings for another visual simulation, this time of Axcient’s AI chatbot. “I am constantly thinking of ideas to turn into cool or funny still images or short animations of Xavier or the other characters I’ve created for Axcient. I love doing this 3D stuff, so I look forward to continuing to develop new projects.”
How can Xavier Robot and Axcient help your MSP?
See what Marc, the Axcient team, and Xavier Robot do for MSPs and their SMB clients with comprehensive, efficient, and consolidated BCDR. Register for Axcients no-cost virtual conference MSP Xperience today to save your seat and learn more about the Axcient team.
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