In our seminar rooms or comfortably from home!

Operate data centres at expert level, minimise risks & ensure high availability

The daily operation of a data centre determines whether an infrastructure is stable and high‑performing — or vulnerable and prone to outages. Research shows that most failures are caused not by technology, but by human error.
To ensure efficiency, safety and compliance, data centres require well‑defined processes, standards, SOPs and clearly documented operational procedures.

The CDFOS® (Certified Data Centre Facilities Operations Specialist) is a three‑day hands‑on training based on the DCOS® – Data Centre Operations Standard.
It provides comprehensive knowledge of mission‑critical data centre operations — from service level management, safety and maintenance to physical security, governance, documentation and sustainability.

After completing the course, you will be able to operate a mission‑critical data centre professionally, reduce risks, avoid human‑error‑related incidents and ensure stable high‑availability operations.

Our experienced trainers will show you how to:

• manage daily operations, safety and process quality efficiently
• use SOPs, policies & standards to ensure safe and compliant operations
• reduce risks, incidents and operational disruptions effectively
• define, measure & improve service levels
• implement physical security, access control & crisis management
• manage maintenance, spare‑parts handling & facility processes
• establish reliable monitoring, reporting & escalation structures
• integrate sustainability & energy efficiency into daily operations
• prepare thoroughly for the CDFOS® exam

Your benefits at a glance

• deep understanding of operational data‑centre processes
• structured implementation of safety, maintenance & compliance
• significantly reduced risk of human error & unplanned downtime
• recognised qualification based on the DCOS® standard
• ideal for professionals in mission‑critical operations environments

Course Contents

Service Level Management

• demand & capability analysis
• service portfolio & service catalogue
• SLAs (Service Level Agreements)
• reporting, complaint handling & customer satisfaction
• Service Improvement Process (SIP)

Occupational Safety & Crisis Management

• common accident types, causes & prevention
• roles & responsibilities of safety officers
• importance of safety & health handbooks
• lock‑out / tag‑out procedures
• calibration of test & measurement equipment
• emergency & evacuation plans
• “Permit to Work” (PTW) procedures

Physical Security

• security SOPs & risk assessments
• security zones & physical inspections
• delivery handling & pre‑entry areas
• access control, badge & key management
• surveillance & incident reporting

Facility Maintenance

• importance & types of maintenance
• Maintenance Operations Procedures (MOPs)
• maintenance reports & SLA alignment
• spare‑parts management & tools
• order, cleanliness & safe working environments

Data Centre Operations

• shift handover & inspections
• service & release management
• configuration & space management
• equipment lifecycle management

Monitoring, Reporting & Control

• monitoring requirements & monitoring matrix
• testing & calibration of sensors
• alarm workflows, escalation matrix & communication chains
• operational reporting

Project Management

• fundamentals, project organisation & roles
• initiation, planning, execution
• monitoring, controlling & closure
• evaluation & lessons learned

Environmental Sustainability

• importance of sustainable operations
• environmental standards in data centres
• energy‑efficiency indicators
• best practices for energy & water savings
• sustainable energy usage

Governance & Compliance

• documentation management & its six sub‑processes
• asset management & documentation requirements

Exam: Certified Data Centre Facilities Operations Specialist (CDFOS®)

• Duration: 90 minutes
• Format: 60 multiple‑choice questions
• Passing score: 42 correct answers
• Result:
  • online exam → immediate result
  • paper‑based exam → result within approx. one week

Target Audience

Ideal for:

• data‑centre operations teams & infrastructure specialists
• facility‑management staff & building‑services technicians
• IT operations, service managers & operations leads
• architects, consultants & service providers in the DC environment
• professionals in critical infrastructure (CI/KRITIS)

Prerequisites

• no formal prerequisites
• recommended: basic knowledge of DC or facility operations

Additional Information

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

Manage data centre operations professionally, increase availability & control complex infrastructure with confidence

Operating modern, mission‑critical data centre environments is highly complex — and often underestimated. Even certified data centres can suffer unplanned outages, usually caused by issues in planning, operations, maintenance or management.

