Plan, measure & optimise sustainability in modern data centres

The CDESS® training provides comprehensive expertise in environmental sustainability for data centres.
With rapid data growth, increasing processing demands and the rise of IoT and AI workloads, modern data centres must operate more energy‑efficiently, environmentally responsibly and sustainably than ever before.

This course teaches you the standards, guidelines and best practices needed to transition existing or new data centres to energy‑efficient operating models, sustainable infrastructures and responsible resource usage.
You will learn how to measure, analyse and optimise energy consumption, water usage, emissions, waste management and technical infrastructure in a targeted and systematic way.

Our experienced trainers will show you how to:

• understand how data centres impact the environment and which trends & forecasts matter
• define sustainability & apply relevant models, metrics & frameworks
• calculate and apply key efficiency metrics such as PUE, ERE/ERF, WUE and EWIF
• operate electrical, mechanical, IT and storage infrastructures more sustainably
• manage water, waste, energy, emissions & resources in a structured way
• apply relevant sustainability standards (ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 30134)
• integrate renewable energy, energy storage & emission trading models
• leverage DCIM, AI & automated management systems for sustainable operations
• assess and continuously improve your data centre’s environmental performance

Your benefits at a glance

• deep understanding of environmental sustainability in data centres
• knowledge of key energy, water & resource‑efficiency metrics
• practical methods to reduce energy consumption, CO₂ emissions & waste
• valuable decision‑making insights for modernisation & sustainable investments
• preparation for the Certified Datacentre Environmental Sustainability Specialist (CDESS®) exam
• directly applicable expertise for operations, engineering, management & facility teams

Course Contents

Module 1 – Environmental Impact of Data Centres

• data growth, IoT & AI trends
• forecasts, current situation & future obligations

Module 2 – What Is Environmental Sustainability?

• meaning & definition
• leadership commitment
• sustainability policies & frameworks
• metrics, transparency & reporting models
• service billing models

Module 3 – Environmental Management

• ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 30134
• measurements, categories & essential equipment
• trend analysis & reporting

Module 4 – Energy Efficiency Indicators

• key efficiency metrics
• PUE: measurement points, influencing factors & mixed‑use facilities
• PUE optimisation & impact on IT load

Module 5 – Electrical Energy Savings

• starting points for electrical energy reduction
• dimensioning, DC power, generators
• UPS systems, power factors, lighting

Module 6 – Mechanical Energy Savings

• efficiency in cooling & climate infrastructure
• recommended temperature & humidity ranges
• cooling technologies & airflow optimisation
• liquid cooling & energy reuse
• PUE/ERE/ERF & control volume

Module 7 – ICT Energy Savings

• sustainable IT procurement
• energy efficiency of servers & IT equipment
• ITEEsv, SMPE, SMPO
• virtualisation & OCP (Open Compute Project)

Module 8 – Storage Energy Savings

• data management
• storage administration
• efficiency of storage systems

Module 9 – Water Management

• WUE: measurement & optimisation
• water consumption in power generation
• EWIF calculations

Module 10 – Waste Management

• cradle‑to‑grave lifecycle assessment
• 3R principles: reduce, re‑use, recycle
• second‑hand markets & sustainable reuse

Module 11 – Sustainable Energy Use

• renewable energy sources
• PPAs & energy attribute certificates
• renewable energy factor (REF)
• energy storage & emission trading

Module 12 – Automated Environmental Management Systems

• AI & machine learning for optimisation
• workload migration
• DCIM solutions & automated monitoring

Target Audience

This course is ideal for professionals responsible for developing or operating sustainable data centres, including:

• IT, facility & data centre managers
• data centre technicians & infrastructure teams
• consultants, architects & data centre designers
• service providers & DC operators
• sustainability & energy officers

Prerequisites

• no formal prerequisites
• recommended: 1–2 years of experience in data centre or facility environments

Additional Information

• Course language: German
• Course materials: English
• Exam language: English

Exam Details

• Format: multiple‑choice
• Delivery: online or directly after the course
• Language: English