Certified Data Center Facilities Operations Manager Questions and Answers
What describes the term predictive maintenance?
Options:
Routine, time or count-based maintenance
Just-in-time maintenance based on monitoring equipment performance
Scheduled maintenance based on history of failure within the site
Maintenance performed upon detection of potential issues
Answer:
BExplanation:
Predictive maintenance is defined as:
“Maintenance executed based on real-time or trend-based performance monitoring to intervene just before failure occurs.”
Predictive maintenance uses:
Condition monitoring
Vibration analysis
Sensor data
Temperature, load, and performance metrics
Trend analysis
Analytics predicting impending failure
This allows maintenance to be performedjust-in-time, preventing unplanned downtime.
Why other options are incorrect:
Adescribes preventive maintenance (routine/time-based).
Cdescribes reliability-centered or historical pattern scheduling.
Dis close but refers more to condition-based maintenance, which is a subset; predictive maintenance specifically uses monitoring to forecast failure, not just detect issues.
Thus,Bis the most correct definition.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Predictive maintenance relies on monitoring equipment conditions and performance trends.
It reduces downtime and optimizes maintenance schedules.
Data center operators complain about receiving too many non-alarm conditions.
What is the best response?
Options:
Retrain staff on how to monitor the data center equipment
Conduct a review of alarm information
Instruct data center operators to ignore the non-alarm notifications
Upgrade the monitoring system software to the latest version
Answer:
BExplanation:
When operators receive excessivenon-alarm notifications, this indicates that:
Thresholds are not well-configured
Events are misclassified
Alarm definitions are incorrect
Monitoring profiles require tuning
EPI’s monitoring best practices state that the correct response is to:
Review alarm information and adjust definitions, thresholds, and filtering.
This ensures that:
Only relevant alarms reach operators
Noise is minimized
Operators maintain focus on true issues
SLA-related metrics are accurately monitored
Why other options are incorrect:
A: Training is secondary and will not fix incorrect alarm settings.
C: Ignoring notifications is dangerous and violates operational control.
D: Upgrading software may not resolve the underlying configuration problem.
Thus,Bis correct.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Monitoring systems must generate actionable alarms, not noise.
Alarm thresholds and event filters must be reviewed and optimized regularly.
The organization is implementing an information security management system (ISMS).
What is the common process model to follow?
Options:
SMART
PCI-DSS
ROI
PDCA
Answer:
DExplanation:
The ISMS framework (aligned with ISO 27001) follows thePDCA cycle:
P – Plan
D – Do
C – Check
A – Act
This model ensures:
Continuous improvement
Systematic risk management
Documented policies and controls
Regular audits and corrective actions
Why other options are incorrect:
A – SMART: For objective setting, not ISMS.
B – PCI-DSS: A security compliance standard, not a process model.
C – ROI: A financial metric, unrelated.
Thus,Dis correct.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
ISMS implementation is based on PDCA methodology.
Ensures continuous improvement of security controls.
A service requirements analysis has concluded that a vendor is required for the upcoming project. Planning is tight and budget approval is not required.
What should you advise?
Options:
Request RFIs to identify suitable vendors
Select pre-approved vendors for conducting a RFP
Postpone the project to avoid the planning becoming a risk factor
Opt-out of RFP and appoint a suitable vendor
Answer:
DExplanation:
EPI’s project management guidance emphasizes balancing governance, timeliness, and practicality. In a situation whereplanning is tight, project timelines are critical, and no budget approval process is required, conducting a full Request for Proposal (RFP) process may introduce unnecessary delays that could jeopardize the project schedule. The purpose of an RFP is to evaluate multiple vendors, compare pricing, and perform detailed assessments. However, this process can take weeks or months, which is unsuitable under tight deadlines.
Because the requirement is already clear and vendor evaluation has presumably been performed during earlier stages, the most efficient action is toappoint a suitable vendor directlyand avoid the extended RFP cycle. This is permissible when internal procurement policies allow expedited sourcing and the vendor is already known to be capable of meeting requirements.
Option A (RFI) extends timelines further and is typically used early in the vendor discovery phase. Option B still requires an RFP process. Option C postpones the project unnecessarily, contradicting the business need.
