Overview

Plan and implement a strategic data centre audit process. 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.
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.
Gain an understanding of the importance of acquiring detailed and accurate information concerning the operational capability of the data centre facilities. The program details the requirement to continually measure, 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. This includes the physical infrastructure (IT, power and cooling), building facilities, asset management, documentation, processes and procedures.
A certified CDCAP® also considers the requirements for compliance, having a full understanding of national and international regulations, codes and standards. During the program, learners will be provided a valuable opportunity to access the latest industry standards.
Following this program, you are encouraged to continue your professional development by advancing your 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 network infrastructure and data centre sectors.
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Prerequisites

Experience of working within a data centre environment is essential; preferably with two years experience in a technical IT or facilities role. If you would like to discuss your experience or suitability for this program please contact us.

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Delegates will learn how to

Demonstrate advanced 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 constraints of data centre environments.
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Outline

The Business Needs
Appreciate why audits are an essential business requirement
Understand the importance of defining the current business needs
Appreciate the need to define what the business actually has
Understand the business (C Level) against operational perceptions
Ascertain whether the business understands their tier rating and that it actually meets the business need
Scoping the Audit
Understand the impact of business Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Understand the business direction and the importance of identifying the key stakeholders
Understand the interaction between the key stakeholders and the operational Data Centre departments
Appreciate the factors to be considered when formulating the audit scope
Appreciate applicable supporting standards, regulations and industry best practices
Establishing the Audit Process
Appreciate the need to understand the present capability against the business perception
Appreciate the business expectations with the need for a continuous commissioning process
Be able to define the framework of the audit process
Understand the need to undertake an audit risk analysis process
Be able to identify the audit lead and team requirements
Performing the Audit
Appreciate the need to undertake documentation review
Appreciate the impact of Regulatory requirements and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Appreciate the operational and environmental structures within the data centre structure
Understand the key audit areas, the audit expectations and implementation of test sequences
Analysis and Recommendations
Appreciate the need to evaluate the audit findings against the operational requirements of the business
Identify the gaps in the operational capability
Understand the need to evaluate policies, processes and procedures against business expectations
Appreciate the need for operational documentation accuracy
Appreciate the assessment of equipment against lifecycle costs, ROI and TCO
Identification of business risks, operational weaknesses and areas of inefficiency
Action Plan and Reporting
Understand the need to determine how the site measures up against the recognised industry best practices that are considered to be appropriate by the auditor
Understand how to assess the recommendations and formulate the supporting action plan
Measuring and Monitoring Progress
Appreciate the importance of establishing an accurate baseline
Appreciate the importance of establishing a structured measuring and monitoring strategy
Appreciate the appropriate use of metrics
Appreciate the need to re-evaluate the action plan
Follow on Actions
Appreciate the need for forward planning
Appreciate the actions to align the Data Centre assets following the audit process
Appreciate the need to review and align skill-sets
Appreciate industry guidance and accreditations
Audit Preparation
Understand the importance of the business and key stakeholder demands
Understand the need for an effective audit structure
Understand the need to have an effective communication plan
Understand the need to identify areas of concern and potential improvements
Mechanical (Power and Cooling) Audit
Understand the electrical systems audit process
Understand how to conduct an audit
Understand the importance of power quality
Understand the data centre electrical distribution system
Understand electrical safety requirements in a data centre
Understand the data centre mechanical systems audit process
Understand what systems to audit are included in a data centre mechanical systems audit
Appreciate the value of data centre cooling metrics
Understand the importance of the chilled water cooling circuit
Understand the methods to conduct a cooling capacity check
Understand the importance of air management in a data centre
Understand the benefits of performing a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD)
IT Infrastructure Audit
Understand how to plan an IT audit
Understand the different areas of an IT audit
Understand the audit demands of the computer, storage and network environments
Understand the supporting infrastructures that require to be audited
Security Audit
Understand the focus, segments and scope required to spell out security audit requirements
Understand the training, certifications and experience of potential security auditors or know where to look for guidance
Scope and types of security audits
Understand potential audit outcomes
Evaluate the security auditor’s report
Understand how to distribute and archive the security audit
Building and Support Services Audit
Understand the need to review the Building
Automation Systems (BAS) and site maintenance
Understand the key areas of measuring and monitoring
Understand the implementation of the fire containment plan and emergency requirements
Understand what support services are in place
Asset Management Audit
Appreciate the importance of asset management
Understand the need to develop an effective asset management strategy
Understand the asset management control options
Understand the impacts of MACs and decommissioning
Understand the financial implications
Process, Procedures and Working Practices Audit
Appreciate the structure of data centre policies, processes and procedures
Appreciate the need to review the policies, processes and procedures
Evaluate whether they are fit for purpose and actions to escalate non-compliance issues
Appreciate the industry guidance to improve the effectiveness of the processes and procedures
Appreciate the implementation of appropriate review cycles
Documentation Audit
Understand the need to incorporate documentation into the audit process
Understand the need for structured and accurate documentation
Understand external and internal compliance documentation
Understand how key operational structures are documented
Understand whether the documentation is ultimately ‘fit for purpose’
Audit Closure Process
Understand the need to effectively collate the audit data
Understand the need to implement an effective action plan incorporating all interested parties
Understand the need to have a structured approach to ensure a continual audit capability is implemented
There are a number of group and individual case studies throughout this program.
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Why choose QA

Special Notices

It is essential that you bring a device with wireless capability, and unrestricted access to the internet as the program is delivered via an online learning management system. The log in process will be explained at the start of your program. The recommended web browser is Internet Explorer 11 but the system supports all web browsers. The program content also requires a PDF reader, adobe flash player and Microsoft word and excel.

Dates & Locations

Frequently asked questions

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