Scotland’s digital infrastructure is growing rapidly. From data centers that power businesses to labs and offices that drive innovation, demand for robust, modern systems has never been higher. But growth without skills leads to fragility. Resilience isn’t just about buildings or technology – it’s about people.
Infrastructure is being expanded, the energy transition is accelerating and climate protection commitments are changing priorities. But the workforce that runs it all is struggling to keep up.
Key insights
- Scotland’s infrastructure, particularly data centers, is growing rapidly.
- A widening skills gap threatens resilience and business continuity.
- True resilience depends on people – confidence, attitude and training.
- Collaboration between government, industry and organizations like Asanti is critical.
- Without urgent investment in skills, Scotland risks not achieving its targets.
Data centers: The digital backbone
Data centers are now critical to almost every sector, from banking to healthcare. However, many organizations still underestimate their risk. True resilience means continuous operations despite cyber threats, power outages or climate events.
The shortage of skilled workers is particularly great here. “You can be very skilled at building houses, but once you get into data centers where everything is critical, it’s a different skill set, a different requirement.”
“The recognition of data centers as critical national infrastructure is a clear signal of their importance to our daily lives. Everything from banking to staying in touch with each other depends on the availability of data centers,” says Emma Lauchlan, marketing director at Asanti.
Pharma and life sciences: Regulated, complex, growing
Scotland’s life sciences sector is thriving. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are expanding rapidly, supported by investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank and research partnerships across the country. But growth also brings with it demands for compliant, secure and always-on environments.
The risks here are not just of an operational nature. Downtime in these areas can impact patient safety and regulatory compliance. A lack of trained staff is a real threat to both innovation and implementation.
Scotland’s thriving life sciences sector relies on compliant, safe and always-available environments. Downtime can jeopardize both innovation and patient safety.
“Asanti’s colocation facilities in the UK enable businesses to comply with UK sovereignty requirements and ensure data remains within UK jurisdiction and legal protection. Our solutions are designed for resilience and robust business continuity measures.”
Hybrid working has also made offices, universities and public networks mission-critical. Disruptions from cyberattacks or extreme weather conditions impact communities and the entire economy.
Abilities: The Missing Link
Although the infrastructure is growing, the pool of trained engineers is not. Closing this gap requires investment in training in line with Scotland’s National Adaptation Plan, addressing resilience to weather, water security and climate change.
Resilience depends on both culture and systems. The advice to future engineers is clear: keep learning and never get to the point where you feel like, “I’ve graduated, I’m done.” You have to evolve with the way the world works.
Preparing for risks – from climate change to cyberattacks – will determine Scotland’s resilience in a data-driven net zero future.
Scotland at a crossroads
Scotland’s digital transformation includes broadband, data centers, 5G, transport and smart water systems. But without qualified staff to operate them, progress can stall.
Resilience is about both people and systems. With the right investments in skills, partnerships and safe operations, Scotland can lead not only in building the infrastructure, but also in fostering the expertise to maintain it.
