{"id":17140,"date":"2026-09-08T11:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T18:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/?post_type=announcement&p=17140"},"modified":"2026-09-08T11:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T18:39:13","slug":"meet-anthony-garcia-the-hands-behind-the-data-center-hardware","status":"publish","type":"announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/announcements\/meet-anthony-garcia-the-hands-behind-the-data-center-hardware\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Anthony Garcia: The Hands Behind the Data Center Hardware"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
For all the work that happens online at DreamHost, there are still plenty of things that require someone to physically walk up to a server, whether it\u2019s replacing a bad drive, adding RAM, running a cable, or rebooting a machine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the physical hands for the company,\u201d says Garcia, a Data Center Operations Administrator (DC Ops) at DreamHost\u2019s Portland data center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a role that suits Garcia, who likes figuring out how things work, prefers to have a plan (Google Sheets is his \u201cbest friend\u201d), and readily admits there\u2019s something satisfying about getting things organized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working with data center servers wasn\u2019t always his day job, though. Before DreamHost, Garcia worked in sales and knew it wasn\u2019t where he wanted to stay long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
A Job That Sounded Too Good to Be True <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Garcia wanted to get into technology since graduating high school. He eventually saved enough money to leave his sales job and take a year off to make this happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He completed a boot camp, but also spent a good chunk of that year learning on his own and building his skills. Once he felt ready, he started applying for jobs and came across DreamHost on LinkedIn. The job sounded promising to Garcia, but maybe a little too<\/em> promising. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were the little benefits of, \u2018Oh, and there\u2019s a snack budget,\u2019 and lunch is free Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there\u2019s a wellness benefit credit, too!\u201d he remembers. \u201cI\u2019m like, this is too many things. I\u2019m not going to get this job, but I\u2019ll apply anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spoiler alert: he got the job, of course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It didn\u2019t take long for Garcia to notice that some of what had caught his attention in the job listing carried over once he was actually inside DreamHost. After joining the company Slack space, he noticed people from completely different parts of the company chatting in channels about gaming, random topics, and things that had nothing to do with their regular jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just a sense of community,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s really cool. I like that about it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garcia also got his first real look at a data center during the interview process. His future manager, Chris Lewis, brought him onto the floor and asked him to diagnose what might be wrong with a server sled. Garcia was understandably a little preoccupied with passing the test, but once that was over, he had a chance to actually take in his surroundings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBeing there and seeing this is where it happens was just a really cool feeling,\u201d he says. \u201cIt felt like something had been unlocked.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than two years into his DreamHost tenure, that fascination hasn\u2019t worn off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garcia still likes watching the tiny blue lights across the front of DreamHost\u2019s drives blink as customers read and write data. His manager pointed them out when he first started and explained what each flash represented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou multiply that times thousands,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cIt\u2019s just really cool to see it happen.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Blue Lights, Bad Drives, and Google Sheets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A typical day for Garcia starts with checking the alert board for bad drives or other problems and filling customer pre-orders. Other than that, \u201ctypical\u201d gets a bit harder to define. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other DreamHost teams might need someone to check a machine, replace a component, add memory, or troubleshoot something that is misbehaving. Something that worked perfectly a month ago may not work the same way today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThings are always changing,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cWe\u2019re always trying to figure out why something that worked a month ago no longer works.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garcia believes that unpredictability has helped him become a better troubleshooter as he\u2019s learned to break a problem down, consider the most likely causes first, and work through them rather than getting lost chasing every possibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It probably doesn\u2019t hurt that Garcia has some practice thinking a few moves ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At eight years old, he took first place in Oregon\u2019s state chess tournament for his age group. He doesn\u2019t play competitively anymore, but he still remembers his chess teacher telling him to think three moves ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s something that I think is really relevant in life in general,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then there are his other best friends: Google spreadsheets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have one for everything,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what. I will somehow turn whatever I\u2019m doing into a Google Sheet.\u201d (He even admitted he made one for this interview.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His love of order has found a practical outlet at DreamHost. When Garcia started, the Portland data center had a storage room so packed with equipment that it was difficult to walk through, so he immediately decided he wanted to tackle that project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought, I\u2019m going to organize this. I\u2019m going to find out what we have. It\u2019s going to be neat.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After DreamHost\u2019s recent tech refresh, Garcia and the team finally emptied the room. Now he\u2019s looking forward to getting the remaining inventory organized and easier to track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s kind of silly,\u201d he says, \u201cbut I\u2019m looking forward to cleaning up and making everything look neat and pretty.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s not a small thing to Garcia. To him, better organization means knowing what equipment is actually there, making audits easier, and avoiding buying things his team doesn\u2019t need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Mount Hood, Video Games, and Katniss the Cat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Garcia spends his free time with his girlfriend, Hannah, and their cat, Katniss, hanging out with friends, playing video games, or snowboarding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He started snowboarding in high school and still heads to Mount Hood when he gets the chance. \u201cSomething about going fast down a mountain just really does it for me,\u201d Garcia says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s also a practical benefit over skateboarding, another sport he used to play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs I get older, my bones appreciate falling into snow a lot more.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At home, Garcia gravitates toward story-driven games like Elden Ring and Expedition 33. He also has two tattoos, both with some meaning behind them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One is a collection of flowers native to Oregon, where Garcia was also born and reared. The other comes from Expedition 33: the words \u201cFor those who come after.\u201d It\u2019s a reminder that making a difference doesn\u2019t have to mean doing something enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI personally may not make this huge change in the world that affects the entire world,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I can do little bits here and there. I can do things that help contribute to a better world or a better future.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s an idea that shows up in smaller ways, too. Garcia\u2019s advice for anyone starting out at DreamHost is to ask questions, have a willingness to learn, and never worry about looking like you don\u2019t know something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI enjoy coming to work everyday,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cThis is actually a job I want to do. I like learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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