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A day in the life of a Data Centre Engineer

Gary Bartholomew our consultant managing the role
Published on 30 January 2023

Data centres have seen growth and expansion across the world, with the market expected to reach $105.6 billion by 2026. With this increased estimated increase the demand for Data Centre Engineer jobs will be sure to rise.

What is a Data Centre Engineer?

The main tasks and responsibilities for a Data Centre Engineer are to ensure that the data centre is fully operational from a hardware and software point of view. This can include planning layouts for new builds, running cables, racking servers, installing cross connections and day-to-day maintenance and troubleshooting.

Engineers may have more specialised roles such as mechanical, electrical and design and the responsibilities and skills will differ between each.

Prioritising

Data centres are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so depending on the size of the facility many tickets can be raised in a short amount of time. Each ticket needs to be looked at by an engineer and prioritised depending on the urgency and critical nature of the problem. Some may be a small fix, others may be more urgent and affect usability in a substantial way, making prioritising an important skill.

Service and Maintenance

A large-scale data centre can house close to 100,000 servers and extensive cooling systems which, as you imagine, require regular maintenance to ensure optimum usage.  Data Centre Engineers will find themselves conducting preventative maintenance. This can lead to the engineers carrying out repairs and sourcing new equipment.


Admin

It’s important that old hardware is updated which means Data Centre Engineers will keep track of inventory and place orders. You’ll also manage vendors, changing them to suit the business and infrastructure’s needs.


Installation

The role of a Data Centre Engineer can be a physical one, as when new hardware arrives it is their responsibility to unpack, install and test, this includes installing racks (where the servers and cables are housed) as well as:

  • Servers
  • Switches
  • Routers
  • Power distribution unit (PDU)
  • Cross connections
  • Cooling systems


Troubleshooting

Once a problem has been identified and prioritised a Data Centre Engineer’s creative problem-solving will often be called upon. This is a valuable skill to have when dealing with a vast amount of hardware and software and any recurring problems that come up.

The solutions can be wide and varied and this may require collaborating with team and other engineers, making communication and teamwork another important skill requirement.


Skills

Teamwork - The role of a Data Centre Engineer is truly a collaborative one, problem solving efforts are often a group effort and being a team player is certainly a skill that is important.

Flexibility – data centre jobs are often reactive, with tickets coming through and new problems arising so it’s important to be adaptable.

Communication – When it is vital to keep the infrastructure operating smoothly, it’s of utmost important that the team communicate well. 

IT and Software – As a Data Centre Engineer it’s important to keep up to date with the latest tools and technology that support your role.


At Quanta we specialise in recruiting skilled professionals across the globe for some of the world’s biggest Data Centre companies and projects. So if you’re looking for your next Data Centre job check out our vacancies or send us your resume today.