Data Drives It!

What does a nuclear power plant and a data center have in common? In this dynamic #NomadFuturist podcast, Michail (Mike) Clutter shares his origin story, his passion for data, and a millennial’s perspective on the data center industry.

Clutter’s passion for technology has been a constant throughout his career.

He talks about how he took an entrance exam for the US Navy on a lark and ended up doing so well that he was invited to take an additional test which he aced. “It was a math and engineering-based test of some analytical and trouble shooting skills.”

This led to a stint in the Navy working in the field of nuclear engineering.

“We were splitting uranium but it’s safe…we were making power and we had to keep the power running and we had to make sure that nothing went wrong.”

After five years in the service, Clutter joined Emerson Network Power where he worked on engineering and monitoring. During this time, he became aware of the importance of data, which has become a major focus of his career. This in turn led to a strategic role at Casne Engineering, a full-service electrical engineering, control systems integration, and technology services firm that focuses on historicizing and analyzing data.

“I really loved using the data to make meaningful decisions.”

With his data lenses on, Clutter sees commonality between seemingly different industries.

“It’s funny. A nuclear power plant is not that different from a data center. And it’s not that different from a manufacturing plant. There’s things that need to be done and there’s data that’s collected. And then you look at the data and then you make decisions based on it.”

Clutter talks about his involvement with the AFCOM Gen/Next Board which has a goal to integrate the perspective of a younger audience into the data center space.

He outlines the issues created by the ongoing adoption of new messaging modalities and how this poses a challenge vis-a-vis cross generational communication.

Clutter also talks about the younger generation’s interest in sustainability and

inclusiveness, the need to maintain a commitment to innovation, and the need to bridge the gap between the people designing the information systems and the people responsible for keeping the machines running.

He sums up his interview with these words to the young:

“Data drives almost every industry, not just data centers and it’s funny how it’s full circle because then all that data gets inserted back into a data center to be used. Every time you look at your phones …That’s what drives it!”

Michail (Mike) Clutter is a Managing Partner and Technical Program Manager at Casne Engineering Inc. and has been working in Data Centers for over 15 years.

After his military career as a Navy Nuclear Reactor Operator, Mike immediately fit in with the hard-working, event-driven community that Data Centers rely on. Adept in both construction and operations, Mike has played a key role in the launch of many of today’s well known Data Center facilities on the West Coast. It was in operations and maintenance that he found himself a niche in OT systems such as SCADA, BMS, CMMS and BMS. Today, he is using his knowledge and experience to provide access to reliable and concise data in hopes to drive innovation towards scalability and sustainability.