Exin CDFOM Certified Data Center Facilities Operations Manager Exam Practice Test

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.

KPOs are strategic and operational performance objectives that must support:

Daily operations

Weekly operational control

Monthly service reporting

Quarterly reviews

Annual strategic planning

EPI emphasizes that performance objectives must be measurableacross multiple timeframes, depending on the operational layer:

Weekly→ short-term operational checks

Monthly→ service-level analysis and trend review

Yearly→ strategic improvement and long-term performance planning

Therefore,weekly, monthly, and yearly intervalsare all suitable for KPOs.

Thus,Dis correct.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Performance measurement occurs across multiple time horizons.

KPOs must be aligned to operational, tactical, and strategic levels.

Non-renewable energy sources are those that:

Cannot be replenished within a human lifespan

Exist in finite quantities

Are extracted from fossil fuels or geological deposits

Natural gasis a fossil fuel and thereforenon-renewable.

Why the other options are incorrect:

Wind energy— renewable

Tidal power— renewable

Hydropower— renewable

Thus,Ais correct.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Sustainability planning considers renewable vs. non-renewable sources.

Natural gas is listed as a fossil fuel, hence non-renewable.

Thepublication processin document management ensures that:

Thecorrect, approved versionof a document is released.

It isdistributed to all required locations(physical or digital).

Outdated versions are removed from circulation.

Staff always use the correct operating procedures and guidelines.

Why other options are incorrect:

A: Compliance is a by-product, not the objective.

B: Creation happensbeforepublication.

D: Archiving is part of the document retirement process, not publication.

Thus,Cis the correct answer.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Publication ensures the latest controlled documents are available where needed.

Document control prevents use of outdated or incorrect procedures.

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.

EPI defines several maintenance contract models, each offering different levels of service and support. In the scenario described, long repair time caused unacceptable downtime. To reduce risk, the organization needs a contract that provides:

Faster response

Faster repair time

Better availability of spare parts

Preventive and corrective coverage

Minimum downtime guarantees

Acomprehensive maintenance contractprovides:

Full service coverage

Labor + parts

Priority response levels

Faster restoration times

Predictable maintenance costs

Better uptime assurance

Increased provider accountability

Why the other options are incorrect:

A (Time & Material): Slowest and most unpredictable; not suitable for critical cooling systems.

B (Basic contract): Limited coverage; still leaves long repair times.

D (Exclusive contract): Typically refers to dedicated on-site or embedded teams, but not the standard EPI contract step-up for improved uptime.

Thus,C – Comprehensive contractis the best option.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Comprehensive contracts provide enhanced support, faster repairs, and full coverage.

Suitable for critical infrastructure like cooling systems.

Acapability assessmentevaluates whether the data center organization is capable of delivering the defined services.

Themandatoryactivity is to:

Create an inventory of skills, knowledge, and capacity of the workforce and resources.

This includes:

Current staff technical skills

Certifications

Experience

Availability (capacity)

Backup and contingency roles

Alignment with service demands and SLAs

Why other options are incorrect:

A: Security needs are part of service requirements, not capability assessment.

C: Availability requirements are determined during needs analysis, not capability assessment.

D: Safety requirements belong to statutory and compliance analysis, not capability assessment.

Thus,Bis the correct answer.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Capability assessment requires determining skills, competencies, and available capacity.

Ensures the organization can meet defined services and SLAs.

While not strictly internal to EPI’s core domain (which deals with data centre operations), this question refers to the external risk landscape, as identified by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF’sGlobal Risks Report 2025shows thatenvironmental risks dominate the 10-year horizon, with extreme weather, ecosystem collapse, and climate-related disruption ranking highest.

Specifically,global climate change(or extreme weather/climate-related events) is rated as the most severe risk over the next decade. While water scarcity and air quality are significant, the WEF ranks climate change / extreme weather as the top long-term threat. Therefore, optionAis the most correct.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Environmental sustainability forms a major component of data centre operations risk and resilience planning.

External macro-risks such as climate change must be integrated into facility resilience, power planning, cooling design, and business continuity strategies.

EPI distinguishes between:

Service Portfolio→ internal document used for service design, planning, assessment

Service Catalog→ customer-facing document listing available services

Theservice catalogprovides customers with:

Service descriptions

Service options

Ordering information

Terms and conditions

SLA details

Pricing models (where applicable)

It is specifically designed to allow customers to select and order services.

Why other options are incorrect:

A: Service portfolio is internal only.

B: BCP is unrelated to service ordering.

C: Needs analysis is internal planning documentation.

Thus,Dis correct.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

The service catalog contains all customer-orderable services.

It is the primary communication tool for customer consumption.

AnInformation Security Management System (ISMS)is designed to protect information assets through structured controls, policies, and risk management practices.

EPI aligns with globally accepted security frameworks (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001), where the foundation of an ISMS is theCIA triad:

C — Confidentiality

Ensures information is accessible only to authorized persons.

I — Integrity

Ensures information is accurate, complete, protected from unauthorized modification.

A — Availability

Ensures information and systems are accessible when required.

