During a conversation at one of the major data center conferences this year it struck me that there are a wide range of options available to data center managers when selecting development for some of their key assets - their staff!

When I asked the head of data centers at a well known company why they choose a specific vendors training for their staff it became evident that they weren't fully aware of the many training options available to them. It also made me think that I really didn't know all the options either!!!

To improve my understanding I started to try to put together my own overview of the various options available. I also wanted to understand in more detail the various qualifications members of this network often mention when writing their professional profiles.It is certainly an interesting area. It turns out there is quite a wide choice covering data center design, operations, and management. From what I see so far there is no obvious leader in terms of industry acknowledged certifications.

So here is a summary of the options I could find for training and certifying data center personnel. These focus mainly on infrastructure type training covering design, implementation, operations and management of data centers.

I have also left out equipment specific training (HP, Oracle, etc) and the more generic/fundamental training such as ITIL or project management etc. These could be added to this list later if you think it's worth it.

Here goes (in vendor alphabetical order):

APC (Data Center University)

I initially excluded this since I thought their training was focused on APC products, but having re-read their literature a bit more thoroughly I've found they make explicit statements that their training and certification is product agnostic.

Their main certification is the 'Data Center University Associate' (DCU Associate) Certification. Their website explains this as an international, vendor-neutral credential that recognizes a professionals ability to participate on a team that designs, builds and operates a data center.

The Data Center University has developed 14 e-learning courses that cover all of the exam areas including: power, cooling, racks, cabling, fire protection, security, and management. These online courses are free! You simply go to the site and register, then proceed with the courses at your own speed. I've only had a brief look through, but it seems that most of courses take less than an hour to complete. There is also a set of 'knowledge checkpoints' (various quizzes) that you can use to test your knowledge once you complete each course.

So I guess if you did these all in one go it would take you a couple of days to complete the e-training and the quizzes.

The online catalog also lists a set of short online courses that cater for other learning paths i.e. Facilities Staff, Executives, Network Staff, IT Staff, Consultants, and 'Going Green'. So these may also be useful for your staff.

The online system also mentions that some of the courses are eligible for professional development units (CECs etc), although I didn't see any specific values mentioned.

Note you should use Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, or FireFox 3.0 or higher when accessing the online system.

BICSI

BICSI are a well know international organisation who run several certifications that members of our network often quote - such as RCDD, NTS, OSP. The RCDD qualification is perhaps the most common one that data center professionals take. But the others seem equally applicable. BICSI have a list of approved training providers who are able to provide the training and do the exams.

Certainly the BICSI qualifications seem to be the strictest in terms of eligibility i.e. in order to be certified you must be able to prove a certain amount of previous experience and have already passed their ITS (Information Technology Systems) fundamentals course.

In order to keep your certification you need to renew it, usually within 3 years. The requirements for this vary between qualifications. I've tried to capture these in the detailed version of the mindmap and in the spreadsheet.

BICSI run many courses and certifications, but main courses they run which seem applicable to DCpros seem to be:

• Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD)
• Registered Information Technology Professional (RITP)
• Network Transport Systems (NTS) Specialist
• Outside Plant (OSP) Specialist

They also offer a 3 day 'Data Center Design Best Practices' course - but so far these doesn't seem to offer a certification with it.

Capitoline

Capitoline LLP is a design and engineering consultancy for IT Infrastructure projects majoring on data centres, computer rooms and communications rooms. They are accredited Uptime Institute Tier Designers, but also provide their own specialized data center training certification which results in a ''Data Center Expert'' (DCE) Certification.

To become a DCE you need to take two courses and pass a DCE exam. The two courses are:

• Data Centre Design (DCD) - 3 days
• Data Centre Operations Management (DCOM) - 2 days

The DCD course is recognised as Continuing Professional Development for the maintenance of many professional qualifications and for example counts as 21 Continuing Education Credits (CEC) for BICSI RCDD, NTS and Installer qualified members. The DCOM course counts as 10 CECs for BICSI.

CNET Training

CNET are a specialized training provider who provide specialized training in the areas of data centres, data communications, fibre optics, IP security and communications, and project management . They also offer some of the BISCI training certifications such as RCDD. The three main qualifications CNET offer that are often seen on our members profiles are:

• Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCDP)
• Certified Data Centre Management Professional (CDCMP)
• Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT)

The CDCDP and CDCMP training is broken down into various sub-courses. These are detailed in the spreadsheet and detailed mindmap. CNET courses all contribute to CEC units - see the specific course for how many CECs they have.

Data Center Dynamics

Besides organizing worldwide data center conferences Data Center Dynamics also offer training courses. So far as I can see these don't offer certifications. They run 3 main courses as far as I can tell:

• BICSI 'Data Center Design Best Practice course
• Advanced Data Center Power and Cooling course
• Data Center Efficiency & Best Practice course

The BICIS data center design contributes to BICSI CECs.

EPI

EPI is a specialized consultancy company that do data center audits, certifications, consultancy and training. They run a wide range of courses covering IT, security, and data centres. The main certification program they run is the CDCE program (Certified Data Center Expert). Note that to get the CDCE certification you must have already completed both the CDCP and CDCS exams.

