Johannesburg, 16 Oct 2013
Data centre design and data centre management has, over the past decade, evolved into a profession that requires formal training and development. The need for exposure to recognised data centre standards, guidelines and best practices has become self-evident due to the evolution of the data centre professional.
Gone are the days where individuals must handle the complexities of myriad data centre components through traditional engineering methods, gut feel, and trial and error. Annually, the data centre fraternity can serve up a fair quantity of examples where mission-critical environments experienced spectacular failures and incidents resulting in unplanned downtime, loss of data, loss of productivity and revenue, and reputational impact. The demand for accredited and certified skills within the data centre environment has grown significantly during the past five to 10 years.
The training division of Dee Smith & Associates (DS&A) was established as a result of demand for these skills in the South African data centre market. Subsequently, this demand has also come from the larger African continent. There is a quantifiable need for training and development that results in the formal recognition and accreditation of data centre design and management professionals.
Through its partnership with EPI in Singapore, DS&A's objective is to deliver internationally certified and accredited data centre training in Africa. It strives to expand and nurture these skills by creating sustainability and depth. Formal training in this field also provides an improved understanding of the complexity of data centre design and management, paramount to building the knowledge base. Its training framework demonstrates the impact of a single decision impacting myriad components or disciplines within the data centre environment.
DS&A focuses on education, experience and the continued evolution of data centre design and management as sciences in their own right. Its training programmes are aligned to international best practice, standards, guidelines and trends.
Since introducing this suite of data centre training courses in late 2010, more than 200 candidates have attended and graduated from the training in South Africa. The candidates come from a wide range of industries, such as financial services, telecommunications, information technology, healthcare, property development, project management and product suppliers. Several candidates have travelled from countries like Nigeria and Kenya to attend the training courses presented in South Africa.
Each course is concluded with a mandatory certification exam. All delegates must obtain a minimum percentage ranging between 67% and 75% (depending on the course taken) in order to obtain a professional certification and internationally recognised accreditation. The philosophy is simple - all candidates must prove their ability to grasp the subject matter at a theoretical level before certification can be awarded.
As Lee Smith, director of data centre services and training at DS&A, states clearly: "Anybody can attend a course for a few days, learn nothing and then walk away with unfounded claims of knowledge and professional growth. A certification exam is a simple but effective way to ensure that knowledge is transferred by the instructor and assimilated by the candidate during the course." EXIN is the international certification body that conducts the accreditation for each qualifying candidate.
All certifications are valid for three years where-after a candidate must renew the accreditation through a recertification exam or by providing proof of his or her growth within the data centre profession.
The course curriculum is updated annually to ensure relevance and the incorporation of the latest developments within the international data centre fraternity. DS&A continuously strives to improve and expand on its course curriculum. Only relevant, well-designed and practical courses are selected.
The course offering for 2014 incorporates the following internationally accredited training programmes:
The entry point is the Certified Data Centre Professional (CDCP) course. It is aimed at all persons who are involved in data centres. It provides candidates with a common understanding of the generic components within a data centre facility and the critical design aspects such as power, cooling, fire detection and suppression, EMF, operations and security, to name but a few.
For further course details and the entire training schedule for 2014, please visit www.deesmith.co.za.
Share