The three‑day CDFOM® course provides deep, practical knowledge on how to organise the operations of a mission‑critical data centre safely, efficiently and in a fully structured manner.
You will learn how to lead teams, optimise maintenance processes, manage capacity, identify risks early and ensure reliable end‑to‑end operation of the entire facility.

International best practices, standards such as ANSI/TIA‑942 and ISO frameworks, as well as proven operational strategies help you transform complex data‑centre processes into clear, manageable and resilient operational structures.

Our experienced trainers will show you how to:

• structure, lead and develop data centre teams effectively
• ensure seamless interaction between facility, IT and building‑services processes
• manage, evaluate and contractually steer suppliers and vendors
• establish maintenance models, spare‑parts strategies & incident handling
• implement safety policies, emergency procedures & compliance requirements
• manage SLAs, reporting & escalation processes professionally
• perform capacity planning using tools such as CFD and configuration systems
• improve operations through documentation, monitoring & automation
• detect risks early and increase overall data‑centre availability

Your benefits at a glance

• deep understanding of all operational areas of a data centre
• significantly higher safety and reliability in daily operations
• best practices for maintenance, safety, capacity planning & vendor management
• practical preparation for both CDCP® and CDFOM® career paths
• structured processes for high availability & risk mitigation
• improved team organisation, operational workflows & documentation quality

Course Contents

1. Data Centre Operations Team

• leadership attributes & team structures
• roles, responsibilities & qualification matrices
• Key Performance Objectives (KPOs)
• job rotation, compensation, talent development
• shift models & duty scheduling
• training & internal assessments

2. Supplier & Vendor Management

• supplier selection & qualification
• risk & escalation management
• contract fundamentals & performance evaluation
• reporting & SLA alignment

3. Facility Maintenance

• maintenance models: preventive, condition‑based, RCM
• evaluating maintenance contracts
• warranty, service reports & documentation
• on‑site spare‑parts management

4. Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• compliance & industry regulations
• emergency procedures & safety policies
• Permit‑to‑Work (PTW) processes
• ergonomic & organisational workplace requirements
• SOPs for emergency scenarios

5. SLA Management

• design constraints & SLA structure
• performance metrics & reporting
• supplier vs. business SLAs
• opportunity management & change processes

6. Physical Security Management

• standards: ANSI/TIA‑942, ISO/IEC 27001/27002, SS507
• access control, delivery access, customer access
• 24/7 surveillance & patrol routines
• crisis management & incident handling

7. Capacity Management

• design limits & thresholds
• monitoring & capacity evaluation
• installation processes & future planning
• CFD & configuration/capacity‑management tools

8. Cabling Management

• ANSI/TIA‑942 & ANSI/TIA‑606 requirements
• cable specifications, labelling & documentation
• power & network cabling within racks
• planning cable trays & correct labelling

9. Cleaning & Contamination Control

• types of contamination (e.g. H₂S, dust, particles)
• causes & preventive measures
• cleaning standards & professional techniques

10. Monitoring & Automation

• monitoring requirements & thresholds
• alerting & escalation procedures
• automated ticketing systems
• handling customer complaints & change management
• measurements (fuel, water, PUE/DCiE)

11. Documentation & Archiving

• documentation standards & processes
• required vs. optional operational documentation
• operational manuals & SOP collections

12. Asset Lifecycle Management

• lifecycle policies & procedures
• software & firmware management
• maintenance cycles & reporting
• test scenarios & test cycles

Target Audience

Ideal for professionals who operate, manage or are responsible for mission‑critical facilities:

• data centre managers & IT infrastructure managers
• facility & building‑services managers
• service teams & technical operations teams
• architects, data‑centre planners & technical consultants
• professionals ensuring high availability and operational stability

Prerequisites

• no formal prerequisites
• recommended: completed CDCP® training

Additional Information

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

Exam Details

• Format: Multiple Choice
• Delivery: online or immediately after the training
• Language: English
• Certification: Certified Data Centre Facilities Operations Manager (CDFOM®)

Manage data centre operations professionally, increase availability & control complex infrastructure with confidence

Operating modern, mission‑critical data centre environments is highly complex — and often underestimated. Even certified data centres can suffer unplanned outages, usually caused by issues in planning, operations, maintenance or management.

