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Data Centre Manager - Who should it be?
Data Centres are unique and unusual environments that require unique and unusual skills. Nine years ago, at one of the plethora of industry conferences, I spoke about this very subject - it is interesting, if a little disappointing, that very little has changed since then.
What are the qualities of a Data Centre Manager and who should it be? Should the data centre manager be a technician? Should he or she be a traditional facilities manager or a mechanical and electrical engineer? Should the Data Centre Manager be a Health & Safety expert? The problem is, that they should really be a combination of all these things and many more. This was the subject of my contribution nine years ago - the convergence of the role of Facilities Manager and IT Manager.
Reality is that nowadays, the criticality of this being a converged role is even higher. Most data centres are equipped with plant that provides SNMP traps, allowing better management and better control. The problem is that we have just moved straight out of the role of the traditional facilities manager or mechanical and electrical engineer into networking. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is buried deep inside the world of networking. Talk SNMP to a network engineer and he'll gladly engage you in a conversation about TCP/IP, the vagaries of SMTP or the benefits of HSRP over BGP. The trouble is that this is all stuff that the traditional engineer didn't have to know and didn't particularly want to know.
So then, I appear to have ruled out a traditional facilities manager as being the right qualities to be a data centre manager. The mechanical and electrical engineer isn't going to be quite right either - talk routing protocols, or the pros and cons of UNIX over Windows and vice versa, or SAN technology and how to configure a LUN and he or she won't have a clue what you're on about. And why should they? They are very experienced, and often highly qualified, engineers in their field - they're not IT geeks!
So, if it’s not a facilities manager and its not a mechanical and electrical engineer, who is it? Well, before we move to the more obvious choice of an IT Manager who is going to understand all this techie talk and TLAs (three letter acronyms), let's consider another option. What about a health and safety expert? Why, you may ask - health and safety is woefully under considered in the data centre industry. How many data centre managers know what the current regulations are regarding working at height? What about the electrical regulations? With racks using as much as 20 kilowatt or more, should the 'techies' who install and configure the kit be electrically qualified? In almost any other industry, a technician installing a 42kg (92lbs) server in a 42U cabinet at position 34U (or 5 feet in the air) would be required to wear a hard hat, gloves and toe protection - generally techies settle of a t-shirt, jeans and a pair of training shoes! The problem here is that the Health & Safety expert may ensure that we are all working safer and taking the environment seriously, but they are very unlikely to understand the technology (try explaining why you might want a penetration test on your network and, trust me, they'll think you're talking about something completely different!). They are equally unlikely to know a great deal about the supporting environment - again, a simple discussion as to why the 'gas' in a direct expansion air conditioning environment isn't really a gas, or what the difference between an ACB and an MCB are and you'll see what I mean.
So, we are left with the IT Manager. Sure, they're going to understand the difference between a SAN (Storage Area Network) or NAS (Network Attached Storage), or why driving that tape library with a UNIX environment might be better than Wintel and, guess what, they're even going to know all about those SNMP traps that the plant is now generating and can even probably tell you how they're generated, what information can be contained within them and the importance of a good quality community string but, and here it comes ... but they almost certainly won't be able to explain how to change that squeaky belt on a downflow unit, or why the CRAC units (Computer Room Air Conditioning) are running flat out when there isn't much load in the room, or how the automatic transfer switch works when the generator is needed ... or for that matter, what effect harmonics have on the electrical environment and why power factor correction is important. So, actually, sorry but they're of no more use than any of the others!
So, since no-one seems to fit the role, who should it be? This is the challenge that our industry now faces - a Data Centre Manager needs to be a converged role that encompasses all of these elements and more. The Data Centre Manager must know about the technology, not just what it does and how it works, but he or she must understand the mechanical and electrical elements behind it. They must understand the health and safety aspects of the operation, but equally they must understand about facility management. Particularly in these times of ever rising energy costs and the increasingly public concerns about the impact on the environment of data centre operations, the Data Centre Manager must know how to keep these costs to a minimum and the true impact of installing another server or storage device.
