Building services and facilities management company Norland has hired Mark Action as critical product director for its £100m Critical Environment Services division. The newly created role will see Acton maintain Norland’s facilities management in data centers and other zero downtime environments.

Acton previously worked as director and data center analyst for The Uptime Institute delivering services and Uptime Tier Certifications throughout EMEA. He has also held senior positions at Dell, Intel, Cable & Wireless and Global Switch.

Facebook hunts for utility analyst

Facebook is on the hunt for a utility analyst that will be the core driver of analytics related to Facebook’s data center power infrastructure. The new position will be used for the development of key metrics and looking into market rates and trends and the negotiation of new electricity contracts and power rate analysis.

“You will also help drive the development of Facebook’s global energy strategy in an effort to create a diverse, low cost energy portfolio in support of the company’s overall strategic objectives,” Facebook said on the job post. The position will be run out of Facebook’s Menlo Park office in the US.

Facebook CTO Bret Taylor to start start-up

Facebook’s CTO Bret Taylor is leaving to work with an “as-yet-to-be-determined” start-up he is starting with Kevin Gibbs, the founder of the Google App Engine and Google Suggest.

In a blog post on Facebook, Taylor said he is leaving “this summer” and gave special thanks to Mark Zuckerberg, who he said became a mentor and close friend.

Taylor was the co-creator of Google Maps and Google Maps API and while with Google created the web site FriendFeed which was purchased by Facebook in 2009.

CiRRUS appoints security specialist

UK-based CiRRUs Management Solutions has appointed security and biometrics expert Dr Daniel R Walsh as Director of Business Development for Biometrics and Identity. He will focus on the company’s IdentAlink solutions and will appoint VARs throughout Europe and the Middle East.