Data centers are the beating hearts of modern businesses. They house critical infrastructure and sensitive data that is vital to all departments across an organization. In this fast-paced digital landscape, making sure your data center is always in top operational shape shouldn’t be just a goal, but an absolute necessity on any given day that someone will need to access pivotal data at the click of a mouse.

And, as you know quite well, running a data center pulls you in multiple directions at once. That’s why, to ensure you’re never offline, it’s important to always have a real-time pulse on the areas outlined below. 

Security: Building Fortresses for Data

Imagine a data center as a fortress with a hard outer shell and multiple layers within, each with their own security measures. Strict management of access ensures only those who require entry to each of these levels can actually get in. This goes beyond the front door and is a physical concern throughout the entire data center. To minimize security risks, it’s a must to manage the who, why, and where of every person entering your facility, as non-company staff must access the grounds for daily demands or periodic maintenance.

Preparation is Key

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many unexpected challenges for those leading data center operations at the time. Companies have long developed various types of disaster recovery plans accounting for a variety of scenarios. However, the pandemic tested those plans. And, when we found ourselves in a situation that hadn’t been experienced in 100 years, many failed the test. Fortunately, lessons learned strengthened disaster recovery going forward. Such lessons include the delicate nature of supply chain management, the importance of procuring inventory when available, and being able to execute “on a dime” during even the most chaotic of times. For these reasons, establishing thorough disaster recovery plans and being able to quickly adapt to unknowns have become indispensable.

Safety: A Cultural Requirement

Prioritizing the well-being of employees working under extreme conditions is crucial and should never be a question. That is why, for very good reasons, safety has become a cultural requirement for all businesses. Main concerns within data center environments include managing worksites where employees from multiple companies are working in tandem, ensuring the safety of workers that are working alone, taking precautions when working with high voltage power infrastructure, and having in place efficient response processes in case of emergencies. It’s not just enough to have these processes in place, but to ensure that no one is cutting corners, especially organizational leaders, as values are engrained from the very top. If you get everyone home safely at the end of the day, you’ve got yourself a strong culture and a safe data center.

Continuous Improvement

Even the top tier of organizations have room for improvement, whether being driven for the need to optimize efficiency or new ways to stay on budget. Repetitive tasks can be improved by identifying process enhancements and design strategies. Challenging the status quo can have significant results when driven by the employees who are closest to the challenges. Buy-in at all levels is needed for improvements and long-term success, as support from leadership helps to ensure this evolution occurs.

Nurturing Future Leaders

As the most experienced data center professionals continue to retire, there is a greater need for fresh faces. But to accomplish this, the industry needs to make sure students at all levels are being properly introduced to the concept of data centers, how they work, and why they must work for society to function. For example, younger generations are the largest consumers and creators of data. The broadband requirements are ever increasing, and the workhorse behind this data isn’t even a thought, as they may not recognize the connection between data centers and their iCloud folders, unless it is demonstrated to them. Furthermore, tomorrow’s professionals stand to benefit from learning more about our industry, as it opens for them a new door of career potential and even lucrative compensation.

Exposing younger generations to the industry, whether through professional forums and societies or internships, providing guidance on required skills, and mentoring them as they mature, are essential to properly pass the torch. These future leaders will shape the industry's evolution and will more immediately allow you to sleep soundly at night knowing the lights are being properly kept on, and equipment is up and running.

Finding the Right Fit

Attitude and aptitude are definite requirements for an employee to succeed in data center operations. When recruiting for the best possible fit, you’re going to ultimately need someone who can handle the stress of working in such an unpredictable environment. Being resilient during challenging times makes for outstanding professionals in any field. Additionally, communication skills are vital. Being able to identify and resolve problems is great, but being able to turn those problems into learning opportunities for an entire team, is invaluable, especially in the high-stress moments.

By making these items a priority, and by constantly reevaluating your organization’s needs, you are positioning your organization for great success. One data center operations team that has figured this out quite well, is the EdgeCore Data Centers’ team of operations leaders, led by Therese Kerfoot, SVP Operations. In December, Kerfoot and her team, Harrison Stoll (VP Operations), Matt Silvers (VP Operations Programs), and Sarah Kasper (Sr. Director, Environmental Health & Safety) joined us on the DVL Power Hour, “Data Center Excellence: Operations & Safety,” where the four shared their experiences in these areas and more. To learn about the extremely valuable insights they brought to the table, please check out the On-Demand webinar, or listen to the adapted podcast version available below and on iTunes and Spotify.

