October 29
Happy International Data Center Day! Created in part to address the talent shortage within the industry and promote STEM careers, “International Data Center Day is designed to create awareness of the data center industry and to inspire the next generation of talent.”
It’s an exciting, quickly changing industry that might not come to mind immediately as students consider tech careers. In fact, some of Evoque’s own employees ended up in this field by chance! To help shine a light on this promising industry and the fulfillment it brings to those who choose data centers as a career, some Evoque employees shared why they love working in the data center industry.
Why I love working in the data center industry
Drew Leonard, VP of Strategy: I, like a majority of those in the data center industry, did not plan on this being a career path – I fell into it. For me, the data center experience has been about enabling clients to grow their business in the most effective manner and to deliver the best end-user experience possible. Starting back in the days of PAIX, the data center industry has represented an ongoing entrepreneurial overtone that has driven innovation and growth with a foundation of discipline that underpins the delivery of high-level security and operational integrity. Every day we are pushed to identify new value propositions and seek differentiators that will separate us from the fragmented cohort of global, national, regional and local IDC providers.
What we consider a relatively mature industry is constantly reinventing itself to accommodate the exponentially growing amounts of bandwidth, data gathering, compute and proximity to end users. It is an ongoing balance of redefining old practices with the introduction of new technologies. Ecosystems are still a vital part of the business as they were back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Now, they extend globally stitched together by an ever-evolving mesh of networks that are mitigating distance with lower latency over longer distances.
But beyond all of this, I have enjoyed all the relationships I have formed over these 17 years. Reconnecting with the people that I spent time solving problems with 15 years ago, the experiences and the friendships are the highlight of my career. This is one of the more collaborative industries. And it needs to be, so that we can continue to ensure our customers have the greatest end user experience possible.
Kenneth Clark, Director of Internet Data Center Operations: Our industry is ever changing and thus always evolving. This makes for an environment that is never boring.
Frank Matheus, Lead Product Manager: First and foremost, it’s the people at my company that excites me the most about working in the data center industry. Being part of a company that is focused on helping customers with their communications needs and security infrastructure is extremely important and rewarding. At Evoque Data Center Solutions, we are focused and passionate about customer support and that our customers have a wonderful experience working with us and knowing that their Information Technology equipment is safe, secured, and always accessible.
Anthony Monasseri, Director of Data Centers: Working in the data center industry allows us to experience a rare combination of technical, interpersonal and customer service disciplines. There is always something new to experience every day. Whether it be some new technology on the cutting edge, a new personnel challenge or assisting a client in any way that is needed. It is what makes this world so fulfilling.
Michael Byers-Norton, Sales Engineer: The data center industry allows me to work with a diverse array of customers and team mates to solve challenges within facilities at the cutting edge of the internet. The always evolving technology in the hosting space allows for my teammates and I to be creative while building solutions for new customers and long-term customers alike.
Erin Carpenter, Director of Digital Marketing: I like working in the data center industry because it is always changing and there is always something new to learn.
Ryan Moore, VP of Sales: IoT, edge, AI, 5G, big data, XaaS, cloud and all other industry hot topic items require the same at their core. The data center provides the foundation — from mainframe to digitalization — to invent our future. Each conversation is a unique adventure and opportunity to have a positive impact on many others.
Krystyna Witt, Sales Engineer: A good and interesting question that I had to really think about it. From my own personal perspective, I have a good number of reasons why I enjoy working in an industry that I somewhat stumbled upon while working as a network engineer, almost two decades ago. I was fortunate enough to have a leader and mentor who encouraged me to try new things and to challenge myself. To be quite honest, when I first started working in the industry (back then called the colocation market) there was no real curb appeal to this industry, so it seemed. I called it a deceiving appearance…. yes, data centers may be perceived as dull industry…we are talking about space and power, how interesting can it be, right??…However, this so call dull industry, is a “diamond in the ruff,” “a hidden gem” to many of us. The way I see it, this industry is a foundation that for many decades has housed some of the most cutting edge technologies, and today it continues this same mission in a much stronger fashion.
There are those of us who are fortunate to be part of this industry and appreciate it for the hidden gem that it is. An industry that allows us to be part of a cutting edge culture, to see firsthand how the internet and now cloud computing has changed and continues to change our lifestyle. Working in this industry enables me personally to continue to learn and stay on top of some of the most innovative technologies that could very likely impact our lifestyle. Exciting right, yes indeed. For me, this industry will continue to change and evolve. Some say the data center industry is still very much in its infancy stage, so much more is yet to come. To me personally that translates into a learning and growing opportunity. It means not a dull moment. It means the opportunity to be part of something that is impactful.
Tim Berry, Product Manager: Data centers are the crossroads of our society’s underlying technology foundation. It is exciting to have the opportunity to be a part of new technologies and ideas on cutting edge innovations that will drive new revenue and more efficient ways to do business.
Stephen Jackson, International Service Manager: Working in data centers means you are always involved with cutting edge of future technologies. You are always busy, plus it challenges your knowledge to continue to develop. Data center life is exciting and never boring.