Thus,opting out of RFP and appointing a suitable vendor immediatelyis the best course of action in this time-critical scenario.
To set up a framework for an effective environmental management system, which standard should be followed?
Options:
EU-COC
ISO 5001
LEED
ISO 14001
Answer:
DExplanation:
For environmental management systems (EMS), the internationally recognized and adopted standard is:
ISO 14001 — Environmental Management Systems
ISO 14001 provides a framework for:
Environmental policy
Environmental impact assessment
Sustainability objectives
Compliance obligations
Environmental performance monitoring
Continuous improvement
Why the other options are incorrect:
A – EU-COC: Energy efficiency best practices for data centers, not a full EMS.
B – ISO 50001: Energy management standard, focusing on energy efficiency only.
C – LEED: Building sustainability certification, not a management system.
Thus,Dis correct.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
ISO 14001 is the recognized standard for environmental management systems.
Supports sustainability, compliance, and environmental performance improvement.
When creating a compliance document register, which categories should at least be included?
Options:
Legal and service
Marketing and budget
Staffing and training
Training and business culture
Answer:
AExplanation:
A compliance document register ensures that the organization maintains oversight and traceability of all documents required to meet regulatory, legal, and service-related obligations. The register is essential for audits, governance, risk management, and operational continuity. According to EPI’s GRC framework, the minimum categories that must be included arelegalandservicecompliance documents.
Legal documents include regulatory requirements, statutory obligations, contracts, permits, safety regulations, environmental compliance mandates, and jurisdictional requirements. Service documents include SLAs, OLAs, underpinning contracts, service catalogs, and operational procedures required to fulfill service commitments. These categories represent the core compliance landscape affecting the organization’s ability to operate legally and deliver services contractually.
Options B, C, and D list other organizational elements that may appear in broader documentation sets but arenot fundamental compliance categories. Marketing, budgeting, staffing policies, and business culture documents do not constitute mandatory compliance obligations and are not required for inclusion in a compliance register.
Thus, the correct answer isA – Legal and service.
Of the below, which is a power efficiency indicator?
Options:
nil, w
PUE
CPU
uw
Answer:
BExplanation:
Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is the most widely recognized and adopted energy efficiency indicator for data centers globally and is emphasized heavily within the EPI sustainability framework. PUE measures how effectively a data center uses power and is calculated by dividing theTotal Facility Powerby theIT Equipment Power. The purpose of this indicator is to show how much of the energy consumed by the facility actually reaches IT equipment (servers, storage, network gear) versus how much is consumed by support infrastructure such as cooling, UPS losses, lighting, and building systems.
A lower PUE indicates a more efficient data center, with values approaching 1.0 representing ideal efficiency—where nearly all consumed power is being used for IT load. PUE is essential for benchmarking, energy-saving initiatives, identifying efficiency improvement opportunities, and measuring the success of infrastructure optimization projects. The other options listed—nil, w; CPU; and uw—are irrelevant to facility energy efficiency metrics. CPU relates to computing processors, not facility efficiency; the others are incorrect units or meaningless terms in this context.
Thus,PUEis the correct and industry-standard power efficiency indicator.
A resource matrix is to be created.
What are the main considerations?
Options:
Cost efficiency and availability
Capacity and capability
Age and gender
Preferences of the staff member
Answer:
BExplanation:
Aresource matrixin EPI’s organizational framework identifies the resources required to deliver services and match them with the competencies of available staff. The primary considerations when creating a resource matrix are:
Capacity
How many personnel are needed?
Are there enough staff per shift?
Do staffing levels match service requirements, SLAs, and workload?
Capability
Do staff have the required skills and competencies?
Do they meet certification, technical, and operational requirements?
Are backup roles available?
Are personnel trained and fit for assigned tasks?
EPI emphasizes that resource planning must alignskills + quantityto ensure operational continuity.
Why other options are incorrect:
A: Cost efficiency is secondary, and availability alone does not ensure capability.
C: Age and gender are irrelevant and inappropriate staffing considerations.
D: Personal preferences do not determine resource allocation.
