I just finished reading the column Dennis Cronin submitted yesterday for our next issue. In it, Dennis wonders about the fate of the facilities side of the IT operation as more and more IT departments migrate operations to the cloud. His column reminded me that many of my blogs in the last year have been about how some of the best-known people in our field have landed new and challenging positions in the last year, leaving seemingly secure positions for uncertainty. Dennis may have been the first to catch my attention, but the list includes John Diamond, Scott Good, Peter Gross, Steve Manos, Scott Noteboom, and Mike Manos.

My editorial board has not been immune. Some of the bold-faced names above sit on my board, and our web person has tired of changing their bios, she kids, I think. But her job has been complicated by these changes and our need to add columnists when figures like Doug Sandberg retire.

Chris Crosby is a new columnist, and he is a living example of someone seeking new challenges. There are many more, of course. Andy Lane is also one of our newer columnists. Lately Andy has profiled some of the upwardly mobile new executives, including Crosby and Dave Schirmacher. Together with long-standing columnist Peter Curtis, Mission Critical now has two columnists eager to highlight the skills and expertise needed for individuals to succeed in the marketplace. 

This week we learned that the game of musical chairs continues. Today, AFCOM announced that Tom Roberts, a 30-year veteran of the data center industry, had been selected as its new president. In addition, Data Center Dynamics reported that Mark Monroe had stepped down as executive director of The Green Grid to pursue an opportunity with DLB Associates. These changes follow naturally the ebbs and flows of the industry as well as the natural desire individuals have to take on challenges and to succeed.