Data center staffing

While IT spending is on the rise, high-tech workers shouldn't expect to see a similar increase in overall IT jobs, as new technologies to automate and virtualize data center resources could make some network administration skills obsolete.

When pointing fingers about the lack of IT jobs of late, workers and industry watchers often blame offshore outsourcing, but in fact, new technology could share the blame. AMR Research, Forrester Research and Gartner separately report that server consolidation; network, server and storage virtualization; and product road maps toward utility computing  ultimately will lessen the need to add entry-level positions in enterprise data centers. And, in some cases, emerging IT implementations could result in layoffs.

"Any time you automate IT tasks, the goal is to reduce the number of people doing it," says Lance Travis, vice president at AMR. "The theory is these types of technologies will make enterprise companies more efficient and save money, and one way to do that is by reducing staff."

Utility computing initiatives from companies such as EMC, HP, IBM and Sun  propose to help reduce the number of physical servers in data centers, virtualize multiple instances of servers and applications on one box, and pool network, storage and server resources to be automatically distributed as applications and end users demand. These product capabilities could reduce the need for an army of IT workers on hand.

Yet such technology visions aren't yet a reality, says Travis, who adds, "There is no immediate cause for concern; full-blown deployment of these data centers is years away."

Scott Hopkins, vice president of technology services and planning at Harte-Hanks Data Technologies in Billerica, Mass., says new technologies will make low-level IT jobs a thing of the past. But IT workers should see data center advances as a chance to expand their knowledge and add new skills to their résumés.

Growth opportunities

"I see new data center technology as a growth opportunity for individuals to get a bigger and more global view of how technology supports the business," he says.

Hopkins virtualizes network, server and storage resources, and considers server consolidation an ongoing IT project - his most recent effort let him reduce a mix of Windows and Linux data center servers by 20% to 30%. In the Billerica data center, Harte-Hanks has about 47 Unix-based Sun Solaris heavy-production servers, one mainframe and a few hundred Windows and Linux servers. That location has about 45T to 50T bytes of storage.

He plans to upgrade when products that support a more dynamic data center emerge. To get ready for this change, staff will need training in virtualization and automation tools so they work in concert with the network, storage, application and business groups to deliver an optimized IT service.

"You can retrain and refocus people to move from being pure technologists to adopting a more customer-oriented approach to IT," he says.

A need to adapt

But not all data center staff will evolve with the technology. "It can be difficult and traumatic for those familiar with only one type of computing or resistant to change. And they could lose their jobs if they can't adapt," Hopkins says.