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Special Meet-a-Speaker Call with Data Center World presenter Darrell Gardner

Managing Projects with Process

When data center managers have to juggle multiple projects, it's crucial that they develop and follow processes to make sure each and every one is performed correctly and on time. Without adhering to steps and goals, time will be wasted, small details may fall between the cracks and deadlines may slide by the wayside.

That's the message Darrell Gardner, director of market development of PlanNet Consulting, gave recently at AFCOM's Meet-a-Speaker webinar—and the same but more detailed one—he will be delivering at Data Center World in September's Data Center World in Orlando, FL.

He says data center managers must focus on developing a process, budgeting time and managing tasks in a timely fashion. In fact, in Gardner's professional world, it only takes him "seconds a day," or 15 minutes a week to do so with a process he put together specifically for his company role, estimating that it should take 30 minutes tops for someone else to follow.

It's no surprise that the session he'll be presenting at Data Center World "The Importance of Process in the Data Center," is one of the most popular given at the conference.

He puts process management in the same category as quality assurance as both are key to making sure tasks are organized in such a manner to use time as efficiently and effectively as possible to attain the desired results.

For AFCOM members, click here to view this presentations and the entire archive.

 

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Meet-a-Member Archive

March 2011:

Meet-a-Member: Harley-Davidson's Dereberry Comes Through In the Clutch

Although Mark Dereberry faces many challenges as Harley-Davidson Motor Company's senior technical services lead for data center facilities, he has certainly proved that he has more than enough horsepower to get the job done.

As AFCOM's latest Meet-a-Member guest, Dereberry talked about how his small-but effective-2-person team communicated and "sold" ideas to C-level executives that involved consolidating domestic data centers, building new sites, expanding internationally and reducing downtime.

Those are no easy tasks considering he was charged with accomplishing them in the face of a restricted budget and expectations for recouping costs through energy savings and increased income.

As Dereberry outlined, the goals were met largely by containing heat and lower energy costs; applying Asset Management and virtualization to use computing power and floor space to their fullest; standardizing power systems; implementing bi-weekly, monthly and yearly generator tests; then letting the Harley-Davidson brand sell itself.

You can hear all the details about Dereberry's past, present and future projects, and learn from a real pro (and motorcycle enthusiast) by listening to the Meet-a-Member call.

 

January 2011:

Meet-a-Member: "Superwoman" Paula Lindsey Talks Supercomputers

When you think Paula Lindsey, think: three data centers, four Supercomputers—each with 10,000 processors, requiring 1 megawatt of power and 50 kilowatts per rack—located in hot, humid Mississippi and complete governmental control over all facilities and hardware purchases.

That's the story behind AFCOM's most recent Meet-a-Member guest. You see as Lockheed Martin's senior manager of systems integration, Lindsey is responsible for the fastest computers in the world. That means keeping hundreds of thousands of researchers and financially related federal and contract workers up and running 24/7.

It's no easy feat, as you can well imagine. The 25-year IT veteran talks about her responsibilities at the Southeast facility with ease, just like any pro would with more than enough knowledge, experience and common sense to keep them at the top of their game.

The advice she offered is priceless:

• To keep the supercomputers at just the right temperature, Lockheed Martin uses liquid cooling because air handlers would take up too much space. The racks are also liquid-cooled, while the peripheral is air-cooled. "The mixed environment makes things interesting when trying to control humidity in Mississippi," said Lindsey, adding that her three data centers are no longer shivering-cold. Temperatures range in the 70s. "It's quite balmy, actually."

• The key to making sure the supercomputers are always operational depends largely on preventative maintenance. Because the two largest data centers Lindsey is responsible for require 12 megawatts of power, her staff also performs daily and weekly checks on power and cooling infrastructures. Plus, she has personnel conducting daily checks on the supercomputers themselves.

• While supercomputers, in their very nature, aren't designed for a "green" environment, Lockheed Martin still tries to do as much as possible in that arena. Instead of using batteries with lead, acid and sodium sulfur, the company utilizes flywheels. And, as already mentioned, the raised operating temperature saves money because it requires less energy and eliminates the need for copper wire—a metal that has skyrocketed in price over the past few years.

Lindsey concluded by giving AFCOM members this advice: "Plan, plan, plan. And always tweak your plans. Look at what you've installed, determine how much power it is drawing versus how much you are getting…and use every inch of floor space you have."

October 2010:

Ralph Wescott

In our most recent Meet-a-Member webinar, system administrator Ralph Wescott spoke to AFCOM CEO about his responsibilities for multiple computer rooms for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) at its Richland, Washington campus. He has developed and implemented standards on managing power, cooling and individual equipment rack enclosure layout. In data center management for 32 years, Wescott serves as a consultant to other departments assuring consistency in computer related power and cooling installations and is a department of energy certified data center energy practitioner. Hear what he had to say about a recent $155,000 savings in energy by clicking here.

July 2010:

Tom Roberts

Tom Roberts is Director, DC Facility Management at Trinity Information Services. As director of data Center facility management, Tom Roberts' responsibilities include the facility\infrastructure readiness of three corporate data centers and 25 hospital based computer centers for Trinity Health. He also has responsibility for capacity planning, and asset management for all the equipment located in the data and computer centers.

 

May 2010:

John Parker

John Parker is a Senior Data Center Management professional with over 20 years of Information Technology experience in 4 industries (Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Banking, and Software Development). He has managed such areas as; Data Center Operations, Systems Engineering, and Facilities. He has been a member of AFCOM since 1996 and has served as President of the North Carolina and Southern California local chapters.

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