The EPI Data Centre Framework provides Data Centre Investors/Owners/Operators with a system

addressing all disciplines of a structured and fully managed Data Centre. The Framework addresses
not only the site selection, design and outfitting of its physical facilities but it also includes the
governance and all processes required to organize and operate a Data Centre which meets the
business requirements of its Customers.

The following disciplines are covered by the EPI Data Centre Framework.

The Customer
Customers and their business requirements are the ultimate driving force for establishing a Data
Centre. Customers might be departments from the same organization that own and operate the data
centre, typically named an In-House or Enterprise Data Centre. It could also be that the Data Centre
Investor/Owner/Operator is a specialized Data Centre company with external customers who host
their equipment within these facilities but do not own or manage the facilities at every level. These
types of facilities are typically called Co-Los, Co-Location Sites or Hosting Companies. It is also possible
that the Customer does not own any part of the Data Centre infrastructure, and therefore only uses
the Services provided by the Data Centre provider. Typical examples of such environments are Cloud
Providers and companies that provide Software as a Service (SaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS).

Depending on the type of Data Centre and the relationship the Customer has with the provider, there
will be different levels of direct control or indirect control via Service Level Agreements or some form
of contracting. The EPI Data Centre Framework is defined such that it applies to any type of Data
Centre.

Below we will explain, at the high level, the intent of each of the disciplines within the Framework.

Service Level Management

The Data Centre must deliver services of a defined and acceptable quality to the Customer. Data
Centres have many customers; each with their own service requirements. The expectations of these
customers need to be managed appropriately through well-defined Service Level Agreements
covering all aspects of the service design and delivery including the technical, commercial, legal and
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organizational requirements. The Data Centre provider must conduct detailed needs analysis in order
to determine these service requirements which are to be mutually agreed upon.

The outcome of the Needs Analysis is a document with precise and non-ambiguous descriptions of the
performance expectations and acceptable service levels. The Data Centre provider must ensure that
it has the capability in all aspects of the service delivery; hence the provider must review all the other
aspects of the Framework under its management control. For example, appropriate back-to-back
agreements must be made with both internal and external parties that are contributors to the service
design and its operations.

Safety Management
Data Centres must provide safe working environments. The Data Centre Investor/Owner/Operator is
legally obliged to ensure that the facilities incorporate safety design principles compliant with local
standards, appropriate international standards (if practicable) and best practices. Ultimately safety is
everybodys responsibility and therefore appropriate management and training programs should be
implemented. Customers must also be made aware of specific safety measures and the rules applied
to the Data Centre which must form part of the Service Level Agreements and contracts governing the
service delivery.

Security Management
Data Centres contain business critical Customer data which, if lost or breached, can create an
enormous impact on the organization - including the possible failure of the organization to survive.
Therefore, proper security measures, policies, procedures and controls must be defined and
implemented with regular reviews undertaken especially following major changes.

Data Centre Location

The Data Centre Location defines the major role required to evaluate the variable aspects of the Data
Centre and its ability to provide resilient, sustainable and cost efficient services. Before deciding on
the final location, the Data Centre Investor/Owner/Operator must perform site selection. This should
at least include technical, commercial and legal reviews of the location options in order to ensure the
site is suitable to provide the facilities and basis of the services required.

Physical Infrastructure
The Physical Infrastructure covers all physical design aspects of the Data Centre such as Architectural,
Electrical, Mechanical and Telecommunications. The Data Centre Investor/Owner/Operator can
choose to adopt and follow a public standard such as ANSI/TIA-942 or any other appropriate standard
or follow its own (internal) design requirements. However, if compliance certification of the site is
desirable, it is more prudent to adhere to a publicly recognized and accepted standard which is
published by a standards organization.

Facilities Management
Facilities Management manages the physical building structure and its surroundings, such as
landscaping, cleaning, car parks, general light infrastructure, etc. For example, this might include
physical security managed by a totally independent group within the organization or by an outsourced
private function.
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Facilities management also includes what is sometimes is referred to as the MEP Fit-Out (Mechanical,
Electrical, and Plumbing) of the Data Centre and other parts of the facility. Facilities Management is
often also involved in assessing the system capacity constraints and service limitations which the
physical facility can provide.

