What a data center recruiter sees as the solution to the skills gap

If there is one thing that DCPro is acutely aware of, it’s the skills shortage in the data center industry. In the last couple of years, we have discussed the skill gap with different experts, attempting to understand its cause and identify potential solutions. Recently the expert in question was Andy Davis, the director for DataX Connect and Highfield Professional Solutions, providing an angle on recruitment from the inside out. “I think the skill shortage is a massive challenge with a lot of different facets within it. It’s something that people look at with quite a holistic view, and actually, there’s a lot of individual differentiators within the challenge. I always try and break it down into a few different elements. “You’ve got the entry-level, whether that’s a graduate, trainee, or apprentice. You’ve got that level, where we need more new people coming into the industry. “You’ve then got attracting people from other sectors. So how can we, as an industry, become more attractive than other industries to ensure that we’re getting the best talent? “Then you’ve also got the challenge of retention. How do we keep the best people in the sector?

There are a number of different facets that create the skills challenge. I think from a trainee and entry-level perspective, a lot of the conversations I have would boil down to getting your message to these people at the right time, which is at a school level. Going into schools, educating them about the industry, and telling them what data centers are. “I think a lot of focus historically has been on graduates or 18 to 21-year olds, but a lot of those have already made a decision on their career. They didn’t know what a data center was, so they were never going to choose data centers. The key is getting out to the schools. Let’s start educating people at a young age and telling them what a great industry it is, and the careers available.” This idea of expanding awareness of data centers, while indisputably important to focus on during student years, also applies to other industries. It isn’t possible to only recruit internally, and as a result, steps must be taken to create a wide-spread knowledge base of data centers across compatible industries. “Obviously, anyone that’s worked within the forces or leaves the forces

and moves into engineering, they’re critical thinkers and they’re able to operate under pressure. But again, that’s another group of people that the manufacturing sector is chasing, the oil and gas sectors are chasing. You’ve got to have a reason for them to come to the data center sector. “I don’t think it’s about there being a particular sector that we should get people from, which is probably where a lot of companies do it wrong. It’s about looking at the person. What are the attributes of the individual that you’re trying to recruit?” Taking this approach of evaluating people holistically, rather than demanding data center experience, can also help with the unavoidable fact of a devastating lack of diversity

Watch the DCPro talk with Andy here to hear even more about the industry and skills shortage challenge.

By Josephine Walbank at Data Centre Magazine

Our top 10 data centre influencers are thought leaders who are sharing the most actionable, informative and current content on LinkedIn, right now

Out of all the most popular social media platforms, LinkedIn has one of the most educated and highest-earning user bases. In fact, 51% of its audience is college-educated and half have an annual salary of over $75,000. 

It is platforms like LinkedIn that are transforming the way that sectors perceive social media. 

Now, rather than limiting its perceived use case to finding new hires, the world’s data centre companies and top execs are actually using LinkedIn to enhance their understanding of the industry. 

As with any platform, LinkedIn has its influencers. These include everything from the leaders of the world’s largest names, to empowering motivational speakers, and tech masterminds to ordinary people sharing their success stories. 

So, in this article, we’ll be recommending 10 of our most inspiring LinkedIn data centre influencers. If you want to know the latest goings-on in the industry, these are the people you’ll want to follow. 

1 Kate Brandt

As the Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, few know the industry better than Kate Brandt. 

Through her LinkedIn, she shares her insights into Google’s ongoing climate action strategy, technology updates and decarbonisation initiatives, to name a few. 

Plus, her feed is filled with current, actionable sustainability advice for companies in the technology and digital sectors. 

2 Tony Grayson

Tony Grayson is known throughout the industry for his thought leadership and extensive industry experience. 

During his 25+ years of technology and leadership experience, Grayson has worked with industry giants such as Facebook, AWS, and Oracle, and held a Commanding Officer role in the US Navy. 

On his LinkedIn platform, Grayson shares his insights in data centre topics including (but not limited to) the cloud, the edge, networking, financial management, commercial power and sustainability. 

3 Andy Davis 

Alongside his role as the Director of DataX Connect, Andy Davis is also the host of the popular podcast, Inside Data Centre.

The podcast explores the latest big trends in the data centre industry, with industry giants across the world. And, with over 15 years of experience within the data centre sector, Davis is a host that knows exactly what questions listeners want the answers to.  

As you can imagine, Davis’ LinkedIn is a gold mine of industry insights, podcast clips and global data centre news. 

4 Todd Coleman 

Todd Coleman is the President, CEO and Founder of eSTRUXTURE Data centres (and, the face of one of our most popular Data Centre Magazine covers). 

Coleman’s industry success has made him a highly influential data centre thought leader, and his LinkedIn offers a great insight into eSTRUXTURE’s continual success.

5 Lauren Ryder 

Lauren Ryder is the CEO of Leading Edge Global, a strategic business transformation specialist, with expertise in the areas of technology implementation and virtual CXO. 

So, as you can imagine, Ryder’s LinkedIn is a fantastic example of industry thought leadership, spanning a huge range of topics. Her shared content includes everything from company insights to interview clips, and corporate culture guidance to advice for other women in STEM industries. 

6 Joshua Au 

Joshua Au currently works as the data centre lead for the A* agency for science, technology and research. Previously, he has also held the roles of Singapore Chapter Leader for the Infrastructure Masons, Hyperscale Infrastructure Track Chair for the NSCC Singapore, and been a judge at the Data Centre Dynamics Awards. 

