International Data Center Day: Discover the Careers That Power the Cloud

Today is International Data Center Day, an effort to raise awareness of the data center industry and to inspire the next generation of talent. The initiative, launched by 7×24 Exchange International, is the latest in a series of efforts to address a looming talent gap for data centers and cloud computing infrastructure.

The goal is to help the industry connect with future generations, ensure a steady flow of skilled labor, and build public understanding of data centers and what they do. The day’s themes include:

• Provide resources to educate people about what data centers are and how they work.
• Illustrate the importance of the data center industry on our daily lives.
• Share information on pursuing a career as a data center professional.
• Create more opportunities for mission critical firms to recruit future employees

There are a wide range of observances by leading data center operators and professionals.

The primary resource is the International Data Center Day web site created by the 7×24 Exchange, the industry group that organized the initiative in 2019. Features include a “What Is A Data Center?”  introduction with videos, and educational resources designed for elementary, high school and college students.

There are also some virtual events:

• At 10 a.m., Women in Mission Critical Operations (WiMCO) Atlanta Chapter is holding a “Virtual Coffee and Careers” event to introduce students to the growing data center industry.
• Independent Data Center Alliance: At noon Eastern the group will hold a Virtual Data Center Showroom tour showcasing the components that are critical to efficiently operate a data center. The Independent Data Center Alliance (IND-DCA) is a network of independent data center and carrier hotel operators.
• QTS Data Center Tour: At 1 pm,. Laren Olsen, VP of Data Center Facilities at QTS Data Centers, provides an overview of how data centers work and a LIVE virtual tour of a QTS data center facility.

On social media, many companies are sharing resources and information: