Chet Williams
Professional Summary
Highly accomplished and results-driven Data Center Operations Principal with over 15 years of progressive experience in managing mission-critical infrastructure, optimizing operations, and leading high-performing technical teams. As an Air Force veteran, I bring a proven commitment to efficiency, demonstrated by my ability to drive cost reduction and implement strategic initiatives in complex data center environments. My extensive experience includes managing facilities and leading teams across diverse geographic locations, ensuring operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Education and Certification
Northeastern University
Bachelor of Science in Technical Communications
2010 – 2013
Boston, MA
Boston, MA
International Data Center Authority (IDCA)
DCIS | Data Center Infrastructure Specialist
November 2016
International Data Center Authority (IDCA)
DCOM | Data Center Operations Manager
November 2016
Experience
Salesforce
Principal, Data Center Operations
Dallas, Texas
August 2020 – Present
August 2020 – Present
- Revamped Data Center Operations's Change Management process, interviewing subject matter experts and tailoring procedures to meet diverse business unit needs
- Developed and executed a comprehensive training program to enhance data center engineers' skills in network building and troubleshooting
- Implemented a "train-the-trainer" program, utilizing subject matter experts for weekly sessions, improving technician's knowledge and informed annual performance goals
- Established a Confluence wiki to centralize tribal knowledge, resulting in increased organizational knowledge and improved data center operations
- Successfully built a second Dallas data center as part of a consolidation program, avoiding a $2 million/month cost after lease expiration
- Planned and executed a critical multi-part equipment move from a decommissioning data center, allowing the company to return the space early and save $1 million/month cost before lease end
Salesforce
Director, Data Center Operations
May 2020 – August 2020
- Contributed to Salesforce's 99.99% uptime by leading the Dallas operations team, implementing best practices, and optimizing team structure and training to align with workload
- Managed power and space planning for data center expansion and future readiness; trained junior personnel in system troubleshooting, equipment deployment, and compliance adherence
- Joined a cross-functional team to establish and refine processes, improving interaction between data center engineering teams and internal networking and system engineering groups
- Directed the integration and deployment of newly acquired company hardware into existing data centers, achieving significant cost savings and driving infrastructure consolidation
Salesforce
Senior Manager
October 2017 – May 2020
- Oversaw daily operations and strategic planning for an 8.5 MW, 40,000 sq ft facility, including budgeting and purchasing, leading a team of five
- Successfully led 4-6 remote data center engineering teams in initial network builds, ensuring on-time deployment of 3 new data centers across the world
- Conducted customer, security, and compliance tours of data centers to assure clients and auditors of physical security measures and address inquiries
- Coordinated the integration of over 20,000 pieces of inherited equipment from newly acquired companies into the asset management database, ensuring data structure alignment and audit compliance
- Led a team in decommissioning 22 defunct and redundant facilities following company acquisitions, driving a $200,000 cost reduction
- Designed, installed, maintained, and supported corporate data center architectures in highly available, mission-critical environments, developing comprehensive documentation and ensuring compliance with best practices
Salesforce
Lead Datacenter Engineer → Senior Datacenter Engineer → Datacenter Engineer
August 2014 – October 2017
Verizon Business
Consultant-Network Engineer
Ashburn, Virginia
November 2006 – October 2014
November 2006 – October 2014
- Increased data center installation efficiency by developing new documentation (MOPs, drawings, and rack layouts) in collaboration with project managers, engineers, and clients
- Coordinated and managed multiple vendors for hardware installations across local and remote data centers, resulting in cost savings and faster service delivery
- Designed and implemented multi-node transport networks connecting multiple customer locations, utilizing MPLS and IP transport
- Spearheaded a 30-site upgrade effort, encompassing hardware installation, equipment upgrades, and documentation creation
- Documented non-standard transport network solutions by interviewing subject matter experts, writing comprehensive documentation, and reviewing for accuracy and completeness
- Installed, repaired, and performed initial configurations on Juniper, Cisco, Dell, and HP systems
Skills
Management:
People Management, Collaboration & Teamwork, Strategic Planning & Logistics, Coaching & Development, Planning & Organization, Project & Program Management, Vendor Management
Datacenter Design & Engineering:
Power & Space Planning, Security Development, Infrastructure Layout, DWDM, Data Center Operations
Networking & Systems:
Optical Solutions, Circuit Tracking, Systems/Network Building and Troubleshooting
Documentation:
Technical Writing, Technical Documentation, MOPs, Drawings, Rack Layouts
Developer Tools:
Linux, Docker, Ansible, Git, Bash