Improve margins, reduce operating costs, casualties....acceptable.
Pros
Some of their facilities are absolutely as good as they claim to be. Some of their staff are absolutely as dedicated as you'd expect them to be, and some of their customers are as happy as one would hope them to be...... Finding a good colo/hosting provider is hard, and there are some people here who do know the business, however the bean counting is beginning to erode the operational focus, read on.
Cons
The push for increased profitability to please investors by reducing operating costs and increasing margins has been merciless. While the aesthetics of facilities may improve, the teams who run them are being crushed with increased responsibility, reduced benefits, lackluster annual pay raises (<5% for even top performers), an ever-shrinking or completely removed bonus structure, and few if any opportunities for advancement. The focus on margins has seen corners cut which affect how sites are able to operate or to what degree they are redundant... vendors are pushed out or strung along as needed based on cash flow and customers are being supported by a demoralized, overworked, underpaid, an utterly unappreciated core group of operators at each location. Employees in data center operations are 24/7/365 and can have their shifts changed at any time and for any reason. Overtime is being closely monitored or eliminated which results in salaried staff picking up the work with zero compensation or even acknowledgment for excessive and unrealistic after-hours commitments. But hey... the coffee is still free right? Well, for now anyway.
