Embarking on the journey to select a data centre provider is like choosing a guardian for your organisation's critical infrastructure. In this dynamic landscape, understanding certifications is paramount for making an informed decision. Prioritise compliance, explore industry standards, and validate certifications to ensure a secure digital journey. Gain confidence in selecting reliable data centre providers, knowing that your data is in capable and secure hands.
Explore the key certifications that play a pivotal role in affirming the reliability, excellence, and security of data centres:
Navigate through these certifications to make a well-informed choice, safeguarding your organisation's digital assets.
In the quest for a data centre provider, prioritising compliance with standards and certifications is a strategic imperative, mitigating risks and fostering peace of mind. It's the first step towards a digital journey where your organisation not only survives but thrives, securely nestled in the hands of a reliable data centre partner.
Established in 1993 in the USA, the Uptime Institute is a globally acknowledged organisation that introduced Tier certifications to assess and qualify a data centre's infrastructure availability. With over 2,800 Tier Certifications issued in over 114 countries around the globe, Tier Certification is the data centre industry standard for design, construction, and ongoing operations. It evaluates power supply, generators, cooling, security, and automation based on the Tier Standard, categorised into four levels.
The Uptime Institute devised the Tier Standard and its Tier Classification System to consistently assess different data centre facilities in terms of potential site infrastructure performance or uptime. It comprises two parts, addressing both design and operational aspects.
In terms of design, the performance is categorized into four levels: Tier I (Basic Capacity), Tier II (Redundant Capacity), Tier III (Concurrently Maintainable), and Tier IV (Fault Tolerant).
The tier of the data centres you use dictates the level of security and how much potential downtime you could experience over the course of a year. This is crucial as downtime is extremely costly in terms of dollars and reputational clout. On average, downtime costs small businesses anywhere from $137-$427/minute while larger companies suffer a cost of US$5,600-US$9,000/minute.
The Uptime Institute's TCDD (Tier Certification of Design Documents) and TCCF (Tier Certification of Constructed Facility) are integral components of their Tier Certification process tailored for data centres.
Together, TCDD and TCCF offer a comprehensive evaluation, ensuring adherence to the Uptime Institute's Tier Standard for robust infrastructure performance and reliability in the UK data centre landscape.
Expired design certificates pose risks, leading to discrepancies between design and construction. Insist on the Constructed Facility certificate to ensure ongoing compliance.
Thoroughly validate Uptime Institute certifications before selecting a data centre. Utilise the Uptime Institute's awards list for confirmation.
In the dynamic realm of data centres, achieving and maintaining ISO certifications is a testament to an organisation's commitment to excellence across various domains. Let's delve into the benefits of specific ISO certifications, outlining their significance and how to ensure their validity.
ISO 27001 focuses on Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), ensuring robust security controls to protect sensitive information.
ISO 9001 signifies the establishment of a quality management system, showcasing a commitment to delivering high-quality services.
ISO 14001 outlines specifications for an Environmental Management System (EMS), empowering data centres to improve their environmental impact.
ISO 45001 ensures effective management of health and safety risks, underscoring a commitment to employee well-being.
Ensuring the validity of ISO certificates is crucial. In 2020, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) introduced a global online register called IAF CertSearch. This platform allows seamless verification of any ISO Certificate worldwide.
Steps to Verify an ISO Certificate:
"PCI" is integral to the global ecosystem of payment cards, affecting everyone from customers and merchants to financial institutions and data centres. Established in 2006 by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), PCI-DSS is a collaborative effort involving major entities like MasterCard, American Express, Visa, JCB International, and Discover Financial Services. These industry leaders converged to synchronize their distinct policies, giving rise to PCI-DSS. Functioning as a global security framework, PCI-DSS aims to add an extra layer of safeguarding for card issuers. Its primary goal is to guarantee that merchants adhere to the essential security standards while storing, processing, and transmitting cardholder information.
Failure to meet PCI DSS standards can result in severe fines, reputational damage, and loss of customers. PCI DSS assessment, led by a Qualified Security Assessor, ensures yearly compliance. Successful adherence to all 12 requisites results in an Attestation of Compliance (AoC) certificate.
The PCI Data Security Standard establishes security policies, technologies, and ongoing processes to protect payment systems from breaches and theft of cardholder data.
Customer Assurance: SOC 1 and SOC 2 certifications provide customers with the confidence that their financial systems and data are handled with the utmost care and security.
Differentiation Factor: In a landscape prioritising data security, data centre providers with SOC certifications stand out, offering a competitive edge.
