CDFOM key terms

A written contract between the data centre provider and its customer that states the services delivered, the measurable performance targets, and the remedies if those targets are missed.

A quantifiable measure chosen to show whether an operational process is meeting its target, such as percentage of change requests completed on schedule or average time to resolve incidents.

An internal agreement between teams inside the same organisation that fixes the responsibilities and response times each team owes the others so that external service commitments can be met.

The process for detecting, logging, escalating, and restoring service after an unplanned disruption, with priority set by business impact rather than by the technical size of the fault.

The discipline of finding and eliminating the underlying causes of repeated incidents, usually through root cause analysis, so that the same failure does not recur.

A controlled process in which planned alterations to facilities, systems, or configurations are assessed for risk, approved by authorised staff, scheduled, implemented, and then verified.

A step-by-step written instruction for carrying out a specific task safely, including prerequisites, sequence of actions, verification points, and the rollback plan if the task fails.

A documented routine instruction describing how a recurring operational activity is performed consistently, used for training staff and for demonstrating that work follows an approved method.

Scheduled servicing carried out at fixed intervals or according to equipment run hours to reduce the likelihood of failure and to keep manufacturer warranties valid.

Work performed to restore a failed or degraded asset to acceptable operating condition, ranging from minor repair to full component replacement after a breakdown.

Maintenance triggered by measured evidence of deteriorating condition, such as vibration analysis, thermography, or oil sampling, rather than by a fixed calendar interval.

The average operating time between one failure and the next for a repairable asset, used to compare equipment reliability and to forecast spare-parts demand.

The average elapsed time needed to restore an asset to service after failure, including diagnosis, access, repair, and testing, and a key driver of achieved availability.

Spare parts and components held on site because their absence would extend an outage beyond the tolerated limit, selected by failure impact and supplier lead time.

The property of a design that allows any item of plant to be serviced or replaced while the IT load continues to be supported, typically by redundant capacity and isolation points.

Provision of one more capacity unit than the load requires, so that a single failure or maintenance shutdown does not interrupt service to the supported IT equipment.

A topology in which two complete, independent capacity paths are installed, each able to carry the full load alone, giving protection against a single failure at any point.

The proportion of time a system is capable of performing its intended function, usually expressed as a percentage over a period and derived from failure frequency and repair duration.

A battery-backed system that supplies conditioned power to IT loads for a short bridging period until generators start or the mains supply recovers.

An engine-driven alternator kept ready to supply the facility when the utility feed fails, requiring periodic load testing and fuel quality management to remain dependable.

Total facility energy divided by the energy delivered to IT equipment; a ratio where 1.0 is theoretical perfection and higher values indicate more overhead energy use.

Control of temperature and humidity in white space through cooling equipment, airflow containment, and setpoints so that equipment stays within manufacturer operating envelopes.

A physical arrangement that separates equipment intake air from exhaust air using barriers and aisle layout, preventing recirculation and improving cooling efficiency.

A documented set of arrangements that keeps essential services running during and after a disruption, covering people, processes, and technology dependencies across the organisation.

The technical component of continuity planning that describes how IT systems and data are restored at an alternate location after a major loss of the primary facility.

The maximum acceptable elapsed time between a disruption and the restoration of a service, used to size standby capacity and staffing for recovery.

The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time before a disruption, which determines how frequently backups or replication must occur.

Forecasting future demand for power, cooling, space, and network ports, then scheduling investment so that headroom is available before limits are reached.

The electrical load a single rack is designed or permitted to draw, expressed in kilowatts, which drives cooling design, cabling choices, and floor loading assumptions.

Layered measures such as badge readers, mantraps, biometrics, and visitor escort rules that ensure only authorised people reach defined security zones.

A defined area of the facility with its own access rules and threat level, so that controls tighten progressively from the perimeter through offices to the white space.

The process of pre-registering, identifying, badging, escorting, and logging external people on site, and confirming their departure, to prevent unauthorised presence.

A formal authorisation issued before high-risk activity such as hot work or electrical isolation, recording hazards, controls, isolations, and the person accountable for the task.

A safety procedure that isolates energy sources and attaches personal locks and tags so equipment cannot be re-energised while someone is working on it.

A grid mapping each staff member against the skills and authorisations their role requires, used to plan training and to confirm shift coverage by qualified people.

A structured briefing at change of shift that transfers open incidents, pending changes, equipment status, and site risks to the incoming team in a recorded format.

A structured investigation method that traces an incident back to its underlying causes rather than the immediate trigger, producing actions that prevent recurrence.

A repository recording the facility and IT assets, their attributes, and the dependencies between them, used to assess change impact and support fault diagnosis.

A chronological, tamper-evident record of who did what and when across access, change, and maintenance systems, relied on during investigations and compliance reviews.