Data center jobs · Critical facilities and operations
Data Center Technician job
What a data center technician does day to day, the 12-hour shift schedule, the skills and CompTIA certifications that help, and how IT help desk, military and trade school graduates get hired.
By Czarina Tabayoyong, Founder, Critical Path Hiring
Last reviewed · First published
Reviewed as terms, pay and markets change.
The job
A data center technician installs and services the servers and network gear inside a data center. The daily work is rack and stack, running cable between racks and swapping failed hardware.
A typical day
- Rack and stack servers and network gear
- Run cabling between racks
- Swap failed hardware
- Work through tickets for installs, moves and repairs
- Follow the site's written procedures for changes
- Hand over notes to the next shift
Location and schedule
Inside a live data center. Rotating 12-hour shifts are common.
Skills and certifications
Required
- Rack and stack
- Cabling
- Hardware swaps
Helpful
- CompTIA A+ or Network+
Routes in
IT help desk staff, military veterans and trade school graduates move into this role.
Next roles
This role leads to senior technician, critical environment technician or network technician.
Pay
Pay varies by market and level, and the current ranges are in our data center salary guide.
Questions
- What is the schedule for a data center technician?
- Rotating 12-hour shifts are common.
- What certifications help a data center technician?
- CompTIA A+ or Network+ helps. The core skills are rack and stack, cabling and hardware swaps.
- How do I become a data center technician?
- IT help desk staff, military veterans and trade school graduates move into the role. Senior technician, critical environment technician and network technician are the next steps.
Next steps
- Join the talent network and tell us your discipline, market and availability
- Look up a term in the data center glossary
- Back to data center jobs explained