Name: Josh Mills
Worked at ServerCentral since: April 2009
Years of experience in DC Ops: 10-ish
Tell us about a day in the life of a Lead Data Center Technician.
JM: I’m in a bit of a weird spot with this one. I was the first full-time tech hired at DFT. Since I’ve seen our space (double? triple?) in size, I’ve also done a fair amount of the build-out work myself. That being the case, I can usually fix up any problems in our copper and fiber cabling plants, running cross-connects in the building’s 2 MMRs and 4 POEs. Whenever we need to add room-to-room cabling, you’ll see me installing it with other techs on manlifts. If you’ve ever seen us and heard us, no we can’t turn off the beepers on them.
What kind of experience or natural curiosities does it take to be successful in DC Ops?
JM: I used to think I could make millions of dollars by pulling and terminating cable. I was also always interested in computers and taking things apart to see what was wrong and try to fix it. After breaking a number of home electronics by the age of twelve, I was finally able to reassemble whatever I took apart!
What’s the coolest thing about your job?
JM: I kicked the owner’s brother once. I also get to do a lot of unique projects in an industrial setting that’s engineered to never fail. We’ve recently started using air-blown fiber to go from room to room, which beats pulling it by hand. I’ve taken 26-foot trucks full of customer gear and priceless data from DC to DC during migrations with no major (or minor) incidents. We always have a fun time at work, even during OMG emergencies. Somebody is always able to crack a joke and get everyone in a good mood.
What about the most challenging?
JM: I am a cable perfectionist. I hate dirty cabling work. It’s worse when unlabeled. Also, the new pop machine in the break room breaks down every day. This is no joke!
What’s the best prank you’ve pulled on a fellow tech?
JM: I’M THE GUY THEY PRANK. My car was on Craigslist for two days until I figured out who posted the ad. I still get the random callers asking about it to this day. Oh, and the fantasy football total text count was 527 messages. 527!!!!!
Who is your celebrity doppelgänger?
JM: Everyone at the data center says I remind them of Charlie Day (Kitten Mittens).
Tell me something most people don’t know about working in Data Center Ops.
JM: As techs, we know that if we ever get arrested, we can call the NOC for bail money. We’re open 24/7. No excuses.
