Massive data centre manpower crunch set to get much worse
Why IT-trained might not be ideal candidates for retraining.
The data centre industry is facing a massive manpower crunch that will only get worse. But are IT-trained workers ideal candidates for retraining?
Manpower shortage in the data centre?
The conventional wisdom is to cross-train computer science or IT professionals to work in data centres. But are they necessarily the best candidates?
I found myself reexamining this automatic assumption after a presentation by Dean Coetzee last month.
It's spelt 'critical'
Dean observed that while data centres host a bewildering array of sophisticated IT systems, running a data centre is less about managing servers than a... power plant.
And it made sense to me. If anything, a typical data centre is probably more complex than a small power plant.
- UPS batteries.
- Physical security.
- Diesel fuel storage.
- Thermal storage tank.
- Cooling infrastructure.
- Backup diesel generators.
- Heat exchangers and CDUs.
- Water management systems.
- MMRs full of fibre optic cables.
And you can't really afford a "whoops" moment with any one of them. Talk about job stress!
tldr; A data centre is a critical infrastructure, and the best candidates are those who can thrive in such an environment.
Hard to retain workers
What are some challenges that the industry faces in keeping data centres fully manned by competent professionals?
According to Dean:
- It's hard to hire and retain for operational teams.
- Remote work didn't make things easier.
- IT know-how doesn't translate to critical infra.
And having the right, well-trained workers is critical.
For those who might not be aware, a large portion of data centre downtime is caused by human error - involving ignored or inadequate procedures.
It will only get worse
Each time you see charts showing the incredible growth of the data centre industry, just consider the added manpower that will be needed.
Granted, even the massive 150MW Meta data centre in Singapore probably doesn't have more than 100 employees*.
But the skills and mindsets we need of these professionals can't be trained overnight or over a Zoom call.
* Figure extrapolated from similar Meta data centres globally.