Founder of World’s Leading Data Center Association, Leonard Eckhaus, Explains Why the Importance of Data Center Managers Must Be Acknowledged

The Founder of AFCOM, the World’s Leading Data Center Association, Leonard Eckhaus discusses his motivation behind introducing ‘AFCOM’s ‘Leonard Eckhaus Data Center Manager of the Year Award.’

Data Center Managers around the globe work tirelessly to ensure business continuity within every enterprise, and so these all too often unsung heroes must be appreciated, for they maintain peak performance across the facilities in today’s real-time, always-functional business realm. Realizing the need to celebrate the efforts of the Data Center Manager, the Founder of AFCOM, Leonard Eckhaus, came up with the brilliant idea of introducing a Data Center Manager of the Year Award in 1985. Leonard Eckhaus originated this award via AFCOM, which is distinguished as the leading association across the globe for Data Centers.

Eckhaus is also the Founder and former Chairman of ‘The Data Centre Institute,’ a think tank that is laser-focused on spotting the latest trends in the realm of innovation, technological shift, and workforce dynamics that influence the Data Center and IT infrastructure sector around the globe. The ‘The Data Center Institute’ regularly publishes the research papers and publications it produces for the members of AFCOM all across the world, in the entitlement of their association. As President of AFCOM, Mr. Eckhaus was called on to present his annual State of the Data Center Industry keynote address at AFCOM’s Data Center World conference for over a decade and was recognized as the thought leader in the realm of the Data Center industry. Before laying the foundation of his own organizations, Leonard Eckhaus had been associated with numerous prestigious organizations as a Data Center Manager, including IBM and TRW.

However, there was a void lurking inside Eckhaus’s soul, which understood how much the IT sector was in dire need of a sole platform that remained abreast of the technology and tech info while bridging the communication gap between data center managers. “I recognized that the tech landscape is ever changing, yet these changes are not always implemented on time to leverage innovation. Therefore, I was resolute to remain ahead of the trend and connect data center managers, bringing them all to one place via AFCOM and the ‘Data Center World’ annual event.” says Leonard Eckhaus.

Back then, Eckhaus realized that Data Center Managers were the key contributor in maintaining the business continuity, yet they were never appreciated enough for the efforts. “Being a Data Center Manager myself, in the past, working for so many organizations, I knew how important the work these data managers did was, yet they never received the recognition they deserved for it,” says Leonard Eckhaus. “Therefore, I knew there was a need to do something to spur the spirit of the Data Center Managers and make them feel greater recognition for their contributions, and that is how ‘AFCOM’s ‘Leonard Eckhaus Data Center Manager of the Year Award’ first came to its existence,” he adds.

As the years went by, the award received submissions from all corners of the globe. ‘AFCOM’s ‘Leonard Eckhaus Data Center Manager of the Year Award’ recognized the outstanding leadership and excellence in the field of Data Center Management. “The main purpose of these awards was to ensure that the efforts of the Data Center Manager did not go unseen, but were recognized by the world,” says Leonard Eckhaus.

The awards recipients were the leaders who operated highly efficient data centers, giving their company an edge in their fiercely competitive industries. “The award embodied innovation, versatility, and ambition in the data center while applauding data centers for their untiring endeavors,” says Leonard Eckhaus.

“The Manager of the Year award inspired Data Centre Managers to exceed their limits and perform better, in order to help their organizations reach greater and greater horizons,” he says.

“Organizations must be grateful for the services of the Data Center Managers who adopt creative solutions to enhance the energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and bolster infrastructure reliability. Without these innovative and creative managers, the IT infrastructure would collapse, no matter how great the technology. So, the main purpose of these awards is to honor these often unsung heroes of the IT world,” concludes Leonard Eckhaus.