Overview

It is a well-known fact that downtime in a data center can cause huge business losses and depending on the severity, could even result in business closure. Research has proven that a large portion of data center downtime is due to human errors created during the execution of maintenance and operations processes. To protect themselves, organizations should have their data center operations audited for risk factors and identify areas for improvement.

The DCOS^® audit benchmarks the data center governance, maintenance and operations based on the 11 disciplines of the DCOS^®. The data center can choose to be audited for all the 11 disciplines or a subset of 1 or multiple disciplines which they consider to be the most critical to its business. Most data centers start with 4 key disciplines being Service Level Management; Facilities Management; Data Center Operations; Monitoring/Reporting/Control. Other popular disciplines are Security Management; Governance, Risk & Compliance; Safety Management; and Environmental Sustainability.

The DCOS^® certification can be applied to any type and size of data center. It does not require the data center facility to be certified or designed based on any particular standard. DCOS^® is a standalone certification.

DCOS^® maturity levels

Each discipline chosen will be assessed for its maturity based on the widely adopted 5-level process maturity;

DCOS-5 is the highest level of maturity, demonstrating fully managed and integrated processes for all 11 disciplines with optimized continuous improvement plans. This represents a highly efficient operations team with the lowest level of risk.

Most data centers set the maturity target for the initial audit at DCOS^® level 3 on selected disciplines.

Audit report and outcome

The audit report provides the organization with a clear view of its current operational maturity. It will allow the data center to set the right expectations on its capabilities to the people within the organization and to its external customers.

The organization will be able to deploy human capital where they can make the biggest impact. By focusing on the improvement of the problematic processes, it will result in immediate improvement on the data center’s service capabilities and service levels for its customers.

Benefits

An EPI DCOS^® Certification is a high-quality, independent validation of the data center operations. EPI is a trusted name in the industry, with an established reputation for over 34 years as experts in the data center field. EPI is known for continuously delivering high-quality services and operating with integrity.

Certification based on DCOS^® provides a conformity audit on the data center operations which leads to minimization of risk.

An EPI DCOS^® Certification offers the following benefits:

1. Reduces risk, improves safety and environmental sustainability
   DCOS^® certification benchmarks the operational disciplines and therefore enables the organization to improve operational processes that affect risk, safety and environmental sustainability.
2. Provides confidence to customers, board members and investors
   DCOS^® certification is an independent and globally recognised validation of the data center’s operational maturity level.
3. Delivers on its promise and happy customers
   It allows the data center to set the right expectations on its capabilities to customers, internal and external.
4. Demonstrates good corporate governance
   It is proof that the data center has taken appropriate levels of due diligence for risk reduction, risk management and operational efficiency.
5. Increases global visibility and competitiveness
   The data center will be listed on EPI’s website (www.epi-certification.com/sites/map) for complete transparency to customers.
6. Cost savings and higher productivity
   Efficient operations management has extensive impact on the overall aspects of the organization, such as less wasted time and effort, higher performance, happier employees, lower turnover, improved sustainability, and more.

Why EPI?

EPI has over 34 years of experience in the data center industry and a globally recognized reputation for delivery of consistently high-quality services. We have both the official credentials and experience to deliver DCOS^® audit and certification services that will safeguard your company’s reputation and assets.

1. EPI is an Accredited Certification Body (CB)
   This ensures we follow due process and are legally allowed to issue certicates based on our ISO-17021 Certification Body accreditation.
2. EPI Auditors are Certified subject matter expert and auditor
   They hold at least three certifications. The first two are DCOS^® aligned certifications - CDFOS^® (Certified Data Center Facilities Operations Specialist) and CDFOM^® (Certified Data Center Facilities Operations Manager). The third is the ISO Lead Auditor.
3. EPI follows the ISO Audit Process
   The EPI certification audit is based on the accredited ISO 19011 methodology.
4. EPI has true global presence
   EPI has fully manned offices in 11 locations covering each continent with direct sales and technical support. This will ensure that you always have the commercial and technical assistance whenever needed and often in the local language making communication easier.
5. EPI proprietary audit tool
   EPI uses its own custom audit tool to reduce duplication of work, increase data accuracy, eliminate ambiguity in audit reports, verify compliance throughout the audit process, and generate a verifiable DCOS^® audit report for unmatched customer confidence.

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