Community Discussions
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ELI5: What is a data center and what do they actually do?
Main Post: ELI5: What is a data center and what do they actually do?
Top Comment: A data center is a room or facility set aside specifically to operate many computer systems. When you put a bunch of computer equipment in a small area, there are all sorts of considerations with regard to climate control, power supply, and the routing of cables and wires. A data center is specially designed to provide ample air circulation and air conditioning to prevent computers from over heating, it typically has cabinets into which large numbers of computer and hard drives can be inserted, and they often have enormous battery backup systems and reserve power generators to keep the computers operating in case of power failure. Here's a picture of the inside of the data center at Facebook: http://www.highsnobiety.com/files/2012/10/a-look-inside-the-facebook-data-center-4.jpg
What’s with the data centers??
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I keep hearing about data centers in NoVA and I’m wondering what’s the gripes about them? We’re moving to the area from the west coast, so I’m not familiar with what makes them so terrible. We are looking at houses and one area is potentially going to have data centers built nearby. Is this something we should stay away from in terms of buying a house, and if so, why??
Top Comment: I live about a mile away from a metric ton of them and don’t mind them at all. They’re big, but no “uglier” than any office building, and honestly I think a lot of them look pretty nice as they are newly built. Some of them even have a bit of architecture to them. One of them has an incredibly cool artsy metal roof—not sure if it’s that way for function or style but it’s really neat to look at. They help keep taxes low, and aren’t a nuisance at all. Plus they don’t worsen traffic because it’s not like you have a ton of people working at them. Personally the more the better IMO.
Is working at a data center a good first IT job?
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I had an interview for a data center technician position today. It went really well, just wondering if it’s a good first job for IT. I’m transitioning into IT from another field. Just passed my A+ core 1 last week and am working towards the core 2 now. I have been applying to a lot of help desk jobs bc I know that’s a popular entry level position but I’m wondering if working at a data center will look as good on a resume as help desk. Would love to hear about anyone’s experiences!
Top Comment: It's not where you work or the type of organization. It's about your job. You can work at a data center emptying cans and mopping. Probably won't help you advance. OTOH, if you'll be supporting staff/clients with hardware, software, networking, security, etc. then it's a good opportunity. First time IT jobs are tough to land these days. Grab anything you can. As you work, you'll learn, gain experience and be exposed to next level technology. You can study that tech, get certified and work your way up. You'll also meet people who can help you advance. Best in your career pursuits.
Malaysia is emerging as a data center powerhouse amid booming demand from AI - “It looks like in the space of a couple of years, [Johor Bahru] alone will overtake Singapore to become the largest market in Southeast Asia from a base of essentially zero just two years ago,”
Main Post: Malaysia is emerging as a data center powerhouse amid booming demand from AI - “It looks like in the space of a couple of years, [Johor Bahru] alone will overtake Singapore to become the largest market in Southeast Asia from a base of essentially zero just two years ago,”
Top Comment: We’ve always had potential. But we never fulfill due to bad actors and greed.
Those who have worked on data centers, what has been your experience?
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Just curious as I've seen an increase in job ads for data center roles, seems to be heavily skewed toward MEP knowledge due to the power and cooling required. Also not very interesting from a design standpoint.
Top Comment: (From the GC side) They all feel the same and are generally boring is my experience. After you have done your 10th big concrete box with computers inside you are not going to care who the client is whether it's something "cool" or not.
Why do peers cringe when I say I'd be interested in working in a data center?
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It's only come up a handful of times, but I find the infrastructure of the cloud and the innovation being applied to them fascinating. Data centers are abundant around where I live, so I imagine people are speaking from experience, but the only thing they ever say is, "You don't want to work in a data center."
*Thanks for all of the thorough responses! This is exactly the insight I was looking for. This community is amazing.
Top Comment: So when it comes to cloud infrastructure and data centers, there's a heavy firewall in place. The people who work in the datacenter have very limited access to the data INSIDE the systems themselves. Conversely, the people who work outside the datacenter have limited to no access to the physical datacenters but are able to access the data in the systems. If you were to bridge that, you now have a severe security liability. More often than not- the innovation being applied to the cloud- happens outside the datacenter. Yes- DCs actually are the cloud- but those who work inside them generally are more manual work than engineering. That's not to say it isn't a great experience though. You do touch and see things that few people ever will- even those in engineering. Engineers will frequently just see blueprints, diagrams, layouts, but often won't see their creations in person.
how to get a job at a data centre?
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Hey, I'm 21 and been unemployed for about a year while doing some odd jobs here and there(used to be a waiter at an Italian restaurant for about a year and a a half) .I left to pursue some creative work but it did not work out and now I am broke.
I only have a SPM certificate (1A in English and Bs Cs everything else)
I don't have any knowledge about computer science but I own a PC and is learning some programming on my own.
I read some articles and watched a few videos about the growth of the economy in MY and that it will mainly benefit the data centers and create jobs around it.
Is it a good idea to start pursuing a career in a data center? Is it realistic to be able to get a good ,high paying job at a data center without a degree? ( i can get a diploma )
I would like some advice and feedback from people working in this industry.
Thank you!
Top Comment: Short answer, high chance no. Because so many people trying to get into data centre job. U need to compete with people with Master's or people with degree and multiple certificates. But if u keras juga, have several certificates then do some internship (6 months) or maybe to 1 years. Then u have a big chance in job market
What’s the weirdest shit you’ve found in a data center?
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Mine was crawling under a floor in a government data center and finding a cable that appeared to go into a strange corner in a wall.
I keep creeping under the floor and pop a floor tile where there should be nothing but wall.
Sitting inside a fake wall was an SGI Onyx, powered on and network connected.
It had a great flight sim on it and a lot of lunchtimes were spent in there :)
Top Comment: A rubber chicken inside the case of an appliance. I forget the name of the product. It consisted of a router and storage. You were not supposed to open the case. When troubleshooting an issue, the tech told me to open the case. Inside the case was a rubber chicken zip tied on the side. I asked the tech about it. He said, " If someone called support and asked why there was a rubber chicken zip tied in the case, we knew they were in the case without guidance from tech support." This was 22 years ago.