Andrew Stevens, CEO, CNet Training, outlines the Certified Data Centre Energy Professional (CDCEP) program. This is an increasingly popular program as data centre managers and professionals are looking for innovative ways to cut carbon emissions and reduce the energy use within their data centres. It is an issue of utmost importance and one that continues to be top of mind for those operating data centre facilities.
Can you provide an overview of the Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCEP) program?
The Certified Data Centre Energy Professional (CDCEP) teaches the learner how to create an energy efficiency plan for a data centre. The program looks into the creation, implementation, analysis and formulating recommendations with the ultimate objective of reducing energy use and cutting carbon emissions with a data centre.
What can learners expect to gain from the program?
The CDCEP program considers the global focus on how energy prices and environmental protection is driving the need to reduce energy wastage through greater efficiency.
The five-day program teaches the learner how to strategically plan, design and implement an energy plan for data centre facility, focusing on energy efficiency. Learners are introduced to current energy profiler tools and models to analyse site data and formulate a comprehensive action plan to implement real energy savings potential and capacity reclamation. The use and distribution of power and how usage can quickly spiral out of control when it’s not being measured, monitored and maintained correctly is also explored. The program also makes the learner consider the use of redundant and backup power utilisation for air conditioning, fire suppression, security, alarms and other supporting systems.
A certified CDCEP will be able to acknowledge the requirements for compliance, having gained a full understanding of national and international regulations, codes, standards, including the US Department of Energy (DoE) standard.
Who is the CDCEP designed for?
The CDCEP is beneficial for individuals who are already working in a data centre environment and who are responsible for the management and use of energy within a data centre. Experience working within a data centre environment is essential for the CDCEP program. Ideally, we also request that the learner has at least two years’ experience in a technical IT or facilities role.
Where do the (CDCEP) programs take place?
The CDCEP is taught internationally. The CDCEP is currently available via live instructor-led Remote Attendance in multiple time zones across the globe, allowing for learning at times that are convenient for individual schedules such as while on night shifts or outside of usual working hours. A lot of our learners join the program from the comfort of their home or a quiet space at their place of work. Remote Attendance programs are designed to fit around the learner and for them to attend from the environment that best works for them.
Over the last three years we have been delivering programs via live instructor-led Remote Attendance classes. We anticipated this would be driven by the need to operate in a more sustainable and environmentally sensitive way – we obviously did not anticipate COVID-19.
We have worked hard to expand our Remote Attendance capability and are pleased that we now have 15 dedicated Smart Rooms, allowing us to deliver 15 different classes simultaneously across the world. We have a full schedule of program dates in time zones across the world that are Guaranteed to Run #GTR and have moved any planned classroom-based programs over the coming months to Remote Attendance classes, allowing them to continue as planned.
The CNet Remote Attendance learning experience is different from many others, it is live and fully interactive with both the instructor and fellow attendees, wherever they are in the world.
Learners are required to have a webcam-enabled laptop or suitable device with unrestricted wireless Internet connectivity; the latest Internet browser; and suitable applications for reading/annotating PDFs and editing standard office documents.
How long is the CDCEP program?
The CDCEP program is a five-day program. There is an additional requirement of around 20 hours pre-class study that is provided by the CNet team and supported by a dedicated online tutor.
The benefit of Qualification and Certification?
On completion of the CDCEP program, learners gain an internationally and industry-recognised qualification: the BTEC Level 5 Professional Diploma in Data Centre Energy. They also gain official Certified Data Centre Energy Professional (CDCEP) certification and can use the CDCEP postnominal title, use of the CDCEP logo as well as official CDCEP digital badge.
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.
How does the CDCEP program help to improve the long-term environmental impact of data centres and make them more sustainable?
The Certified Data Centre Energy (CDCEP) Professional program teaches expertise in energy efficiency and provides the tools to make a significant contribution to the business strategy by effectively dealing with energy-related issues and driving energy efficiencies. As well as embracing energy management, sustainability extends on the ‘here and now’, targeting long-term strategies to reduce carbon footprints significantly. The CDCEP program is perfectly complemented by the Certified Data Centre Sustainability Professional (CDCSP) program. This program 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.
What program do you recommend after the (CDCEP)?
Following the CDCEP 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, CDCEP-certified individuals choose to explore data centre management and attend 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. Others decide to increase their knowledge of sustainability and management and attend the Certified Data Centre Sustainability Professional (CDCSP) program which is structured for senior data centre operational and facilities management, team leaders and senior engineers wishing to unite existing knowledge with new learning concerning achieving a sustainability-focused strategy within their mission-critical facility. The Certified Data Centre Audit Professional (CDCAP) is another popular program following the CDCEP. The program gives learners the skills, knowledge and competency to create a strategic plan and undertake a comprehensive audit of data centre environments. For those who are ambitious, there is the prestigious Masters Degree in Data Centre Leadership and Management – a three-year distance learning program where graduates join the world’s elite group of data centre professionals.
Would you like to demo CNet’s Remote Attendance capability?
If you have not yet seen our Remote Attendance program delivery, we urge you to book onto one of our 40-minute demonstration sessions here, so that you can see it for yourself.