The role of the Data Centre Manager is a complex one requiring many skills, and knowledge of a wealth of different disciplines. He or she may not know everything about everything, but they must know enough to know who to ask and what they are asking ... and more importantly they must understand the answers they receive! Too many data centres today are run by people who simply don't understand enough about the environment they are responsible for and subsequently make ill informed decisions based on insufficient knowledge.
Who thinks I'm wrong? I'm happy to be shot down, but in my experience I'm afraid that all of the above is true!
What are the qualities of a Data Centre Manager and who should it be? Should the data centre manager be a technician? Should he or she be a traditional facilities manager or a mechanical and electrical engineer? Should the Data Centre Manager be a Health & Safety expert? The problem is, that they should really be a combination of all these things and many more. This was the subject of my contribution nine years ago - the convergence of the role of Facilities Manager and IT Manager.
Reality is that nowadays, the criticality of this being a converged role is even higher. Most data centres are equipped with plant that provides SNMP traps, allowing better management and better control. The problem is that we have just moved straight out of the role of the traditional facilities manager or mechanical and electrical engineer into networking. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is buried deep inside the world of networking. Talk SNMP to a network engineer and he'll gladly engage you in a conversation about TCP/IP, the vagaries of SMTP or the benefits of HSRP over BGP. The trouble is that this is all stuff that the traditional engineer didn't have to know and didn't particularly want to know.
So then, I appear to have ruled out a traditional facilities manager as being the right qualities to be a data centre manager. The mechanical and electrical engineer isn't going to be quite right either - talk routing protocols, or the pros and cons of UNIX over Windows and vice versa, or SAN technology and how to configure a LUN and he or she won't have a clue what you're on about. And why should they? They are very experienced, and often highly qualified, engineers in their field - they're not IT geeks!
So, if it’s not a facilities manager and its not a mechanical and electrical engineer, who is it? Well, before we move to the more obvious choice of an IT Manager who is going to understand all this techie talk and TLAs (three letter acronyms), let's consider another option. What about a health and safety expert? Why, you may ask - health and safety is woefully under considered in the data centre industry. How many data centre managers know what the current regulations are regarding working at height? What about the electrical regulations? With racks using as much as 20 kilowatt or more, should the 'techies' who install and configure the kit be electrically qualified? In almost any other industry, a technician installing a 42kg (92lbs) server in a 42U cabinet at position 34U (or 5 feet in the air) would be required to wear a hard hat, gloves and toe protection - generally techies settle of a t-shirt, jeans and a pair of training shoes! The problem here is that the Health & Safety expert may ensure that we are all working safer and taking the environment seriously, but they are very unlikely to understand the technology (try explaining why you might want a penetration test on your network and, trust me, they'll think you're talking about something completely different!). They are equally unlikely to know a great deal about the supporting environment - again, a simple discussion as to why the 'gas' in a direct expansion air conditioning environment isn't really a gas, or what the difference between an ACB and an MCB are and you'll see what I mean.
So, we are left with the IT Manager. Sure, they're going to understand the difference between a SAN (Storage Area Network) or NAS (Network Attached Storage), or why driving that tape library with a UNIX environment might be better than Wintel and, guess what, they're even going to know all about those SNMP traps that the plant is now generating and can even probably tell you how they're generated, what information can be contained within them and the importance of a good quality community string but, and here it comes ... but they almost certainly won't be able to explain how to change that squeaky belt on a downflow unit, or why the CRAC units (Computer Room Air Conditioning) are running flat out when there isn't much load in the room, or how the automatic transfer switch works when the generator is needed ... or for that matter, what effect harmonics have on the electrical environment and why power factor correction is important. So, actually, sorry but they're of no more use than any of the others!
So, since no-one seems to fit the role, who should it be? This is the challenge that our industry now faces - a Data Centre Manager needs to be a converged role that encompasses all of these elements and more. The Data Centre Manager must know about the technology, not just what it does and how it works, but he or she must understand the mechanical and electrical elements behind it. They must understand the health and safety aspects of the operation, but equally they must understand about facility management. Particularly in these times of ever rising energy costs and the increasingly public concerns about the impact on the environment of data centre operations, the Data Centre Manager must know how to keep these costs to a minimum and the true impact of installing another server or storage device.
