From Battlefield to Boardroom: The Value of Hiring the Military Community   

In a recent article featured in The Fast Mode, Brian Green, Executive Vice President of Operations, Engineering & Project Management for EdgeConneX and Navy Veteran writes:

“My first class in my plebe year at the Naval Academy was Naval Leadership (NL101).  The first leadership concept that was presented was that people mean more than guns in the rating of a ship. Nowhere is that truer than in the data center industry. The war for talent is a very real one. However, what sets the best data center operators apart is the quality of their teams, and the ability to lead them in the right direction.” 

The world today is more dependent on data centers than ever before. They are the backbone of our digital economy, providing critical infrastructure to support everything from cloud-based applications to e-commerce. The exponential growth of data is partly a result of the global shift toward digital transformation and the rapid adoption of cloud technology. According to 451’s recent Hybrid and Multicloud Strategies Take Shape and Challenges Emerge report, “56% of enterprises are using a hybrid and multi-cloud strategy, growing to 64% in two years per corporate planning. The leading drivers of these firms are to improve scalability, facilitate agility, and to have the option of migrating workloads across platforms as needed.”  

In addition, the volume of data being created and stored has surged dramatically. As a result, the demand for data centers has skyrocketed. As technology evolves and the amount of data generated expands, infrastructure companies must invest in developing their talent pool to meet the growing demand for data center experts. Unfortunately, the exponential growth of this sector and soaring data generation has resulted in a talent shortage that poses a significant challenge for companies operating in this space. This talent crisis has profound implications for the industry, including increased costs, reduced innovation, and a talent pool with retirement in its sights.  

The good news is that a solution comes in the form of military precision.

Veterans and the broader military community are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the need for talent in the data center sector and underemployment in the veteran community. The precision, discipline, and work ethic developed during their service makes veterans fantastic candidates for jobs in hyperscale, edge, and colocation facilities.

That’s why EdgeConneX actively recruits ex-military members and works collaboratively with its long-standing partner, Salute Mission Critical, an organization that has been instrumental in training and placing veterans into skilled roles and rewarding careers within data centers across the globe. As a result, highly skilled individuals from the global military community are working across EdgeConneX global data centers in critical roles, including engineering, operations, facilities, property management, security, service delivery, solutions architecture, and account management. All are focused on delivering superior infrastructure services, exceptional customer support, and building the data centers of tomorrow with the same military precision they honed during their service. 

Learn more in the article originally published in The Fast Mode – featuring insights from:

• Brian Green – EdgeConneX Executive Vice President of Operations, Engineering & Project Management and Navy Veteran
• Jeremy Dillard – EdgeConneX Critical Systems Engineer and Army Veteran
• Salute Mission Critical’s: Rebecca Thigpen, Talent Acquisition Associate and military spouse; Zach Peterson, Data Center Engineer and Air Force Veteran; and Scott Todd, Operations Manager and Air Force Veteran 

Read the full article HERE.

For more information on the EdgeConneX Salutes program and EdgeConneX For Veterans By Veterans series designed to help veterans and the veteran community build careers in the data center industry, check out Top Tips, motivational Q&As, and insightful videos here: https://www.edgeconnex.com/category/edgeconnex-salutes/ 

If you are a veteran or military spouse looking for an exciting career in a growing industry, please contact Salute Mission Critical. The team can help train and put you on the path to success!