Alongside his industry insights, Au also uses his LinkedIn to discuss sustainable initiatives at length. As such, his is a great account to follow, if you want to improve your company’s ESG standards. 

7 Susanna Kass

Susanna Kass’ extensive data centre accreditations include, but aren’t limited to, her status as an Energy Fellow at Stanford University, being the Co-Founder of InfraPrime, and acting as a Data Centre Advisor for the UNSDG Programme.

And, as with many of the industry pioneers on this list, Kass is a firm sustainability and carbon neutral advocate. She is a member of Climate 50, and is the Data Centre Advisor for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

8 Amy Daniell

Based in London, Amy Daniell is the Senior Director of Hyperscale at NTT Global Data centres. She has also held Director-level positions at Microsoft, URS and AECOM. 

Daniell is a visiting lecturer at Bayes Business School, and is a regular speaker at DCD>Talks and DCD>Events, all of which she shares on her platform. 

9 Nabeel Mahmood 

Nabeel Mahmood is a Board Director for some of the largest names in the technology sector, including SCB Global and United Security Bank. 

He is also a popular keynote speaker, and his LinkedIn page is filled with industry news, alongside his insights on the topics. 

10 Phillip Koblence 

Phillip Koblence is the Co-Founder and current COO of NYI. Since founding the company in 1996, Koblence has grown the company from the operator of a single data centre in Lower Manhattan, to a key player in both national and international markets. 

With over 20 years of leadership and data centre management experience under his belt, Koblence’s LinkedIn is an invaluable page to be following.

By Josephine Walbank at Data Centre Magazine

We spoke to Andy Davis, the host of Inside Data Centre Podcast, to find out what it’s like behind the scenes, and what inspired him to launch the show

There’s a popular notion that there’s a podcast out there for everyone. And, business podcasts don’t have to be limited to motivational speakers – in fact, you can hear actionable and specific advice from the world’s leading data centre experts, straight from the horse’s mouth. 

The growing audience of Inside Data Centre is a testament to the collective curiosity of the data centre community. And, as a medium, podcasts are a fantastic way to get to know the people behind the titles, and pick their brains, as if they were with you in person. 

Alongside his role as the Director of DataX Connect, Andy Davis is also the host of the highly successful Inside Data Centre Podcast. 

The podcast explores the latest big trends in the data centre industry, with industry giants across the world. And, with over 15 years of experience within the data centre sector, Davis is a host that knows exactly what questions listeners want the answers to. 

What inspired you to set up your podcast?

The main inspiration behind starting the Inside Data Centre Podcast was the need to increase the exposure of the data centre sector. 

As a recruiter in the data centre sector, I was regularly asked ‘where can you find information about working in the sector?’. There was basically no real source of information that shared the stories of those working in the sector. 

I also knew that many people in the sector had a great story to tell, so I created the platform for them to do it. I was conscious that the other data centre podcasts were very technical and the guests were largely CEO’s/leaders of data centre operators. So, I wanted to create a more conversational podcast that was open to anyone working in the sector.

What has been your highlight in this role?

I have had so many highlights across the 90+ episodes I have released over the two years. I genuinely enjoy every single conversation: I feel privileged to be able to speak with people across the world and to help inspire others to join us in the world of data centres. 

I can never pick out one guest, as each person has their own great story to share, so my main highlight would be creating a platform that helps discuss the topics in the sector that really need a platform, such as diversity, education, and talent. 

I also love receiving feedback from those that listen to the podcast. It’s great to receive a message saying that one of my conversations helped someone develop their career or start a new role in the sector. That is what keeps me motivated.

What is your point of difference as a data centre marketing platform – what gap in the market do you think the podcast genre fills? 

I think it is that the podcast is authentic. I am not a technical whizz by any stretch, and therefore, I have to ask questions that maybe other platforms wouldn’t cover. 

I want to ask the questions that the listeners want answered and to try and take the conversation down a different route to the normal data centre discussions. 

The data centre sector is perceived as one where you have to be technical or an engineer to be successful. I want to show listeners that this is so far from the truth, and that many people from all backgrounds can develop highly successful careers in our sector.

What data centre topics do you think are the most under/over-represented? 

I think topics like sustainability and power demand receive a lot of exposure (rightly so) as that is what is high on customers lists of demands. 

They want to know that operators are talking about how they can manage the sustainability challenge and, therefore, these topics are always in the media. 

It is the topics under the radar that I like to cover, such as diversity. We talk about it a lot within the industry, but what actually are we doing, and why is it important? 

Talent is another topic that always comes up on my podcast. I always have the objective to try and provide a solution to these challenges, rather than simply discussing the problem and leaving the solution for someone else to create. 

Young people are another topic that, I feel, is not discussed enough. If we really want to manage the long-term talent challenge, we need to attract more young people to the sector, and it is up to us to solve that challenge.

Where do you see the podcast heading in the next 5 years?

When I first started the podcast, I wasn’t sure it would last 5 episodes! 

It seems crazy that it is now two years since the first episode, and we are heading towards the 100^th episode. 

All I would like to know is that the podcast is making a difference. And, as long as I can see it is making a difference, I will keep releasing the episodes. 

This is dependent on always having people to speak to, though. So, if anyone has a story to share please get in contact – I would love to talk data centres with you!