I have been colocating for a few years as a part time hosting business. In my 'regular' job, I have the opportunity to lead a project of starting a commercial data/hosting center for a Technology Park. Approximately 6,000-8000 sq feet Tier III data center. I need to find a really good core router type person that has a FIRM grasp of the issues that a commercial data center will face. I have experience in general routing issues, but where I fall short is peering, address space management, BGP, etc.

What would you put in an ad if you were looking to do what I just described? The problem is if I advertise for a cisco engineer, I'll get 100 resumes of guys that don't really have a clue about the REAL problem.

Originally posted by nikko
I have been colocating for a few years as a part time hosting business. In my 'regular' job, I have the opportunity to lead a project of starting a commercial data/hosting center for a Technology Park. Approximately 6,000-8000 sq feet Tier III data center. I need to find a really good core router type person that has a FIRM grasp of the issues that a commercial data center will face. I have experience in general routing issues, but where I fall short is peering, address space management, BGP, etc.

What would you put in an ad if you were looking to do what I just described? The problem is if I advertise for a cisco engineer, I'll get 100 resumes of guys that don't really have a clue about the REAL problem.

i guess a CS degree is a must and maybe CISCO cert. as you need someone who know vendors gear and if i'm not mistaking CISCO cert is hard to get and you need to do a real hand on test in order to pass and 10+ years experenice.

just my two cent.

Give them the actual scenario is the form of essay question, and get them to come back with the answers in 3 days. Best answers will be given the job. =)

Joshua

Given the nature of this type of position, we would look for someone who has a firm grasp of large scale networking. If you are running mostly Cisco gear, I would suggest that the candidate have a CCNP or even a CCIE certification to start. A college degree is not that big of an issue. We consider core hands-on experience *much* more valuable in this field than anything that can be taught in the classroom.

Start by interviewing candidates and focusing on what they have previously done. You want someone who is not only well versed, but also works with networking all the time (ie: experience) which is critical.