Failure is an undeniably painful thing, but it’s often described
as the driving force behind success. Thomas Edison famously wrote: ‘I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work,’
proposing that innovation is forged in the fires of numerous mistakes.
For datacenter managers, mistakes can be particularly
costly. With high-ticket hardware and expensive service contracts, you must
walk a fine line between finding the optimum mix to satisfy your customers and
maintaining safety, security and zero downtime. That’s where the science behind
simulations could come in, helping you to try out new components and model your
decisions before making the plunge in reality. Let's uncover how it all works.
Let dissatisfaction drive you
Numerous research studies into the value of
experiential learning methods – including simulations – suggest that mistakes
are a crucial part of the learning process. Professional development (learning
for work) can be experienced in a few different ways. Traditionally, education
is delivered through seminars, training workshops, books or articles. Then
there’s the hands-on learning. Gaining feedback from applying your ideas in
practice arguably has the bigger impact. It can come from everyday work, or
from simulations – effectively experimenting with ‘prototypes’ – which,
according to a recent study, can accelerate learning.
The
research by Saenz and Cano at the University of Zaragoza, proposes that simulated learning has three facets: learning from
content (new ideas and concepts), learning from experience (putting those ideas
to the test), and learning from feedback (evaluating the results of those
tests). The source of learning in simulation is not what a trainer or teacher
tells you, but rather what you do yourself. By using the same mechanics as
computer gaming, users are motivated to take part, seeing the performance of
their decisions played out. When your performance is below aspiration (you
didn’t achieve what you wanted to) you’re more motivated to find new ways of
performing, learning as you go.
In the study, participants using a project
management simulation learnt more when their performance was worse, leading the
researchers to conclude that mistakes are vital to learning. This is one of the
greatest strengths of simulations: you can interact with the impact of your
decisions (good or bad) without paying the costs.
The best way to learn is to experience
To meet the growing demand for highly
knowledgeable, decisive datacenter managers, a way of experimenting with the
various variables is needed, to act out reality without the true risks of
failure. Simulations allow us to deal with virtual versions of real life
situations, which in turn enable us to simulate the processes of learning and
innovation through practice.
Simulcation Datacenter is a new incarnation of this
technology, aimed at helping IT professionals to navigate the challenges of
their role in a fun, engaging environment, while accurately simulating critical
decisions. Datacenter managers must constantly adapt their knowledge to
emerging technology, making the right choices for their organization when it
comes to choosing support partners and hardware. As a datacenter manager we
showed Simulcation to commented: ‘if I’d have had an app like this, I could
have learned what I learned in years in just a few weeks’.
In Simulcation Datacenter you can
effectively test-drive a wide range of real-world components. Developed in
collaboration with IBM, the impact of your decisions is measured as true to
life as possible, so you can be confident in translating your simulated
decisions to the real world.
About Simulcation
We believe learning
shouldn’t be laborious. Simulcation Datacenter is an engaging, competitive
environment that simulates the complex challenges faced on a daily basis by IT
infrastructure professionals. Preregister now to be one of the first to
experience it – or contact us to find out more.
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