CDFOM Exam Dumps - Exin EPI Data Centre Questions and Answers

Operational Expenditure (OPEX) includes all ongoing costs required to operate and maintain the data center on a day-to-day basis. These costs are recurring and necessary to keep the facility functioning effectively. Examples of OPEX include staffing costs, service contracts, maintenance materials, consumables, utilities, and recurring software licensing fees. Within EPI’s Facilities Management guidance, maintenance activities—such as replacing fans, belts, filters, and other wear-and-tear components—are classic OPEX items because they occur during normal operational cycles, contribute to sustaining facility uptime, and repeat regularly over the equipment lifetime.

However,acquisition of real estateis a capital-intensive investment made once during facility development and falls underCapital Expenditure (CAPEX), not OPEX. CAPEX involves large, long-term investments such as land purchase, building construction, major equipment procurement, or infrastructure upgrades. These expenditures are depreciated over years and do not represent operational overhead.

Therefore, the only option not belonging to OPEX isC – Acquisition of real estate. Staffing, maintenance material replacement, and annual software licenses are standard OPEX items essential for continuous operation, service delivery, and compliance with operational practices.

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.

In Service Level Management (SLM), EPI highlights thatcustomer feedback—such as surveys, complaints, and satisfaction assessments—is a core driver for the Service Improvement Process (SIP).

The SIP is designed to:

Identify weaknesses in services

Address dissatisfaction

Improve service delivery quality

Optimize process performance

Remove recurring issues

Customer surveys and complaints provide:

Direct feedback on service experience

Indicators of service quality gaps

Evidence of unmet expectations

Insights for corrective and preventive actions

These are theprimary input sourcesfor generating SIP actions.

Why the other options are not correct:

A. Needs Analysis— focuses on understanding customer requirements before service definition, not post-operational feedback.

C. Capability Assessment— evaluates internal service delivery capability, not customer perception.

D. Service Portfolio— defines available services, not improvements.

Therefore,Service Improvement Processis the correct selection.

EPI DCFOM-Aligned Reference Concepts (Paraphrased)

SIP is fueled by customer feedback such as complaints and surveys.

SLM uses feedback to drive improvements and maintain SLA quality.

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 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.

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 (Paraphrased, Not Verbatim)

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.

This scenario reflects a classic misalignment between theService Level Agreement (SLA)that the data center guarantees to customers and theUnderpinning Contract (UC)or vendor contract that supports those services. EPI’s Service Level Management model stresses that all contractual layers must be fully aligned: SLAs (customer-facing), OLAs (internal agreements), and UCs (vendor contracts). If the vendor meets its contractual requirements but customers still experience slow response times, it means the vendor contract is not strict enough to support the SLA commitments.

For example, the SLA may require a 15-minute response time, but the vendor contract may only require a 2-hour response. In such cases, the data center cannot meet customer expectations, even when all parties technically meet their agreements. This mismatch is common in outsourced environments when capability assessment and contract alignment are overlooked.

Option A describes insufficient staffing, which would directly affect operations but is not indicated in the scenario. Option C assumes customers chose the wrong support tier, which is not stated. Option D deals with reporting clarity, not response speed.

Thus,misaligned UCsare the most likely root cause.

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.

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.

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.