Interview with Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass Datacenter:
The Importance of International Data Center Day

by Tara Oehlmann and Denman Wall

When you think about the data center profession, 7×24 Exchange International and its constituency are at the forefront of the industry. Our conferences attract top-caliber audiences, end-users, vendors and consultants, professionals who span the entire range of the mission critical community across the globe. Drawing upon 30 years of experience and influence, 7×24 Exchange has launched International Data Center Day, an initiative that is designed to create awareness of the Data Center industry and Inspire the next generation of talent.

It provides the Industry an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a collaborative effort, what data centers are and why they are important to our connected world. Moreover, it will showcase the career opportunities that are part of the data center industry.

Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass Datacenters, is a long-time contributor to 7×24 Exchange conferences, having spoken on numerous data center topics as a keynote presenter. At the 2019 Spring conference in Boca Raton, Florida, Chris provided the Tuesday keynote titled “Data Centers — From Tech to Utility.”

As an ambassador for International Data Center Day, we asked him to share his insights on the importance of the initiative.

7×24 Exchange International: Chris, thanks for being an ambassador to International Data Center Day and a contributor to 7×24 Exchange conferences. Would you tell our readers a little bit about your background in the mission critical industry?

Chris Crosby: I have over 25 years of technology experience and over 15 years of real estate and investment experience. I founded Compass in 2011. Before that, I was a senior executive and founding member of Digital Realty Trust. At Digital, I was Senior Vice President at Digital Realty Trust, responsible for roles including global responsibility for corporate development, sales, marketing, design, construction, technical operations, and customer service. Prior to the initial public offering of Digital Realty, I was the founder and managing director of Proferian, which served as an operating platform for the private equity fund, GI Partners, and was rolled into the IPO for Digital Realty Trust.

7×24: That’s quite a background. How did you become an active member of 7×24 Exchange International?

Chris: During my tenure at Digital, there was a paucity of conferences that brought industry professionals together to examine the industry from a technical perspective and provide valuable insight into not only the issues facing data center providers and operators at the time but provide insight into emerging trends for the future. 7×24 was the only gathering that filled that void. Since then, I’ve found that the organization has remained true to this initial vision and still serves as a valuable platform for information and to participate in a free exchange of ideas.

7×24: We’re glad to be able to stick to that vision and be a valuable platform for exchange. Because of that very calling, 7×24 Exchange recently launched International Data Center Day to heighten awareness of the industry. What is the most important message we can send to future students, teachers and local officials about professions within the field?

Chris: I think this is really an issue for the industry to address collectively. Certainly, there is a growing emphasis on promoting STEM in our schools as the path toward current career opportunity as well as in the future, but the second half of that equation, “how do these skills translate into data center related careers?” is where the industry needs to do a better job. As every facet of our personal and business lives becomes more data-driven, the need for data centers, their networks, and associated products and services continues to grow and become more important from a macro-economic perspective. In other words, we have a very compelling story to tell — and we need to — to make people aware of all the career opportunities offered by the data center industry.

7×24: Many sectors seem to have similar concerns about attracting next generation workers. In your mind, what do you see as the leading factors for attracting the next generation into the Data Center profession?

Chris: I think awareness is the most important factor that needs to be addressed to ensure that the supply of trained personnel keeps up with demand. This means that we need to do a number of things with the most important being going directly to the source. For example, I serve as the vice-chair of the board for the Masters in Data Center Systems Engineering at Southern Methodist University. The program was initiated by the school and local leaders within the industry here in Dallas with the express purpose of helping to develop future generations of data center professionals. The closer to the source of these new initiates into the STEM community that we can get to make them aware of opportunities that they otherwise would never consider is an essential element for ensuring that there is an available talent pool in the future.

7×24: Thanks so much. Now that we have launched our initiative to address this concern, how are you planning to celebrate International Data Center Day?

Chris: At Compass, we see celebrating International Data Center Day as part of our mission to illuminate the importance of data centers to national and international economic growth. This isn’t hyperbole. A number of industry personnel have described data centers as the modern “railroads.” This is probably as good an analogy as any since it demonstrates how integral data centers are to our everyday life. As a result, we’ll be promoting International Data Center Day across all of our outward-facing social media assets.

Thanks so much, Chris, for all of your contributions to the data center industry and to 7×24 Exchange throughout the years.

We look forward to your continued leadership and participation as an ambassador for International Data Center Day.

7×24 Exchange invites organizations like Compass Datacenters and others to participate in our initiative to raise awareness of data center industry professions.