Data Center Managers: Understanding Your Management Style

Featured article by Abby Gabriel, Vice President, Global Marketing Strategy, Schneider Electric

As the onslaught of big data and demand of the Internet of Things (IOT) causes organizations to grow their reliance on data centers, business leaders are realizing the importance of data center technologies. But data centers are more than a sum of their electronic parts. In addition to the cooling, power and computing equipment, data centers require a host of personalities to keep business operations running smoothly – especially those that manage this critical infrastructure.

According to an IDC FutureScape report on worldwide data center predictions for 2016, data center managers are facing the challenge of coordinating a fast landscape of people and infrastructure as they move to a new “hybrid IT” world. This world will require a shift from buying equipment and managing facilities and infrastructure in their own data center, to having to manage 60 to 65 percent of their assets offsite, and will involve transformative teams with various skills.

With this shift to new technologies and skillsets, it is becoming increasingly important to understand diverse work styles in the data center in order to build an effective team structure. A recent personality assessment, based on the well-known ‘Ten Item Personality Measure,’ went beyond the racks and HVAC systems to take a hard look at the people behind the machines: the data center manager. Using basic, multiple choice questions, assessment aims to provide data center managers with a better understanding of their management style.

Common personality types found in the data center include:

– The Go-getter: The go-getter is optimistic and uses enthusiasm to fuel productivity. With their affinity for collaboration, they are a resource to those in need of support and guidance.

– The Quantifier: Analytical in their approach, the quantifier thrives on research and data analysis. That balanced and methodical attitude makes for a very capable and reasonable management style.

– The Rock: The data center manager must perform in a high stress environment – luckily a majority of managers associate with the rock personality, being dependable, forthright and directional to their colleagues during unexpected troubleshooting.

– The Reformer: Reformers manage with a maverick mentality, willing to go where no one has gone before in the name of data center performance. Tried and true practices will not fly when this manager takes the reins. This management style does not necessarily imply leaders must take risks, but rather they must have a willingness and curiosity to try new technologies and approaches.

– The Collaborator: Seeking answers through crowdsourcing their business leaders and IT teams, collaborators account for only 10 percent of data center managers.

Findings from the data center manager personality assessment mirror the shifts reported by IDC, with 57 percent of respondents reporting that upgrade planning occupies a vast majority of their time. Most are planning an overhaul of their data center in the near future. Despite this, only one in four of respondents said that they feel overwhelmed by their workload, and 70 percent are devoted to educating others across the business on complex technical challenges.

It is clear that the role of the data center manager will continue to evolve as organizations become more reliant on the infrastructure as a crucial piece of business strategy. Knowing the strengths that lie within each organization will only further enable growth that is in line with the changing nature of the data center. For more information on the findings, as well as to find out what type of data center manager you are, take the “Data Center Manager Personality Assessment.”

Abby Gabriel, Vice President, Global Marketing Strategy, Schneider Electric

Abby Gabriel is the Vice President of Global Marketing Strategy. She is responsible for leading strategic global marketing initiatives for Schneider Electric’s IT business, which includes market analysis, customer experience research, global campaign development and identifying key business drivers across customer segments. She has been with Schneider Electric for over ten years and prior to this role served as the Senior Director of US Strategic Marketing.