Implementing an ISMS aims to safeguard these three fundamental information security objectives.

Why the other options are incorrect:

A— This focuses only on records retention, not information security as a whole.

B— Omits integrity and availability, which are essential ISMS elements.

D— Too narrow; ISMS covers all information assets, not just customer records.

Thus, the correct answer isC, which fully represents the CIA triad.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

ISMS is responsible for protecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all information assets.

The CIA triad forms the basis of information security objectives.

In the EPI framework for risk management, after the risk identification and risk analysis steps, therisk evaluationstep determines whether the assessed risks areacceptableorrequire treatmentbased on the organization’s risk appetite, criteria, and the potential impact. The evaluation leads to a decision on whether risk treatment needs to take place.

It isnotsimply compiling all risks (so option C is incorrect).

It isnotexclusively about budgeting (so option D is incorrect) though budgeting follows treatment decisions.

It isnotnecessarily advising to accept all risks (so option B is incorrect) but rather it supports decision-making on treatment.

Therefore, option A is correct: the outcome is the decision whether to treat the risk.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts

Risk evaluation assesses identified and analysed risks against risk criteria to decide on acceptability or need for treatment.

The outcome is a documented decision-making step in the risk management process.

In EPI’s project management framework, responsibility and accountability are clearly defined. While theproject manageris responsible for planning, coordinating, executing, monitoring, and controlling the project,accountability for the outcome rests with the business—the entity that sponsors the project. The business initiates the project, approves its objectives, allocates resources, provides governance, and ultimately benefits from or is impacted by the results. Therefore, success or failure of the project ties directly back to the business rather than the project manager or any other stakeholder.

The project manager has operational responsibility, but the business owns the strategic outcomes, investment risks, and long-term impact. The user/customer contributes requirements and feedback but is not accountable for overall delivery. The supplier delivers contracted components or services but does not own the full project lifecycle or outcome.

EPI emphasizes that accountability must reside with the sponsoring business to avoid gaps in ownership, unclear decision-making, and governance failures. This structure ensures that the project aligns fully with organizational objectives and that decisions support long-term value.

Thus, the correct answer isC – The business.

In an RFP evaluation matrix,weight factorsare applied to highlight therelative importanceof each evaluation criterion.

Examples of weighted criteria include:

Technical compliance

Response time

Cost

Vendor capability

Warranty terms

SLA performance

The weight factor ensures that more critical criteria influence the final score more heavily, enabling an objective and structured vendor selection.

Why the other options are incorrect:

A: Weighting does not control prices.

C: Negotiation comes after scoring.

D: Workforce size is not the purpose of weighting.

Thus,Bis correct.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Weighted scoring ensures high-priority criteria significantly influence vendor selection.

Supports objective and transparent procurement.

Within EPI’s Environmental Sustainability framework, theRenewable Energy Factor (REF)is the recommended metric for determining and reporting how much of a data center’s consumed power originates from renewable energy sources. REF provides a standardized, transparent, and repeatable method for calculating the renewable component of the total energy supply. This is essential because power grids draw energy from mixed sources, and data centers must demonstrate sustainability performance accurately and consistently, especially when customers demand visibility into carbon-related metrics.

Implementing REF allows the data center to quantify renewable contributions from sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, or certified renewable energy certificates. It also enables customers to compare sustainability performance across providers, improving trust and supporting corporate environmental objectives. REF becomes part of the data center’s transparency strategy, demonstrating commitment to responsible energy usage and aligning with global sustainability expectations.

Options A and B are insufficient and unprofessional; energy providers may give general data, but these are not standardized for reporting purposes. Option C is inappropriate because sustainability transparency is increasingly demanded even if not in the SLA. Therefore, implementing REF is the correct and industry-aligned response.

Accurate asset management relies heavily onclear, enforced proceduresfor:

Logging asset movement

Updating location records

Recording installations, removals, or relocations

Maintaining accurate configuration and asset databases

If assets are located in different places than recorded, the root cause is typically:

“Lack of procedures” or failure to follow them.

Without proper procedures:

Staff may move items without documentation.

Asset updates may not be recorded.

Inventory lists become outdated.

Tracking and audit functions fail.

Why other options are incorrect:

A: Training is important but secondary; without procedures, training has no structure.

C: Most modern asset systems can track locations; the issue is usually process-related, not system capability.

D: Financial constraints do not cause incorrect asset locations.

Thus,Bis correct.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Asset management accuracy depends on well-defined and enforced procedures.

Incorrect asset locations typically indicate process failures, not financial or system issues.

EPI’s physical security framework requiresmandatory background screeningforallindividuals assigned to security roles, regardless of:

previous experience

certifications

law enforcement background

length of employment

Security personnel have privileged access to sensitive areas and are responsible for enforcing access control, incident response, and compliance. Therefore:

No exemptionsare permitted.

Prior experience or certification doesnotreplace a formal background check.

Even previous law enforcement staff must undergo screening.

Thus, the correct answer isC.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

Background screening is mandatory for all security personnel.

No exceptions are permitted, regardless of experience or qualifications.

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.

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.