The role of the Data Centre Manager is a complex one requiring many skills, and knowledge of a wealth of different disciplines. He or she may not know everything about everything, but they must know enough to know who to ask and what they are asking ... and more importantly they must understand the answers they receive! Too many data centres today are run by people who simply don't understand enough about the environment they are responsible for and subsequently make ill informed decisions based on insufficient knowledge.
Who thinks I'm wrong? I'm happy to be shot down, but in my experience I'm afraid that all of the above is true!
Replies to This Post
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Permalink Reply by Steve Langley on
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Alex,
I read your article with great interest and found myself in full agreement. I would also add that in the current climate Data Centre Managers need to also be business managers and be able to work at board level when justifying the capital and operational investment required. I count myself lucky to that having been in IT for 30+ years I have managed to gain the necessary experience. I too share your concerns.
Kind regards
Steve Langley
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Permalink Reply by David Cuthbertson on
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Hi Alex,
Long time since we last talked. Good to see a well written piece on the complexities of the role and how it is changing. I've seen two trends in recent years - 1) facilities managers starting to get involved in understanding IT to enhance their understanding and enable better communication. 2) IT engineers skilling themselves up to understand the problems of power, cooling etc. as part of project related needs. One aspect of my day job is I deliver training on management techniques for data centres and see both sets attending. The difference in approach from each side does lead to questioning who is best suited as you have outlined.
As a general rule:
Facilities managers don't try and understand everything themselves - just enough to help them manage specialists and coordinate teams and tasks. Most areas are under control as there are laws, rules and policies which are often mature.
IT people often try and understand everything themselves, so they can design and control without having to rely on specialists. The rapid growth in data centre design courses is a good example, but while you can teach people about the basics of data centre infrastructure - it still requires design consultants with extensive experience to determine the appropriate technical solution. Also you don't build data centres very often so it is better to align the company with specialist suppliers and consulting partners.
When it comes to operational management there has to be a greater level of awareness at senior levels so they can address the increasing problems of coordinating changes caused by the new technologies. In many cases it is the impact on common infrastructure - space, cabling, cooling, power caused by both technology changes and the varying practices of project teams. The data centre manager can address what is within his remit but he also has to have the authority and power to manage the external teams who cause him so many problems. I've seen the power of the data centre manager increase over the years as organisations recognise the data centre as a strategic asset, which needs to be managed strategically.
So data centre managers have to be more aware of the technology and also more assertive to ensure external teams don't compromise the services provided by the data centre. Also more willing to use specialists like yourself Alex in decision making and service provision.
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Permalink Reply by Dan O.Kwach on
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Alex,
Couldnt agree more with this piece of article together with contributions going along its way already. I am currently trying hard to figure out what qualitifcations need be in place for a Data Center Manager.
I can admit being at cross-roads choosing what particular field such a resource should be picked from based on the diverse roles as already spelt out in this column. I am glad to note that this is in deed true even for the experienced persons in this field. I can however see that one's personality and known traits will carry the day in being granted this challenging position besides the professional qualification!
My ten cent thoughts!
Rgds,
Dan O.Kwach,
Kenya Data Networks.
+254-736373662
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Cohen on
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I wholeheartedly agree with all points you, Steve Langley, and David Cuthbertson have brought up. It is rare to find an individual who has both knowledge "and experience" in infrastructure engineering, facilities management, IT management, and business management. A couple of other fields he needs to have under his belt are corporate security and colocation administration.
I believe in the long run, it is the individual with strong operational management skills and experience who will come closer to fullfilling the role. Yes, he will have to have to have knowledge and experience in all the above fields to be that candidate. He may even have a background of strength and career rising from either IT or engineering, but like you have pointed out, he will most likely be a senior or executive level manager who knows how to lead and unite a team of managerial staff in the above related fields under him.
A good question is, "Is it easier to find a candidate to fill this role in a larger company or a smaller one?".
My comments above would reflect on a candidate for a larger company. It may be even more difficult to find the perfect data center manager for a smaller data center facility, where this individual must manage a team of specialists in all fields, or manage the activity and relationships of outsourced contractors and vendors, or (in an even smaller company) literally become the jack-of-all-trades, performing much of the administrative or hands-on IT or engineering duties himself.
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