Validation Process: Before choosing a data centre, ensure you verify the authenticity of SOC certifications through official reports and attestations from certified bodies.
As global demand for digital services soars, the critical role of data centres comes into sharp focus. Recognising the urgency of sustainability, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) introduces a tailored rating system for data centres. This initiative evaluates energy efficiency, cuts costs, and elevates environmental performance in the industry.
NABERS, a government-driven initiative since the late '90s, initially measured building efficiency. In 2013, it expanded to include data centres, becoming the world's first comprehensive rating system for this vital infrastructure.
Rates the energy efficiency of data centre equipment, covering cooling systems, power supplies, and supporting infrastructure.
Measures the energy usage of servers, storage devices, network equipment, and other IT assets.
Assesses overall energy performance, combining both infrastructure and IT equipment.
Data centres receive a rating from one to six stars, with six stars denoting market-leading performance. This annual assessment offers a continuous improvement opportunity.
Identifies areas for improvement, driving energy efficiency and potentially resulting in substantial cost savings.
A high NABERS rating underscores a commitment to sustainability, enhancing reputation among clients and stakeholders concerned about environmental impact.
NABERS Regulatory Compliance requirements for Data Centres:
All data centres must be rated under the NABERS Energy rating system.
The NABERS Energy rating is calculated using a formula considering factors like energy consumption, building size, age, type, and location.
The scale ranges from 1 star (least efficient) to 6 stars (most efficient).
The minimum NABERS Energy rating for new data centres is 4.5 stars.
Annual energy efficiency reports must be submitted to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
Compliance with relevant environmental regulations is mandatory.
As the digital realm expands, the focus on building and operating sustainable, energy-efficient data centres intensifies. NABERS for Data Centres, with its robust methodology and industry-wide recognition, provides a tangible way to measure progress, incentivize improvement, and communicate a commitment to sustainability.
In summary, NABERS for Data Centres is a catalyst for greener digital infrastructure, equipping organisations with the tools to reduce energy consumption and contribute to a sustainable future. It's not just a certification; it's a strategic imperative in the journey towards operational excellence and environmental stewardship in the data centre landscape.
To verify if your data centre provider is NABERS rated use the search engine on the NABERS website or contact the provider directly for their certification status.
The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) spearheads Australia's digital transformation, offering invaluable guidance through the Hosting Certification Framework (HCF).
For More Information: Visit the HCF Website. Explore the Australian Government Hosting Framework for certified service providers and data centre facilities.
When evaluating a data centre service provider's certifications, it's crucial to explore specific aspects for peak performance and security. Here are key questions to guide your assessment:
Is the certification current?
Ensure the data centre's certifications align with the latest industry standards, providing up-to-date assurance.
How much downtime can you tolerate?
Align your organisation's tolerance for downtime with the data centre's certifications to meet your uptime requirements.
By considering these questions, you can make informed decisions when choosing a data centre service provider. This ensures a secure and seamless operational environment for your critical infrastructure. For all your certification needs and to explore cutting-edge data centre solutions, contact NEXTDC.
Leverage Australia's most extensive partner ecosystem with a community of 750+ partners to enable more connections with carriers, cloud providers, and IT service providers.
Empowering customers to leverage cloud first strategies and optimise multi-cloud deployments to scale mission critical IT infrastructure.
NEXTDC is at the forefront of supporting Edge computing and High-Performance Compute (HPC) requirements, providing customised solutions to accelerate your AI journey.
The only data centre operator in the southern hemisphere with Tier IV Gold certification for Operational Sustainability, NEXTDC guarantees zero downtime for reliability and performance.
Secure, private, and direct access to Australia’s most connected range of global cloud providers, integrated with a nationwide network of data centre facilities.
Internationally recognised for designing, constructing, and operating Australia’s market leading Tier IV facilities, certified by globally renowned Uptime Institute.
Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, NEXTDC prioritises renewable energy sources, achieving leading standards such as 5-star NABERS energy efficiency ratings and TRUE certification.
NEXTDC is certified by Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), to ensure compliant and sovereign critical infrastructure choice for government at all levels.
NEXTDC, a listed company on the ASX 100, stands out with industry peer awards as the region's most innovative and customer focused data centre provider.
NEXTDC's corporate operations are certified carbon neutral under the Australian Government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard.
Engineered for outstanding energy efficiency, NEXTDC data centres deliver industry-leading benchmarks for minimising operational cost and total cost of ownership.