Thus,capacity and capabilityare the correct considerations.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Resource matrices map staff capacity and capability to service requirements.
Ensures adequate coverage and competency for operations.
A co-location data center wants to reduce IT energy consumption as part of its sustainability program. It has no direct influence over the IT usage of its customers.
What is the best approach?
Options:
In a co-location environment, the customers determine what they do with their IT, the data center service provider has no say in this
The data center may decide to reduce the power delivered to each rack by 10%
The data center may issue recommendations to customers regarding the optimization of storage and CPU usage
The data center may set limits to the volume of storage allowed for each customer
Answer:
CExplanation:
In a co-location environment, the data center operator manages the facility infrastructure—power, cooling, space, security—but does not directly control how customers operate their IT equipment. However, sustainability programs aim to reduce total energy consumption, which includes IT loads. Since the operator cannot mandate hardware usage or impose arbitrary power reductions, the appropriate method ispromoting awareness and issuing recommendationsthat help customers optimize their systems.
These recommendations may include best practices such as consolidating workloads, improving server utilization, removing unused equipment (“zombie servers”), adopting more efficient storage architectures, using virtualization, and refreshing legacy hardware. This aligns with EPI’s sustainability principles, where collaboration and customer education play a key role in reducing energy consumption in shared environments.
Option A is incorrect because, although customers control IT loads, the operatorcaninfluence them through guidance and programs. Option B is unsafe and violates contractual power allocations. Option D imposes limitations not covered by typical co-location contracts and could disrupt customer operations.
Thus,providing optimization recommendationsis the best and most realistic approach.
The data center service provider has decided that maintenance of the data center facilities infrastructure will be outsourced.
Is it still involved in the risk management process of data center maintenance?
Options:
Yes, since although risk can be shared, it cannot be transferred
It depends on the knowledge and experience of the maintenance service provider
No, since the data center service provider is not actively involved in the actual maintenance of the data center.
No, the selected maintenance service provider is responsible
Answer:
AExplanation:
EPI’s governance and risk management principles clearly state:
When a data center outsources maintenance,operational work can be outsourced, but risk cannot be transferred.
Risk may beshared, mitigated, or reduced through contractual arrangements, butownership remains with the data center service provider.
The data center operator is still responsible for ensuring compliance, operational continuity, and safety—even if another party performs the maintenance tasks.
Therefore:
The service provider must remain involved in risk evaluation, risk treatment, and ongoing monitoring.
Oversight responsibilities cannot be delegated.
OptionsCandDare incorrect because outsourcing the activity doesnotoutsource risk accountability.
OptionBis irrelevant because risk responsibility does not depend on provider expertise.
Thus,Ais correct.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Risk ownership remains with the organization even when maintenance is outsourced.
Outsourcing shares risk but does not transfer it.
The data center must maintain involvement in the risk management process.
Out of the below, which one is not part of the needs analysis?
Options:
Business requirements
Physical infrastructure requirements
Commercial requirements
Legal requirements
Answer:
CExplanation:
ANeeds Analysisis performed to understand what the customer or organization requires before defining or delivering services.
EPI describes Needs Analysis as capturing:
Business RequirementsWhat the organization must achieve operationally.
Physical Infrastructure RequirementsRequirements for power, cooling, space, connectivity, redundancy, capacity, etc.
Legal RequirementsCompliance obligations such as regulatory, contractual, jurisdictional, and statutory rules.
However,Commercial Requirements(pricing, costs, margins, commercial terms) arenot part of the Needs Analysis.
These are considered duringcommercial evaluation, service portfolio development, or financial management, not in defining operational needs.
Thus, the correct answer isC — Commercial requirements.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Needs analysis focuses on business, infrastructure, and legal needs.
Commercial factors are handled separately outside the needs analysis phase.
During lock-out/tag-out, which of the below is the most recommended procedure?
Options:
Operator locking out the equipment and another operator removing the lock-out
Operator locking out the equipment and the safety manager removing the lock-out
Operator locking out the equipment and the facilities manager removing the lock-out
Operator locking out the equipment and the same operator removing the lock-out
Answer:
DExplanation:
In the EPI Facilities Operations Manager body of knowledge, theLock-Out/Tag-Out (LOTO)procedure is a mandatory safety control to ensure that electrical or mechanical equipment cannot be energized while work is being performed. A core principle emphasized in EPI safety training is:
“The person who applies the lock must be the same person who removes it.”
