The data centre industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, largely fuelled by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI). However, this surge in demand has further highlighted the significant shortage of skilled professionals available to design, build and manage these complex facilities.

Despite offering rewarding and well-paid career paths, the data centre industry continues to face challenges in attracting and retaining the necessary workforce, so we’ve asked a panel of esteemed industry leaders to assess the scope of the skills shortage and propose solutions. Their insights aim to shed light on the barriers preventing talent from entering the field and highlight strategies to strengthen the talent pipeline.

This issue also features an in-depth look at the latest advancements in network infrastructure management. Kevin Brown of Schneider Electric examines the next step in the evolution of data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) solutions. He's followed by Jeff Safovich of RiT Tech, who explores the development of DCIM through universal intelligent infrastructure management (UIIM)

Containment and cable management play crucial roles in enterprise and data centre network infrastructures, yet they are often overlooked and not given the attention they truly deserve. To put that right, we have three articles on this subject and in the first Michael Akinla of Panduit explains how structured cabling enables 1.6Tb/s for AI based data centres and offers insights on how to maximise performance, reliability and return on investment (ROI). Barry Roberts of Marshall-Tufflex then discusses how cable management systems that incorporate recycled content offer an environmental win and, last but certainly not least, CommScope’s Jan Honig identifies the key product strategies for improving data centre sustainability.

Rob Shepherd
Editor