Rose is a Research Associate at Uptime Institute covering staffing and education in data centers. Her background includes psychology research, with a focus on ethics. rweinschenk@uptimeinstitute.com
Examining staffing trends in China’s data centers could provide insights into how US and European data center teams can expand their talent pipeline and address workforce shortages caused by an aging population.
Trust in AI as a tool for data center operations has declined sharply in the past three years. It is possible to control for the factors that drive mistrust — and see better outcomes when employees interact with AI-based systems.
Data center teams and their suppliers need to build a coherent, achievable sustainability strategy to address emerging regulations. Managers should clarify roles and set cross-functional metrics to achieve sustainability goals.
The 14th edition of the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey highlights the experiences and strategies of data center owners and operators in the areas of resiliency, sustainability, efficiency, staffing, cloud and AI.
Many data center operators are unaware that digitizing process documentation can impact staff performance. Understanding human psychology enables team leaders to create more effective digital versions of procedural documents.
Investing in recruitment initiatives and exploring underutilized talent pools could help data centers overcome current recruitment difficulties in sourcing appropriate candidates.
Concrete and steel account for up to 50% of the building shell product carbon footprint (PCF). Material substitutions or alternative energy sources can reduce the two materials’ PCF by up to 30%, but zero-emission products are years away.
While EOPs are intended to help staff address events that can lead to downtime, many are difficult to follow in an emergency. Applying cognitive psychology concepts during their creation can improve comprehension and reduce human error.
Results from the Uptime Institute Supply Chain Survey 2023 reveal that data center owners and operators are continuing to suffer supply chain delays, but these appear to be less frequent and severe than in 2022.
Data center operator shifts typically range from seven to 12 hours. Longer shifts are often preferred by employees, but can introduce significant risks.
Data center and IT managers face growing demand to publish comprehensive carbon inventory reports. But estimates for the carbon content embedded in IT equipment have questionable accuracy and usefulness in informing decisions.
Short-term tactics to reduce staff shortages are failing to offset the aging out of staff. Companies are neither investing in the retention and development of staff nor are they expanding their search to underutilized talent pools.