As the year draws to a close, we at DVL are preparing to say goodbye to three of our most dedicated and tenured employee owners, Jim Boyle, Ed Remington, and Lissa Wolf, all based out of our Philadelphia area office. We will miss them, but we couldn’t be happier for them as we send them off into the great world of retirement. DVL is an employee owned company, which means each employee benefits from our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), a retirement fund that is 100% funded by the company. To make that sound even more amazing, this is in addition to our 401(k) plan and company match.

At DVL, retirement isn’t just the end of someone’s journey, but rather just the beginning of everything they’ve been working towards as an employee owner. Employees are encouraged to think like owners as they make decisions in their day-to-day life, all with the shared goal of making the company as profitable as possible, so that the workers themselves can enjoy those benefits.

With that being said, the employee owners of DVL want to congratulate Jim, Ed, and Lissa on reaching this most exciting (and ultimate) milestone of any employee owner’s ownership journey. You’ve worked tremendously hard, you’ve all impacted our company and our ESOP for the better, and we wish you nothing less than the huge pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

JIM BOYLE Senior Director of Finance Years at DVL: Almost 19
ED REMINGTON Senior Project Manager Years at DVL: Almost 26
LISSA WOLF Parts Sales Manager Years at DVL: 42*

*While DVL was not founded until 1985, in 1981, Lissa began working at a company that DVL acquired in the 1980s.

So, you get a new cooling system or a new generator and you think you’re set. The equipment is of such top-notch quality, and made really well, so you can just kick back and relax, and let it do its thing while you put any thoughts of future maintenance or service for the equipment in the back of your mind. Bury it away for another time. At least until something acts up.

Right??....

WRONG!

The power is yours to prevent something from going wrong in the first place. All the more reason not to take a dangerous gamble, risking the chance that the thing that goes wrong will be the priciest or most significant of repairs. Just show your equipment, even the shiny new stuff you just installed, some TLC, and you’ll stay ahead of the game. 

Soon you will see for yourself that the key to getting the most out of your equipment is being proactive. For example, checking on certain things in between scheduled preventative maintenance visits (we're talking oils, coolants, debris, filters, and more) will optimize efficiency and help you recognize potential issues that you can prevent from snowballing into something even worse down the road. 

Your ultimate goal is to comfortably rely on your investment for many more years to come.

Set yourself up for success. Check out these documents for pointers on how you can show your HVAC systems and Generators the love and attention they deserve.

Since we began our DVL Power Hour webinar series a few years ago, we've been able to bring you more than 40 live episodes. We’ve hosted many discussions about a variety of topics related to critical infrastructure and data centers. Thermal Management. Batteries. E-Rates. Green Data. Pandemics. Service. We’ve talked about all of this and more, as we welcomed guests from some of our partners, such as representatives from Vertiv, Generac, Critical Labs, Packet Power, and more, as well as some of our customers, and even scientists who have helped explain some of the latest technologies and trends.

If you haven’t had the chance to tune in for any of these webinars, or haven't in a while, we hope you’ll make your way over to our list of past webinars, as all our previously broadcasted webinar episodes can be accessed on-demand via our website. We invite you to browse topics and titles to find any that may interest you.

Some of our most popular episodes include:

• "How to Choose the Right Cooling System"
• "The Importance of Indoor Air Quality"
• "Research & Development: Advanced Methods of Cooling Electronics"
• "Power Distribution in Critical Facilities"
• "Expanding the Monitoring Equation: Alert Management to Risk Mitigation"
• "NFPA Standards & Generator UL Listings with Generac"

As far as new webinar episodes go, we are currently on a break for the summer, but check back soon for more information. We will continue to bring you new episodes on a monthly basis. In the meantime, if you'd prefer, all our webinars are ALSO available in a podcast format as well. Episodes have been edited down--you won't be able to see video or slides, but will still get to enjoy some interesting conversations and insights into the critical infrastructure world while on the go. We hope you'll tune in. And if you have any questions or comments, please reach us at Marketing@DVLnet.com.

DID YOU KNOW? All five DVL offices in Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Denver, Harrisburg, and Salt Lake City, have a parts department that you can contact to order emergency parts, portable cooling, or even a customizable spare parts kit. Spare parts for your equipment can be invaluable to have on-hand BEFORE you need them, especially with supply chains as unreliable as they are today. You don't want to be waiting for a piece in the mail that you need to have installed in your data center right away. We recommend a Spare Parts Kit, tailored to your equipment and needs. Don't be left out in the cold (or heat) waiting for much-needed thermal management parts to arrive, AFTER your equipment has called it quits due to a broken piece.

In need of Liebert or Generac parts or portable air conditioners?
Please contact the Parts Department at your local DVL office.