In today's digital era, enterprises depend on IT infrastructure to deliver critical services. At the heart of this infrastructure is the data centre, where availability, efficiency, and resilience are non-negotiable. However, many data centres fall short of meeting the rigorous demands of modern workloads, from AI to high-performance computing, putting businesses at risk.

Ensuring a high-availability environment demands expertise in power management, cooling strategies, fire protection, security, structured cabling, and industry best practices.

The CDCP® (Certified Data Centre Professional) course is a comprehensive 2-day program designed to equip participants with essential knowledge of the data centre infrastructure’s vital components.

This course provides insights into power and cooling systems, security measures, cabling structures, safety protocols, and efficiency enhancements to empowering the data centre professionals to confidently support and enhance today’s data centres while preparing for future advancements.

The primary audience for this course includes data centre specialists, facilities managers and IT professionals who work in and around data centres and are responsible for ensuring and enhancing their availability and manageability.

There is no specific prerequisite for the CDCP^® course. However, participants who already have at least one or two years’ experience in a data centre or facilities environment may be best suited. Those with no experience just yet are most welcome to participate.

After completion of the course the participant will be able to:

• Explain different types of data centres, their impact on business continuity, and the key factors affecting availability.

• Examine international and national standards, industry guidelines, and compliance requirements for data centre design and sub-components.

• Identify site selection criteria, building requirements, and supporting facility needs to establish a high-performance, resilient data centre.

• Deploy raised floors and suspended ceilings while considering cooling, grounding, load management, and airflow optimization.

• Design lighting layouts, emergency lighting systems, and positioning strategies to improve visibility, safety, and energy efficiency.

• Develop power redundancy strategies, configure UPS systems, microgrids, transformers, batteries, and optimize power distribution techniques.

• Assess EMF sources, shielding techniques, and best practices to protect critical IT equipment from interference and data corruption.

• Deploy AI-driven cooling management, containment strategies, liquid cooling, and Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STER) to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

• Deploy network cabling designs, redundancy strategies, and TIA-942 cabling topologies for a resilient and future-ready data centre.

• Install fire suppression systems, detection technologies, and safety signage while ensuring compliance with fire protection regulations.

• Deploy physical security measures, access controls, surveillance systems, and safety protocols to protect data centre assets from threats.

• Deploy BMS, DCIM, EMS, water leak detection, and alarm panels, ensuring continuous monitoring and proactive issue resolution.

The Mission Critical Site

• Business organization
• Types of data centres
• Importance of a data centre
• Elements of data centre
• Causes of unavailability

Data Centre Standards 

• Standards and guidelines
• Standards for sub-components
• International vs. national standards

Data Centre Location, Building and Construction

• Criteria for selecting site location the data centre location
• Criteria for facility
• Supporting facilities and function

Raised Access Flooring and Suspended Ceiling

• Standards
• Types of raised floors
• Loading factors
• General guidelines
• Grounding
• Ramp and landing platform
• Suspended ceiling
• Raised floor and suspended ceiling impact on cooling

Light

• Measurements of light
• Standards
• Connecting and positioning of light fixtures
• Emergency light
• Types of emergency light

Power Infrastructure

• Sustainability
• Microgrid
• Transformers
• Generators
• Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) and Static Transfer Switch (STS)
• Power redundancy levels and techniques
• Power distribution / Busbar trunking
• Single phase and three phase power
• Grounding and bonding
• Isolation transformer
• PDU form factors
• Ingress Protection (IP) grades
• Power quality parameters
• Power sizing
• High Performance Computing
• UPS systems
• UPS parallel configurations
• Batteries
• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
• Thermographic scanning

Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF)

• Types of EMF
• Units of measurements
• Standards and best practices
• Sources of EMF
• Shielding

Equipment Racks

• Standards
• Dimensions
• Types of racks
• Security
• Power strips / rails

Cooling Infrastructure

• Cooling principles
• Temperature and humidity
• Types of cooling systems
• Raised floor cooling
• Non-raised floor cooling
• Supplemental cooling
• Containment
• Liquid cooling
• Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STER)

Water Supply

• Importance of water
• Backup water supply

Designing a Scalable Network Infrastructure

• Importance network cabling infrastructure
• Planning considerations
• Copper cabling
• Fibre Cabling
• TIA-942 cabling system topology
• Testing and verification of cabling system
• Redundancy
• Site-to-site connectivity

Fire Protection

• Common causes of fire
• Requirements for fire suppression systems
• Standards
• Fire detection systems
• Water based fire suppression systems
• Gas-based fire suppression systems
• Classes of fire
• Best practices
• Handheld fire extinguishers
• Requirements for signage and safety
• Regulatory requirements

Physical Security and Safety

• Components for physical security
• Components for physical safety

Auxiliary Systems

• Monitoring challenges
• Monitoring requirements
• Environmental Monitoring System (EMS)
• Building Management System (BMS)
• Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM)
• Water leak detection
• Alarm panels
• Notification
• Best practices

The CDCP^® course is lectured by an EPI Certified Instructor using a combination of lectures and question-and-answer sessions to discuss participants’ specific needs and issues experienced in their own environment.  Participants are able to tap into the trainer’s extensive experience to enable them to solve practical problems in their current environment, thus adding tremendous value.

CDCP^® course available in the following delivery methods:

• ILT – Instructor Led Training (Schedule)
• VILT – Virtual ILT (Schedule)
• TOD – Training On Demand (More)

Exam: Certified Data Centre Professional (CDCP^®)

Attendees will take a 1-hour CDCP^® exam. The exam is 40 questions, multiple-choice, closed-book. The passing mark is 27 out of 40. 

Attendees passing the exam will be awarded the internationally accredited and recognized 'Certified Data Centre Professional' (CDCP^®) certificate.  

CDCP^® is globally accredited by EXIN, a fully independent exam and certification institute.

The CDCP^® certificate is valid for 3 years, after which recertification is required.  Please see the EPI Recertification Program for available options.

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1. Watch the CDCP Sneak Peek webinar (on-demand)
    
2. CDCP, The Leading Globally Recognised Training and Certification for Data Centre Professionals
    
3. Seven Things You Should Know About The Data Centre Facility Infrastructure
    

4. Create your own personalised data centre career plan
   If you are wondering what is the next step in your career and how to prepare for it, use the DCPT (Data Centre Career Planning Tool) to help you create a data centre career plan! Click here > DCPT.

5. CDCP exam guide
   Click here to download.

Find a training schedule that suits you, click here. Or register for the TOD and learn anytime, anywhere.