ICT Infrastructure
The ICT infrastructure defines the design of the networking/telecommunications and compute layer
which must be designed such that it is able to deliver the acceptable quality services agreed with the
Customer. Very often the business requirements change over time hence the Data Centre
Investor/Owner/Operator must perform regular reviews, via the Service Level Management process,
to ensure that it remains capable of continuing delivery of acceptable business services. Any change
must be managed via the ICT Service Management processes.

ICT Service Management

The ICT Service Management defines the tactical and operational processes required to maintain and
manage the Service Levels agreed to with the customer. Formalized Change Management, Change
Control and Release & Deployment Management must be evident in practice, and Event Management
together with Incident and Problem Management, as well as other processes, such as Asset
Management, etc., must be established to ensure smooth and continuous operations.

Project Management
Project Management defines the disciplines required to manage the design and implementation of
the Data Centre Lifecycle, be it greenfield, brownfield, refurbishment projects, etc. Any changes
required to the completed building, physical infrastructure and ICT infrastructure, such planned works,
must be well co-ordinated and controlled. As such, Project Management techniques must be applied
such that projects meet the technical and quality requirements, within the time frame and budget
agreed with the Data Centre Investor/Owner/Operator or customer.

Organization
It is the structured organization of people who operate, manage and maintain the Data Centre. The
organization must therefore put Human Resource Management practices in place to ensure success.
This encompasses a well-defined and clearly communicated organizational structure in which every
employee is aware of their role, accountabilities and responsibilities. Proper backup functions and
shift rotations must be created to ensure that service delivery is not placed at risk.

Environmental Sustainability
Data Centres have a large potential impact on the environment. The Data Centre
Investor/Owner/Operator must ensure that the Data Centre creates a minimal impact on the
environment. Sustainability is not just a function of the physical aspects of the Data Centre but the
behavioural practices of individuals working in the Data Centre also have an important impact on the
environment and therefore must be managed.

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Monitoring/Report/Control
Data Centres must implement a quality management system to oversee all compliances and service
levels to ensure consistent quality of the service delivery. It is therefore a requirement to implement
the Plan-Do-Check-Act principles which require Monitoring, Reporting and Control mechanisms to
be in place. This extends from data collection and service level reporting to the management of
customer complaints.

Organizational Resilience
Organization Resilience defines that Data Centres must implement policies and procedures to safe
guard the Data Centre Investor/Owner/Operator business interests and those of its customers and
committed Service Levels in the event a major disaster event occurs at the Data Centre. This requires
that BC/DR practices and BCM processes must be implemented which provide the customer with the
confidence and assurance that acceptable Service Levels will be provided during the occurrence of
such an event. It is of course acceptable that Service Levels, whilst using BC/DR event, are set at a
different agreed level than during normal production mode.

Governance
Governance defines that Senior Management is responsible for the overall Governance framework of
the Data Centre and legal structure that owns the Data Centre facilities. Senior management must
establish a management structure which ensures proper legal and ethical business practices are
carried out. Furthermore, Senior Management must ensure that compliance to applicable regulations
is achieved.

Disclaimer Notes:
1. The standards listed in the EPI Data Centre Framework are suggested standards which EPI
recommends for Data Centre Investors/Owners/Operators to consider. They provide a
starting point and are recommendations only. Data Centre Investors / Owners / Operators
are free to apply other standards, as they see fit, provided acceptable quality service levels
are guaranteed to Customers and that all parts of the EPI Data Centre Framework are
under management control.
2. Local standards always overrule international standards. It is the Data Centre
Investors/Owners/Operators responsibility to verify whether particular local standards are
applicable to any of the disciplines of this Framework.
3. The guiding text above is by no means intended to convey a full explanation, nor detailed
descriptions, of each discipline. EPI will release more detailed descriptions in due course.

Copyright EPI Enterprise Products Integration Pte Ltd. The EPI Data Centre Framework is protected under copyright laws.
No duplication, in part or whole, is allowed without written approval from EPI. Please contact support@epi-ap.com for requests.