Data Center Technician

ALTA IT Services - Ashburn, VA

Full-time - Entry Level

Ashburn, VA

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Data Center Technician role involves providing onsite technical support for the organization's data center and equipment to ensure continuous availability. The technician will perform troubleshooting, escalate issues, and resolve incidents while interfacing with various support teams and vendors during system outages or performance issues. The position requires both independent decision-making and the ability to follow directions, with a strong focus on detail.

Responsibilities

• Network installation & maintenance (rack & stack, cabling, parts replacement, etc.)
• Server installation & maintenance (rack & stack, HDD, memory, CPU, RAID batteries, NICs, etc.)
• Data Center staging, deployment, and logistics/asset management support
• Site builds & refreshes, while meeting current quality standards
• Data Center hardware break/fix/move/add/change; component replacement, hardware troubleshooting
• Extensive enterprise cable installation experience as well as industry cabling standards
• Ability to provide adequate fiber and copper cable testing with minimal supervision
• Ability to terminate Cat 6 cabling
• Create/update/maintain rack elevations within a DCIM application (Nlyte)
• Maintain inventory control and documentation on systems and components to ensure updates occur according to schedule and procedure
• Troubleshoot and escalate incidents and problems
• Interface with other ISD areas and/or vendors to resolve outages or periods of reduced performance, in accordance with established criteria
• Provide status reports on active or resolved issues
• Maintain, configure, and perform preventative maintenance to various network and data center equipment to ensure efficient operations
• Experience with out-of-band management/KVM system (DSVIEW)
• Experience with power distribution units (PDUs), load management
• Familiar with NEMA and IEC power connectors
• Familiar with Data Center containment solutions
• Work with others to update and document procedures
• Write, and maintain, detailed site reference documentation
• Cognizant of Data Center Safety Standards
• Lift equipment weighing 50 lbs.
• Perform other tasks or duties as assigned or based on need

Requirements

• Intermediate Data Center / IT Operations experience
• Software & Hardware tools utilized to perform day to day Data Center functions
• Knowledge of LAN/WAN topologies, protocols, and standards
• Excellent communication and grammatical skills
• Demonstrated analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to work in an environment that operates 24/7 with an ability to participate in on-call rotation and provide after-hours support as needed
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work under pressure (urgent problems, deadlines, changing priorities)
• Familiar with network cabling (types, distance limitations, testing, connectors, handling)
• Familiar with electrical & optical transceivers (SFP+, QSFP+, GLCT, DAC, CFP2, DWDM)
• Familiar with server hardware and components
• Familiar with electrical standards, connector types, power budget calculations, AC vs. DC, single phase vs. three phase, etc.
• Familiar with datacenter design in relation to heat dissipation and air flow
• Meticulous and obsessive about organized cabling
• Detail oriented and organized

Nice-to-haves

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology or the equivalent combination of training, education, and experience
• Experience and technical training in WAN/LAN communications including experience installing, basic configuring and maintaining Cisco routers and switches
• Experience in presenting technical solutions and/or recommendations
• Knowledge of electronic principles as they relate to diagnosing and troubleshooting IT system issues
• Knowledge of technical inter-relationships between software/hardware and desktop/LAN/Host systems
• Advanced skill in diagnosing and troubleshooting issues
• Advanced research, analytical, and problem solving skills
• Knowledge of the organization's operations