Staten Island, N.Y. — International Data Center Day, designed to create awareness of the data center industry and to inspire the next generation of talent, is celebrating its fifth annual on March 22. 

The initiative provides the data center industry an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a collaborative effort, what data centers are, why they are so important to our connected world, and the wide array of career opportunities that are part of the industry. 

This year, the focus has been on encouraging companies and individuals to connect, in person, with local K-12 and higher education institutes to demonstrate what the data center industry offers as career choices. With the Data Center Connection program, if each data center professional connects with a local school, the number of students reached would be considerable.  

"There is a lack of knowledge of the data center industry in educational institutions at all levels, making it extremely important and beneficial to students for industry professionals to get in front of students in person," said 7x24 Exchange Intl. chairman and CEO, Bob Cassiliano.

To kick off the fifth celebration, Cassiliano and Brian Schafer, president of the 7x24 Exchange Metro New York Chapter, discussed International Day Center Day on The Thought Cloud podcast hosted by Mission Critical magazine. Together, they educated listeners on the origin of International Data Center Day, the various ways to participate in raising awareness of the data center industry, and how to inspire the next generation of talent.  

Additionally, 7x24 Exchange hosted a webinar titled "Bridging the Data Talent Divide with On-ramps" and presented by Carrie Goetz, principal/CEO, StrategITcom and author of "Jumpstart your Career in Data Centers." The presentation introduced the many facets of data center careers to college students.  

"Carrie delivered an engaging and informative data center career session discussing diverse job opportunities, approaches on how to enter the industry, and the large demand for data center positions at all skill levels needed in the coming years," said Juli Ierulli, vice president of 7x24 Exchange Intl. "With over 300,000 new resources needed by 2025, Carrie's presentation and her book are great resources for prospective job seekers." 

Although this year's celebration is March 22, the organization encourages those in the mission critical industry to engage in raising awareness of the industry year-round. To that end, the new motto, launched this year, is "Every Day is International Data Center Day." Take a look at the various activities companies have planned for the day at internationaldatacenterday.org.