The Uptime Institute recently released its Annual Global Data Center Survey for 2020 [1]. Among the many valuable insights it provided, the report highlighted the recent difficulties in staffing data center operational positions and the need for skilled entry-level workers. The survey identified managers reporting they had difficulty finding qualified candidates and open jobs has risen steadily over the past several years. Some of the fundamental aspects affecting staffing are requirements for second and third shift work for 24/7 operations, limited pay, and highly skilled requirements for entry-level positions. All of which can reduce the number of qualified applicants for a growing industry. The survey reported that 50% of 2020 respondents said they had difficulty finding a qualified candidate, up from 41% in 2019 and 38% in 2018.
The Uptime 2020 survey also reported that technology and automation can and will eventually reduce staffing; one of the most promising approaches in this area is the greater use of automation and AI for data center operations. Uptime’s own research suggests that certain tasks can be effectively automated and that smaller data centers can operate without any staff at all. Most in the industry agree, nearly 80% believe that AI will reduce their data center operations staffing levels.
In one of our recent blog articles [2], Telescent discussed downtime in data centers and the factors that impact uptime. In that blog, we highlight the occurrence and impact of human error. Combine the staffing issues highlighted in this article with the rate and impact of human error in the previous article and you have a situation ideally suited for automation.
To reduce recruiting costs, to reduce the number of operations staff, and to reduce the number of human errors while also improving the speed of service, Telescent designed a fully autonomous cross-connect solution. The Telescent G4 Network Topology Manager (NTM) is an innovative dynamic fiber cross-connect system that allows software control of the physical layer while scaling to address the needs of both small and large data center operations and campuses. This reduces or eliminates the need for additional operations staff, reduces recruitment expenses, reduces training expenses while simultaneously improving the efficiency of the data center.
The Telescent G4 NTM system consists of 1,008 input and 1,008 output ports, each connected by a short, uninterrupted internal fiber cross-connect. The connections in the system are fully latched and self-cleaned LC-UPC connectors, offering the low-loss and reliability expected of passive patch panels (i.e. no back-up power is required). When reconfiguration is requested, a robot-driven gripper removes an internal fiber from the original port and moves it to the desired new port. The patented algorithm identifies the unique path to route the fiber around the 1,007 other internal fibers in the system to establish a non-blocking, any-to-any connection. The Telescent NTM is strictly non-blocking and completely automated – essentially unlimited configuration and reconfiguration are possible with the Telescent system without any on-site, manual labor, and with the original external fiber connections. A new cross-connect can be requested remotely at any time and from any configuration, ensuring complete flexibility and programmability.
With the growth of the data center industry and the continued need for staffing, costs will continue to increase along with the need for skilled manual labor. Automation with the Telescent NTM can help data center operators meet the demanding expectations of their customers while reducing the challenge and need for additional data center operations staff while simultaneously improving uptime.
[1] https://uptimeinstitute.com/2020-data-center-industry-survey-results