I'm Rebecca Albrich and I work in the Information Service department, part of the VPFA portfolio. I've been here at the university for 27 years. Presently, I am the Data Center Operations Manager of three data centers for Information Services.
Our data centers are of various ages. They need a dedicated team to keep them up and running well. My team and I focus on managing the cooling, power, security—both physical and cyber—and the monitoring systems that watch over all of the above. A day in the office can look like working with a local IPS (internet service provider) in the morning for onsite access, meeting with a trusted HVAC technician to chat about ongoing repairs, reviewing chilled water system trends from the week before, checking on the health of our battery backup power systems, and putting the finishing touches on a MOU (memorandum of understanding) with an new research tenant that will be racking gear in one of our data centers soon.
Working in technology for so many years, I've been privileged to see the impact it has in our lives. As a student working here in the mid-1990's, I used to help the handful of students and staff that wanted an email address get started. Now I can't imagine life without the Internet and the phone in my pocket is more powerful than the DEC mainframe system that used to sit behind me as a student worker at that helpdesk.
The continuous evolution of technology, the opportunity to advance in my position, and a supportive and diverse environment are what have made staying here at the UO interesting and rewarding for so long. I have held several positions within Information Services over the years. Consistently saying "yes" to challenges has brought me career opportunities. It kept me in the driver’s seat of my career journey. I have not always known how to proceed but staying curious goes a long way.
I started my career as an English major. When I graduated from here, I was given an opportunity to work in Information Services part time, then full time running a service that scanned and graded exams and course evaluations. Customer service work suited me well. I thrived on the interactions with my customers. I did that work for many years. Meanwhile, data centers grew and changed rapidly. More and more of my work involved helping out in one of the data centers; wiring, racking new servers, changing out a bad DIMM (dual in-line memory module) or power supply. Eventually, all of my work shifted to the data centers. I missed my customers but there was so much more to learn with the data centers. It was a healthy change. I never knew that I would enjoy working with our mechanical and electrical systems as much as I do.
My biggest career challenge happened when we had a major leak in one of the data centers, right before I took over management of our three facilities. The data centers are a big responsibility and stressful at times. Sometimes running the mechanical systems feels like running a Rube Golberg machine; they are large and complex, and small actions in one area can have big unintended impacts on other areas. Ultimately, that day, the nudge over the edge of the proverbial cliff was muggy summer weather that got too humid and added unintended load on a data center CRAC unit (big AC systems). That, along with a few other factors, pushed a mechanical system over the edge. We had a major leak; inches of water could be heard rushing under the raised floor. It was a big mess, and it changed the way we handled our data centers going forward.
Luckily, we had not started actively using that data center yet. No research or services were impacted by the problem. I learned rapidly how to prevent that from happening again. We worked with a team of engineers to understand what happened and why. I learned a ton about our systems on that journey and we have become much more proactive since then. We monitor everything to know as soon as something goes bump in the night now.
I also enjoy being a leader for my area. I care deeply about my staff and what we do. I have benefited from multiple leadership training opportunities, from our in-house LEADS training to a month's long leadership training with MOR during the pandemic. Being a good steward of our data center and an empathetic and strategic leader who can "step out on the balcony" to see the bigger picture, is challenging and rewarding.
When I'm not on campus you can find me outdoors. I'm obsessed with growing dahlias. I learned to cook from my grandmother as a kid and I love making soups and healthy meals. My husband, Dan Albrich, who also works for Information Services, and I go hiking and camping lots. I took up watercolor painting during the pandemic and I love how much there is to learn. Watercolor is a medium that requires one to learn a great deal of water control, but it really shines best when you are also willing to then lose some of that control and go with the flow. I'm always looking for a good painting subject to snap a photo of when I'm out walking my dog. He's a two-year-old Shepard mix, my fur baby. His obedience training keeps me busy, too.
(December 2024)