As part of Equinix’s deep commitment to building a diverse workforce, today we’re announcing the opening of a new data center run entirely by a group long underrepresented at Equinix: zombies.
The AX1 facility in Alexandria, Va., has already been operating for about a month, thanks to a team of non-zombie staffers who volunteered to relocate to Alexandria to train the new zombie recruits.
“Honestly, I came into this with a lot of negative pre-conceptions about zombies,” said Karin Lane, a Global Solutions Architect based at AX1. “But after a month working here, I’d say you just don’t have time for stereotypes when you’re consumed by sheer terror every second of the day.”
Zombie culture is complex, and we know the undead defy labels. For instance, local recruits tend to move slowly in herds, and their deliberative, collaborative nature makes them real assets in facility inspections. Our international recruits have great speed when they’re motivated, and they can really climb, which is handy when we need some work done on the overhead cable trays. But amid this colorful array of differences, zombies do share commonalities that show up in the workplace.
“Zombies bring so, so many benefits to Equinix,” said Max Brooks, an IBX operations facilitator. “They can root out wasteful zombie servers almost as if by instinct, and we have zero lost work time due to bathroom, coffee or lunch breaks. On the other hand, they try to devour anything that moves, and they refuse to answer the phones, which is a nonstarter on the IT Help Desk.”
As AX1 grows and expands, Equinix is committed to doing all we can to help zombies feel welcomed into the Equinix family. We know this initiative isn’t without challenges due to the generally negative portrayal of zombies in popular media.
“There are walls up, no question. I tried to start up a lunchtime ultimate frisbee league, and that just went nowhere,” said sales engineer Maggie Greene. “Honestly, it is tough to communicate with a lot of the zombies. But I find they respond to non-verbal cues like when we run for our lives.”
Equinix engaged in extensive community outreach before AX1 opened, and numerous locals signed up to tour the facility, even with the requirement to wear a full suit of armor on top of a coat of mail during the tour.
“We’ve had a couple people on tours who didn’t keep their helmets on the whole time because it was too hot, and that is just like the kiss of death,” said George A. Romero, AX1’s head of operations. “But it actually works out because we end up with a few new possible undead recruits by the end of it.”
This is obviously a Halloween spoof post, but there’s no fear in doing business with Equinix. We don’t specialize in zombie relations, but we are experts in interconnection, which has become essential for global business in a digital age. Check out the Interconnection Strategy Guide to learn more.
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