The organizations that keep Arizona's industry moving.

AFCOM is the leading association for data center professionals, founded in 1980. The Phoenix chapter is one of the most active in the country, hosting monthly luncheons, holiday socials, golf tournaments, and the annual chapter awards. AFCOM members are the people who actually run facilities: directors of operations, critical environment managers, mission-critical engineers, and the consultants who serve them.

7x24 Exchange is the global association focused on end-to-end reliability of mission-critical infrastructure. The Arizona chapter runs spring and fall regional events, golf charity tournaments, monthly luncheons, and the well-known holiday casino night. The membership leans toward design, construction, commissioning, and the cross-functional teams responsible for uptime across the lifecycle of a facility.

iMasons is a global member-based society focused on advancing the digital infrastructure industry. It runs chapters across regions and countries, an iMasons Climate Accord, and the iMasons Education Foundation that funds workforce and university programs. Phoenix has an active local meet-up and iMWomen sub-community. Membership skews toward leaders and architects of digital infrastructure: hyperscalers, colos, builders, equipment OEMs, and consultants.

iMWomen is the global iMasons sub-community increasing visibility, advancement, and representation of women across data center infrastructure. Mentorship tracks, leadership development, and networking socials, with an active Phoenix presence that co-promotes with AZDCA across events and career days.

EMCC in Avondale runs two of the most relevant programs in the Phoenix West Valley pipeline. The Microsoft Datacenter Academy is a hands-on lab co-located with Glendale CC where students earn CompTIA stack credentials and tour live Microsoft datacenters. Separately, EMCC offers a Data Center Operations Certificate of Completion (CCL #5293) in Applied Technology that prepares graduates for mechanical, electrical, and controls technician roles.

MCC offers a 22-credit, two-semester Data Center Operations Certificate of Completion built with iMasons and AFCOM Phoenix to align with real facility roles. Coursework covers data center fundamentals (AIT117) and power distribution systems (AIT227), and credits stack toward an Associate in Applied Science. A $48,350 scholarship fund from QTS, EdgeCore, and AFCOM Phoenix offsets cost for qualifying students.

The 501(c)(3) foundation that channels industry and individual giving into the ten Maricopa Community Colleges, including MCC, Estrella Mountain, Glendale, and the rest of the system that delivers Arizona's data center workforce programs. The Foundation administers scholarships, named funds, and capacity grants that route directly into students enrolled in CCLs, AAS pathways, and the Microsoft Datacenter Academy.