This report highlights some of the findings from the Uptime Institute Capacity Trends and Cloud Survey 2024. In particular, this report offers an insight into what drives migration to and from the public cloud.
Rose Weinschenk
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
Latest Research
Cloud repatriation is overstated
Extended reality offers new training capabilities
New augmented reality and virtual reality technologies can provide effective training capabilities for data center staff but are not yet a complete substitute for in-person training.
Operators struggle to retain staff and fill vacant positions
Staff shortages and recruitment challenges remain the key workforce challenges facing data center owners and operators in 2024. This report highlights some of the findings from the Uptime Institute Staffing and Recruitment Survey 2024.
AI adoption in data centers: an insight into job displacement
Many speculate that AI and automation might replace humans in data center jobs but there is little evidence to support this line of thought. The data center industry has characteristics that researchers believe may protect against worker displacement
Bridging the skills gap: lessons from China
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.
Building trust: working with AI-based tools
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.
Sustainability teams: key players and crucial collaborations
Jay
Dietrich
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.
Douglas
Donnellan
Andy
Lawrence
Daniel
Bizo
Peter
Judge
John
O'Brien
Jacqueline
Davis
Max
Smolaks
Rose
Weinschenk
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.
Digital EOPs: the appliance of science
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.
Targeted recruitment can widen the talent pool
Investing in recruitment initiatives and exploring underutilized talent pools could help data centers overcome current recruitment difficulties in sourcing appropriate candidates.
The long journey to concrete and steel decarbonization
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.
Effective EOPs: how cognitive science can help
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.
Equipment prices rise despite supply chain improvements
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.
Long shifts in data centers — time to reconsider?
Data center operator shifts typically range from seven to 12 hours. Longer shifts are often preferred by employees, but can introduce significant risks.
What does embedded carbon of IT really represent?
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.
