The growth in demand for data centres and their increasing complexity has led to pressure to improve efficiency and maximise capacity. Data centre designers, owners and operators must understand how to manage complex applications across multiple platforms - mechanical, electrical and telecommunications. 

One of the Dublin presentations to be given by Capitoline LLP's Barry Elliott, (right) based in Nantwich, Cheshire is entitled “Auditing a Data Centre—But to What Standard?”

Elliott notes there is a great deal of confusion as to what data centres are being audited against, because of the approximately 40 different standards in circulation that claim some applicability either very closely (eg. TIA-942) or more generally, where a data centre is treated as just another place of work.

So when a data centre operator or a customer of a data centre calls for an audit, the issue becomes which subject area(s) are of most interest to that operator or user?

The answer to audit all of them would take a long time, cost more than €250,000 and need a full-time manager just to keep up with paperwork and ongoing maintenance of the qualifications.

So he urges ssers and operators to be specific as to what they really need to achieve. This may be linked to customer expectations or some legislative or regulatory requirement.

"We have identified six main areas that address the design, operation and working practices of a data centre. These are: business continuity and operating practices; information security; data centre design and resilience; energy efficiency; health and safety at work; and building regulations," says Elliott.

Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) and Capitoline LLP have pioneered the technique of an asymmetric approach to auditing, whereby the areas of most interest are focused on, the relevant standards are identified and the required outcomes are defined.

An audit should ask specific questions and set a benchmark by which to judge the answers. Areas of concern should lead to an action plan to address any shortcomings, and a reaudit plan should be implemented to follow up.

There is no one standard that asks all the right questions of, and provides the right answers to, the correct and reliable operation of a data centre. By focusing on the business needs of an enterprise and picking from the 40 or so relevant national and international standards in circulation, the correct standard and audit can be derived for your organisation.