This aligns with international best practices for occupational health and safety, where LOTO ensures that the individual performing maintenance or repair has full control of the energy isolation device.
Why this is required:
Personal Safety ResponsibilityThe lock identifies the technician directly working on the equipment. Only they can confirm whether work is complete and the area is safe for re-energizing.
Risk PreventionIf someone else removes the lock (another operator, safety manager, or facilities manager), they may incorrectly assume that the equipment is ready to be restored, which can lead to severe injury or fatality.
Compliance With EPI Safety GuidelinesEPI emphasizes the principle of“single-person control”over hazardous energy. No supervisor or colleague may remove another technician’s lock unless a formal, documented emergency override procedure is followed — which isnot considered standard practice.
Clear Accountability ChainLOTO prevents ambiguity or miscommunication. The technician who placed the lock is the only one with full knowledge of the work status and hazards involved.
Why other options are incorrect:
A, B, and Cviolate the fundamental LOTO rule because they involve someone other than the applying operator removing the lock.
Oversight personnel (safety manager, facilities manager) monitor and audit the process, but they should not remove another person’s lock except under rare, emergency, escalation-approved situations.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts
LOTO must ensure the isolation device is locked and tagged by the person performing the work.
Only the same individual may remove their own lock.
Removal by another party is only permitted under controlled, documented emergency protocols.
The process prevents accidental energization and protects worker safety.
Several data center services in the service catalog charge the customer on the actual usage of those services.
What chargeback model is applied?
Options:
Service Based Pricing (SBP)
Negotiated Flat Rate (NFR)
Tiered Flat Rate (TFR)
Measured Resource Usage (MRU)
Answer:
DExplanation:
When customers are billed based on the actual consumption of services, this model is known asMeasured Resource Usage (MRU).
MRU charges customers according to:
Actual power consumption
Actual cooling usage
Actual rack utilization
Actual bandwidth or cross-connect usage
Actual resource usage metrics
This model aligns with transparency, fairness, and resource accountability.
Why other options are incorrect:
A – SBP: Charges based on predefined service definitions, not usage.
B – NFR: A single negotiated flat fee, regardless of usage.
C – TFR: Flat fee bands or tiers, independent of precise usage.
Thus,D – MRUis correct.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
MRU charges customers based on actual measured resource consumption.
Common in modern colocations to align costs with usage.
What is the main reason for (senior) management to be scheduled into the ‘on-duty’ roster?
Options:
It provides management hands-on experience solving incidents.
It provides management better insights with the number of incidents occurring
It involves management when incidents are escalating
It assists management in optimally reviewing monitoring thresholds
Answer:
CExplanation:
Senior management is included in the duty roster tosupport escalation procedures.
In EPI’s operational model:
Managers are not part of routine monitoring or incident handling.
Their role is tointervene only when an incident escalates beyond operational authority, such as major outages, SLA-impacting events, or high-risk situations.
Management provides decision-making, authorization, and resource allocation during escalations.
Why other options are incorrect:
A: Managers should not gain “hands-on” experience during incidents.
B: Incident reporting already provides insights; no roster needed.
D: Monitoring thresholds are reviewed separately, not via duty rosters.
Thus,Cis correct.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Management is involved in the escalation layer, not daily operations.
Duty rosters ensure proper escalation handling and governance.
Urgent maintenance work is required. Data center maintenance engineers collect electrical portable equipment from the warehouse and a few items have loose-fitting electrical cabling. Further checks indicate that it is not possible to determine when the last equipment test took place.
What is the next best action to take place?
Options:
Straight away use the equipment since the maintenance works are urgent
Apply duct tape to fix the electrical cabling so that the equipment is ready for usage
Label the equipment as ‘out of service’ and schedule for testing
Dispose of the equipment immediately
Answer:
CExplanation:
Under EPI’s safety and statutory requirements, all electrical portable equipment must:
Be routinelytested and tagged
Show proof of the last inspection
Be kept in safe working condition
Be removed from service immediately if found unsafe
Loose electrical cabling and missing testing history indicate unsafe equipment.
