In mid-July, BICSI, the association advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community, conducted a pilot course for DC102: Applied Data Center Design and Best Practices—a brand new course that replaces DC125: Data Center Design and Best Practices. The pilot course brought 12 ICT professionals with a variety of industry experience and backgrounds together at BICSI world headquarters in Tampa, Florida. It was truly a global affair, with attendees from Peru, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Uruguay. This gave everyone an international perspective on data center design and great conversations were had throughout the week, adding value to course content.
DC102 provides an in-depth review of best practices for designing data centers. During the five-day pilot taught by BICSI Training Delivery Specialist Christopher Hobbs
(RCDD, DCDC, RTPM, CT), students were introduced to various data center infrastructure systems and had an opportunity to apply what they learned by engaging in case studies, discussions and real-world scenarios.
Among the attendees was BICSI Uruguay Country Chair Pablo Rynkowski, who praised the pilot course's industry relevance. “This is a very professional course with a large amount of content and practices that cover, in a high degree of detail, the main themes relating to a data center,” he said. During the course, he appreciated being able to use the Spanish version of the required course material, ANSI/BICSI 002-2014, Data Center Design and Implementation Best Practices. “The materials in Spanish are also very well elaborated and help you to interpret the concepts with greater ease,” he added.
“The course covered topics applicable to any type of data center,” said Jodie Goodbrake, RCDD, marketing and business data center development manager at Amphenol Fiber Optic Products. “[This course] allows me to become an advisor who can integrate between the various data center job positions and the end user.”
Frank Luft (RCDD, NTS), a network systems specialist with Graybar, said the course was helpful because it introduced numerous ways to design data centers efficiently. “Industry-related training helps me combine resources from various parts of our industry into one solution for my customer,” he said. “Having a broader and more comprehensive [data center design] knowledge base is a definite benefit.” Luft plans to use his experience from the course as a springboard he can build upon with his knowledge in the field.
After completing the pilot course, attendee Ken Matthews successfully passed the Data Center Design Consultant (DCDC) credential exam, crediting his success to curriculum delivery and the group’s discussions. Others who attended the pilot course also plan to pursue their DCDC credential.
Since the pilot, the DC102 course has been finalized, and the course will now be held regularly beginning in September. If you are involved in planning, implementing and operating data centers, or if it’s up to you to make critical data center decisions, then DC102 is for you! Visit bicsi.org/dc102 for details.
Amy Morrison is the marketing & PR campaign specialist at BICSI
