The Computing Operations project has developed out of the original Data Operations and Facility Operations projects. In 2008 Lothar Bauerdick (FNAL) and Christoph Paus (MIT) were given the task to put in place an organization to run the Data Operations. MIT has ever since been in charge of this project and the later evolved project called Computing operations. It is considered an institutional responsibility.

We manage the prompt calibration and reconstruction of new data collected by the CMS detector and are responsible for the distribution of this data to multiple data centers worldwide for use in data analyses for physics publications. Additionally, we are involved in the simulation of physics processes that are critical for the extraction of physics results. This simulation work utilizes approximately 300,000 CPUs across nearly 50 computing centers in various countries and continents.

Many students and postdocs are actively involved in various roles in computing operations. This provides them with an opportunity to develop skills in the field of Information Technology, which are highly sought after in both academia and industry. Beyond gaining technical proficiency, they are learning how to effectively manage multiple projects, which includes conducting cutting-edge research and providing support to the experiment that enables such research.

Participating in computing operations provides members of our group with a unique opportunity to develop their leadership skills early in their careers. They interact with individuals of various backgrounds and experiences, including interns and computing professionals. Many students and postdocs from our group ultimately take the lead of smaller teams, each responsible for a specific service or task. Their physics background equips them with the necessary knowledge to understand the impact of their actions, enabling them to make informed decisions without the need for excessive consultations with other groups and users.