The three‑day CDFOM® course provides deep, practical knowledge on how to organise the operations of a mission‑critical data centre safely, efficiently and in a fully structured manner.
You will learn how to lead teams, optimise maintenance processes, manage capacity, identify risks early and ensure reliable end‑to‑end operation of the entire facility.

International best practices, standards such as ANSI/TIA‑942 and ISO frameworks, as well as proven operational strategies help you transform complex data‑centre processes into clear, manageable and resilient operational structures.

Our experienced trainers will show you how to:

• structure, lead and develop data centre teams effectively
• ensure seamless interaction between facility, IT and building‑services processes
• manage, evaluate and contractually steer suppliers and vendors
• establish maintenance models, spare‑parts strategies & incident handling
• implement safety policies, emergency procedures & compliance requirements
• manage SLAs, reporting & escalation processes professionally
• perform capacity planning using tools such as CFD and configuration systems
• improve operations through documentation, monitoring & automation
• detect risks early and increase overall data‑centre availability

Your benefits at a glance

• deep understanding of all operational areas of a data centre
• significantly higher safety and reliability in daily operations
• best practices for maintenance, safety, capacity planning & vendor management
• practical preparation for both CDCP® and CDFOM® career paths
• structured processes for high availability & risk mitigation
• improved team organisation, operational workflows & documentation quality

Course Contents

1. Data Centre Operations Team

• leadership attributes & team structures
• roles, responsibilities & qualification matrices
• Key Performance Objectives (KPOs)
• job rotation, compensation, talent development
• shift models & duty scheduling
• training & internal assessments

2. Supplier & Vendor Management

• supplier selection & qualification
• risk & escalation management
• contract fundamentals & performance evaluation
• reporting & SLA alignment

3. Facility Maintenance

• maintenance models: preventive, condition‑based, RCM
• evaluating maintenance contracts
• warranty, service reports & documentation
• on‑site spare‑parts management

4. Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• compliance & industry regulations
• emergency procedures & safety policies
• Permit‑to‑Work (PTW) processes
• ergonomic & organisational workplace requirements
• SOPs for emergency scenarios

5. SLA Management

• design constraints & SLA structure
• performance metrics & reporting
• supplier vs. business SLAs
• opportunity management & change processes

6. Physical Security Management

• standards: ANSI/TIA‑942, ISO/IEC 27001/27002, SS507
• access control, delivery access, customer access
• 24/7 surveillance & patrol routines
• crisis management & incident handling

7. Capacity Management

• design limits & thresholds
• monitoring & capacity evaluation
• installation processes & future planning
• CFD & configuration/capacity‑management tools

8. Cabling Management

• ANSI/TIA‑942 & ANSI/TIA‑606 requirements
• cable specifications, labelling & documentation
• power & network cabling within racks
• planning cable trays & correct labelling

9. Cleaning & Contamination Control

• types of contamination (e.g. H₂S, dust, particles)
• causes & preventive measures
• cleaning standards & professional techniques

10. Monitoring & Automation

• monitoring requirements & thresholds
• alerting & escalation procedures
• automated ticketing systems
• handling customer complaints & change management
• measurements (fuel, water, PUE/DCiE)

11. Documentation & Archiving

• documentation standards & processes
• required vs. optional operational documentation
• operational manuals & SOP collections

12. Asset Lifecycle Management

• lifecycle policies & procedures
• software & firmware management
• maintenance cycles & reporting
• test scenarios & test cycles

Target Audience

Ideal for professionals who operate, manage or are responsible for mission‑critical facilities:

• data centre managers & IT infrastructure managers
• facility & building‑services managers
• service teams & technical operations teams
• architects, data‑centre planners & technical consultants
• professionals ensuring high availability and operational stability

Prerequisites

• no formal prerequisites
• recommended: completed CDCP® training

Additional Information

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

Exam Details

• Format: Multiple Choice
• Delivery: online or immediately after the training
• Language: English
• Certification: Certified Data Centre Facilities Operations Manager (CDFOM®)

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