How To Become A Data Center Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a data center manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Matthew Liotine Ph.D.

There are times when money or profit is not considered to be the most powerful weapon a company has. Nowadays, data may even be the best asset a company can have. With data, there are endless possibilities. This is why companies invest in data mining tools and data analysis techniques. They also invest in great data managers because tools are nothing if you do not have anyone who will make sense of the data and create recommendations. To take care of data processing, companies would hire Data Center Managers.

Data Center Managers oversee the systems and tools in place that collect data. They manage the procurement, installation, and upkeep of the different systems and tools. They also manage the security of data in these systems. Datacenter managers also handle individuals under their team. They deploy team members to clients or departments that need help regarding the tools. Aside from this, they also ensure that proper usage of the systems is cascaded to the involved employees.

If you love data, this is a good career path for you. In this role, you have to be organized and analytical. Of course, being a good communicator and people manager would surely help a lot.

What general advice would you give to a data center manager?

Matthew Liotine Ph.D.

Clinical Professor and Director of Master of Science in Supply Chain and Operations Management, University of Illinois at Chicago

Most employers tell me that soft skills are equally, if not more important, than technical skills or domain knowledge. This translates into external/internal customer-facing skills, such as communication, team collaboration, writing, presentation, problem-solving, and being resourceful. (Many graduates overlook writing as a vital skill, but they fail to realize that in the course of their jobs, they will likely be required to write lots of memos and tons of emails.) The need to perfect these skills within the confines of a virtual world has become even more challenging and amplified with COVID. I teach in the information systems discipline, and when you view student resumes, many people look the same on paper. The soft skills will make a candidate stand out head and shoulders above the rest. That's why the candidate should pay attention to the screening interviews that they will undergo during the hiring process since employers will use these interviews to vet these skills.

ScoreData Center ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.4

Avg. Salary $132,102

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 12.72%

Black or African American 6.56%

Hispanic or Latino 9.85%

Unknown 5.19%

White 65.48%

Gender

female 13.02%

male 86.98%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a data center manager

Explore data center manager education requirements

Most common data center manager degrees

Bachelor's

64.0 %

Associate

18.1 %

Master's

11.2 %

Start to develop specific data center manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	10.56%
Data Centers	7.20%
Cloud	6.60%
Client Facing	5.08%
HVAC	3.88%

Complete relevant data center manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New data center managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a data center manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real data center manager resumes.

Gain additional data center manager certifications

Data center manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific data center manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for data center managers include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and ITIL Foundation.

More About Certifications

Research data center manager duties and responsibilities

Manage and monitor various Microsoft and Linux servers.
Utilize Visio to properly configure equipment in racks and to manage proper inventory control.
Manage team that install all program changes and upgrades while nightly batch processing run.
Manage the design and implementation of virtualization, network, storage and server infrastructure landscapes.

Prepare your data center manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your data center manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a data center manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable data center manager resume templates

Build a professional data center manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your data center manager resume.