Equipment that fails visual inspection or lacks test records must be labeled “out of service” and sent for formal inspection/testing.
WhyCis correct:
It follows the required "testing & tagging" compliance process.
It prevents the use of unsafe equipment.
It aligns with EPI’s requirement to isolate defective equipment until verified safe.
It ensures proper record-keeping and re-certification.
Why the other options are incorrect:
A: Urgency does not override safety regulations.
B: Using duct tape is unsafe and violates electrical safety standards.
D: Disposal is not required unless testing confirms the item is beyond repair.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Unsafe or untested electrical equipment must be removed from service.
Testing & tagging is mandatory.
Safety takes precedence over urgency.
Training programs need to be selected.
Of the below, which is the first activity to start with?
Options:
Create inventory of the services in the service catalog
Contact training providers requesting for brochures
Review the skills matrix
Compare prices of various training programs
Answer:
CExplanation:
Training must be aligned with actual operational needs and competency gaps.
Theskills matrixis the tool that provides:
Current skill levels of staff
Required skill levels per role
Identified gaps
Training needs based on operational requirements
Therefore, the first step is toreview the skills matrixto determine what training is actually needed.
Why other options are incorrect:
A: Service catalog inventory is part of SLM, not training selection.
B: Contacting vendors is premature without knowing training needs.
D: Price comparison should occur later, after training needs are defined.
Thus,Cis correct.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)
Skills matrix is the foundation for determining training needs.
Training selection must be based on capability gaps, not brochures or pricing.
Welding works need to be conducted.
Is a Permit to Work (PTW) required and if so, what type of PTW?
Options:
Welding is covered under standard maintenance work, a PTW is not required
A PTW is required for energy work
A PTW is required for cold work
A PTW is required for hot work
Answer:
DExplanation:
EPI’s Permit to Work (PTW) system categorizes work activities based on risk levels to ensure safe execution and hazard control within the data center.
Welding operations involveopen flame, sparks, high heat, molten metal, and ignition sources, making them a high-risk activity.
In EPI safety doctrine,welding is explicitly classified under “Hot Work.”
Hot Work includes activities such as:
Welding
Cutting
Grinding
Brazing
Soldering
Flame use or spark-producing tools
Because of the fire ignition potential, aHot Work Permitis mandatory before welding can begin.
The Hot Work PTW ensures:
Fire watch personnel are assigned
Fire suppression systems are prepared or temporarily disabled with compensating controls
Surrounding area is inspected for combustible material
Correct PPE is used
Hot-work zoning, barriers, and extinguishers are in place
Post-work monitoring is performed
Therefore,Option D (A PTW is required for hot work)is the correct and EPI-aligned answer.
EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts
The PTW system ensures hazardous activities are controlled.
Welding is classified as Hot Work.
Hot Work requires a dedicated PTW with fire-risk mitigation and supervisory approval.
The data center organization conducted a customer satisfaction survey and concluded that a very low number of customers participated.
What is the most likely cause?
Options:
The survey did not have enough questions
The survey was not sent on behalf of the data center manager
The survey had too many questions
The survey was sent by postal mail instead of e-mail
Answer:
CExplanation:
Customer satisfaction surveys must be concise, relevant, and easy to complete. EPI’s service improvement guidance emphasizes that survey fatigue occurs when surveys are overly long or contain too many detailed questions, causing customers to abandon them. The most common reason for low participation isexcessive number of questions, making the survey time-consuming or overwhelming. In modern service environments, customers expect short, focused surveys that can be completed quickly. Surveys with more than a handful of core questions often have dramatically reduced response rates.
Option A (not enough questions) would not reduce participation; shorter surveys typically perform better. Option B (not sent by the data center manager) may influence perception but does not typically impact participation significantly. Option D (postal mail) is outdated but still not as strong a factor as excessive survey length—especially because the question does not indicate this method was used.
Therefore, the most likely root cause for poor participation is thatthe survey had too many questions.
