This month, Andrew Stevens, CEO, CNet Training, outlines the Certified Data Centre Audit Professional (CDCAP) program and its benefits for learners.
The demand for a data centre to run at its optimum capability in both an effective and efficient manner is an essential requirement for a business. This five-day program provides data centre professionals with the skills, knowledge and competency to create a strategic plan and undertake a comprehensive audit of data centre environments.
Can you give us an overview of the Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCAP) program?
The Certified Data Centre Audit Professional (CDCAP) teaches the learner how to plan and implement a data centre audit process. Learners will be able to analyse audit data to verify and baseline the status of the data centre and create an action plan to reduce risk and improve the operational capability to support business continuity.
What can learners expect to gain from the program?
The CDCAP program teaches learners the knowledge and ability to plan and implement a program of data centre audits in line with the very latest industry requirements and standards to improve efficiency within the four key types of data centre environments.
The program teaches the importance of acquiring detailed and accurate information concerning the operational capability of the data centre facilities. Learners are introduced to the requirement to measure continually, monitor and collate data to identify the potential areas of risk and the need to make recommendations to improve the availability, resilience and efficiency of a data centre.
A certified CDCAP will be able to acknowledge the requirements for compliance and have a full understanding of national and international regulations, codes and standards. During the program, learners will be provided with a valuable opportunity to access the latest industry standards.
Who is the CDCAP designed for?
The CDCAP is beneficial for data centre professionals with the technical experience within the varying data centre environments wishing to extend their knowledge, skills and certifications in this highly specialised area. Experience working within a data centre environment is essential; preferably with two years’ experience in a technical IT or facilities role.
What are the benefits of the CDCAP for employers?
CDCAP qualification and certification provides confidence to employers that their team is competent to deliver a clear plan to the data centre manager or external customer to ensure a smooth audit. On completing the CDCAP, learners are confident to present a detailed professional audit report in accordance with the audit plan.
How does the CDCAP benefit the learner?
The CDCAP is designed to provide the learner with the highest level of skills, knowledge and confidence. On completing the program, learners will be able to liaise with the data centre manager or external customers to establish a scope for an effective audit plan. Learners will gain the skills to be able to compile a full and complex audit as well as conduct detailed analysis and develop recommendations for the audit report.
Where do the (CDCAP) programs take place?
The CDCAP program is taught internationally. CNet has programs scheduled in 2020 across locations in the UK and North America. The CDCAP is also available via remote attendance, allowing learners the opportunity to join the class from a place that best suits them, for example, in their office or the comfort of their own home.
The remote attendance programs are delivered using collaboration-enabled facilities within specially designed smart rooms. Remote attendees benefit from the same instructor-led classroom environment in real-time, with the same levels of interaction, collaboration and instructor contact as those who are physically present in the room.
Remote attendees effectively sit in the same classroom with all the other learners and can, therefore, see, hear and enjoy the same learning experience. They can also participate in group activities. Check the CNet Training website for the latest dates for CDCAP classroom and remote attendance availability.
How long is the CDCAP program?
The CDCAP is a five-day program with an additional requirement of around 20-hour pre-class reading. The pre-class study is supported by CNet’s dedicated online tutor who is accessible for learners should they wish to talk through any elements or require clarification as they work through the pre-class material.
Benefit of qualification and certification?
On successful completion of the CDCAP program, learners are awarded an internationally and industry-recognised qualification, the BTEC Level 5 Professional Diploma in Data Centre Audit. They also gain official Certified Data Centre Audit Professional (CDCAP) certification and can use the CDCAP postnominal title and use of the CDCAP logo. Certifications are a commitment to life-long learning as they require re-certifying every three years via an online learning management system. This offers the perfect portal to ensure knowledge, skills and certification remain current and up to date to reflect the evolving needs of the industry. CNet remains the only industry dedicated technical education provider in the world to award both such accolades.
What program do you recommend after the (CDCAP)?
Following the CDCAP program, learners are encouraged to continue their professional development by advancing their knowledge and skills to gain further official certifications and qualifications by progressing through the Global Digital Infrastructure Education Framework which maps education programs to career advancement throughout the data centre and network infrastructure sectors. While the programs flow perfectly from one to another they are of equal value as stand-alone programs, learners can enter the framework at any level depending on their level of experience.
Often CDCAP certified individuals choose to increase their knowledge of energy management and attend the Certified Data Centre Energy Professional (CDCEP). Here they learn how to create an energy efficiency plan for their data centre. This includes the creation, implementation, analysis and formulating recommendations with the ultimate objective of reducing energy use and cutting carbon emissions. Another popular option is the five-day Certified Data Centre Management Professional (CDCMP) program.
This program provides unparalleled knowledge, skills and competency to manage the complex technical environments of a data centre facility and the ability to optimise its effectiveness by driving efficiencies.
Another program path is the Certified Data Centre Sustainability Professional (CDCSP) program which is designed to provide in-depth knowledge into the steps required to evaluate, plan, implement and monitor a sustainability strategy for data centre facilities while ensuring that the strategic business needs are continually met.
For those who are ambitious, there is the prestigious Master’s Degree in Data Centre Leadership and Management. A three-year distance learning program where graduates join the worlds’ elite group of data centre professionals.
For more information, see cnet-training.com