• Certified Data Center Professional (CDCP)
• Certified Data Center Specialist (CDCS))
• Certified Data Center Expert (CDCE)
• Certified Data Center Operations Manager (CDCOM)

Its not known if any of the EPI courses count towards any CECs.

Globeron Pte Ltd

Globeron run a CSOEP (Certified Service Oriented Enterprise Professional) course. This is a 5-days Intensive Programme, including a 3-hour paperbased written exam on the last day with multiple choice & open questions. The course It covers all Service Layers (DataCentre, IT, Process, Security
and Management). The course consists of these modules:

• CSODP - Certified Service Oriented DataCentre Professional (Day 1)
• CSOIP - Certified Service Oriented Infrastructure Professional (Day 2)
• CSOSP - Certified Service Oriented Security Professional (Day 3)
• CSOPP - Certified Service Oriented Process Professional (Day 4)
• CSOMP - Certified Service Oriented Management Professional (Day 5)

BICSI recognizes the CSOEP Bootcamp training for 35 Continuing Education Credits (CECs).

IDCP (Marist College)

The Marist College runs the Institute for Data Center Professionals training program. This is consists of online training covering modules in facilities, networking, security, systems & software, operations & process, and product development & financial planning. If a student completes all of the above modules they are awarded the IDCP's Certified Data Center Professional (CDCP) certification.

Its not known if any of the these modules count towards any CECs.

Square Mile Systems

Square Mile Systems focus on asset management, change management, and business continuity. In addition to their other products and solutions they run a two part 'Practical Data Centre Management' course. Part 1 focuses on Managing the Facility, and Part 2 focuses on Managing the external interfaces with external teams. Each course is 1 day. They also offer a 2 days ''Advanced Visio for IT Professionals'' course.

Its not known if any of the square mile courses count towards any CECs.

U.S. Dept of Energy (DCEP Qualification)

DOE is partnering with industry to develop a Data Center Energy Practitioner (DCEP) program to accelerate energy savings in the dynamic and energy-intensive marketplace of data centers. The DCEP program is being defined, designed, and implemented by working closely with industry stakeholders. DOE has set a goal to have at least 200 practitioners by 2011.

There will be two grades of DCEP:

• Level 1 DCEP
• Level 2 DCEP

The level 1 practitioner does not need to pass an exam and there is no strict eligibility requirements, whereas the Level 2 practitioner does need to pass an exam and also need to meet certain eligibility requirements. Re-certification will be required within 3 years.

Its not known if any of the these courses count towards any CECs.

U.S. Green Building Council (LEED Qualification)

The U.S. Green Building Council run the ''Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design" (LEED) qualification.

The LEED AP (Accredited Professional) credential was established in 2001 and in 2009 they introduced LEED specialties such as LEED Building Design & Construction (BD+C), LEED Interior Design & Construction (ID+C), etc. There is also a the LEED Green Associate (GA) level which is intended for professionals who want to demonstrate green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice. The 'LEED AP' is the one most quoted by data center professionals.

Uptime Institute

The Uptime Institute are well known for their Tier classifications. They have also introduced a training & certification program designed for data center design professionals to enhance their understanding of the practical application of the Tiers, including misconceptions and common misapplications. This certification is called the ''Accredited Tier Designer'' (ATD).

Its not known if any of the these modules count towards any CECs.

Other (Relevant) Training Providers

Besides the above 'equipment' neutral training providers, there is also a number of vendor specific courses. These may be worth checking out to see if they offer any 'independent' training:

Cisco

HP

Red Hat

Oracle

....and there are many more besides!

Summary

The good news is that there is a wide range of training available from a wide range of suppliers, and there are options for both online and classroom based training.

In order to summarize the information in this section I have created this spreadsheet. (click to download).

It is not 100% finished - so if you have any information to fill in the blanks please add a comment to this post so I can update it. Hopefully this article in combination with the spreadsheet will give you a good headstart when you start to look at training your staff. I have tried to cover the various training options in terms of:

1. Vendor - who owns this qualification
2. Qualification - name
3. Courses - the courses needed to get the qualification
4. Eligibility - what do you need before you can take the courses/exam
5. Training Time & Costs - how long does it take and how much is it
6. Exam Time & Costs - how long is the exam and how much does it cost
7. Renewal Time & Costs - How often do you have to renew to keep the certification
8. Professional Development Value (Units) - Many courses are recognized by institutions such as IEEE, IET, BICSI e.g. BICSI Continued Education Credits (CEC).

If you a data center manager planning training for your team hopefully this information will help give you some pointers to get you started in assessing how much of an investment in time and money you will need to make.

Besides the training costs, travel & accommodation, you will need to take into account the exam preparation and costs. Then there are the ongoing continuous education requirements, costs and time, in order to keep your certifications current.

If your a data center manager looking to hire a consultant then the above summary, together with the spreadsheet and detailed mindmap, may help you understand and rate the consultants qualifications.

We'll try to keep this information up to date with regular reviews - so please check back for updates.

Obviously if there are glaring omissions or errors please comment on this blog or email me at NetworkManager@DataCenterProfessionals.Net and I'll update things asap.

If you find this post useful please share it with your colleagues and friends in the industry.

Best Regards,

The Data Center Professionals Network