#176 Top ISO Standard Trends in Data Centres

The ISO Show

Data Centres could be considered the powerhouse of thousands of businesses globally.

Long gone are the days of small physical servers being housed on-site, instead we rely on data centres to keep all our critical data safe and secure. But how do we know they are doing just that?

Many hold certifications to security-based Standards such as SOC 2 or NIST to display their commitment to data security. However, many also hold various ISO certifications that cover other aspects of the business outside of information security.

Today Steph Churchman, Communications Manager at Blackmores, will be sharing the top ISO Standard trends within the UK Data Centre industry.

You’ll learn

· Why did we look into the Data Centre industry specifically?

· What are the top 5 ISO Standard Trends in Data Centres?

· Why are these ISO Standards essential for Data Centres?

· Other commonly adopted ISO Standards within the data centre space

Resources

· Isologyhub

· ISO 27001:2022 Transition Gameplan

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:25] Episode summary: We’ll be taking a look at the top ISO Standard Trends within the UK Data Centre Industry

[02:30] Why did we look into the Data Centre industry specifically? – In the mid 2010’s, we noticed an influx in enquiries from Data Centres in regard to Implementation of ISO Standards. That prompted a research project that led to Blackmores working with some of the top UK Data Centres.

Now in 2023 and 2024 we’re starting to see a similar push for ISO Standards within the same industry. So, we revived the project to get a grasp on the modern ISO landscape, and took a look at the top 100 Data Centres within the UK.

[03:34] #1: ISO 27001 Information Security – Out of the 100 data centres sampled 72% of them were certified to ISO 27001.

Security is of upmost importance to data centres, and the great thing about ISO 27001 is that it considers security for not only the digital environment, but also for people and physical security.

This Standard is also, in most cases, a stakeholder requirement. Certification to ISO 27001 indicates that you’re adhering to best practice in information security, and through the creation of an ISO 27001 compliant Management system, you will have documentation in place such as an information security policy and data retention policy, that often get requested by potential clients.

If you’d like to learn more about the Implementation process for ISO 27001, we’ve got a helpful 3-part podcast series that summarises the entire process from Gap Analysis to Assessment preparation.

anyone currently certified to ISO 27001:2013 that you have just over 1 more year to complete your transition to ISO 27001:2022. If you don’t do so by October 31st 2025, you’ll risk losing your ISO 27001 certification.

That’s not the only reason you should be transitioning though. The new version of the Standard includes 11 new controls, which cover some newer technologies which really weren’t around when the 2013 version was published. So regardless of the risk of losing your certification, it’s in your best interest to ensure that you’re adhering to the latest version.

If this is all news to you, then you can also go back and check out episodes 128 through to 133. This was a little mini-series we did to summarise the key changes to ISO 27001 and what actions you need to take to transition. We also have a Transition Gameplan available on the isologyhub if you’d like a more guided approach, including document templates and training videos covering those new controls.

[06:25] #2: ISO 9001 Quality Management – The Quality Management Standard is as popular as ever, even within the data centre space, with 51% of the 100 sampled data centres being certified.

ISO 9001 is considered the leading ‘Quality mark’ for businesses and is often the starting point for many diving into the world of ISO implementation. ISO 9001 creates a well-rounded base Management system to help you manage your risks and opportunities, as well as ensuring you drive a culture of continual Improvement. Its guidance can help you establish your core policies, processes and procedures to ensure everyone is singing from the same song sheet.

The fact that this one is popular among data centres isn’t too much of a surprise, it’s a universally adopted Standard that isn’t limited by industry or organisational size. Currently, there are over 1 million ISO 9001 certificates issued worldwide, and that trend shows no signs of slowing down.

[08:25] #3 ISO 14001 Environmental Management – A surprising 25% of the sampled data centres were certified to ISO 14001.

From an objective point of view, it makes sense for data centres to consider their environmental footprint. But a lot of that would fall under energy usage rather than just general environmental management, so this likely means it’s mainly driven by stakeholder requirements.

ISO 14001 is being requested more and more for the likes of large Government contracts, so If you want a chance at bidding for these, ISO 14001 is a must.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure a lot of data centres have implemented this Standard in an earnest effort to monitor and measure their impact holistically. After all ISO 14001 asks businesses to consider how they can prevent environmental impacts such as pollution and degradation of nature. And the additional guidance provides some helpful starting points for those that may not be sure where to start, for example making commitments to recycling, protection of biodiversity and climate change mitigation.

For data centres specifically, this may come into effect when we think of the amount of electronic waste that they could potentially produce. Obviously, this can’t just be thrown out in a standard green lidded bin, it’ll need to be taken to a dedicated electronic waste facility for processing, disposal and recycling. Racking, shelving and cables will all also need to be replaced at some point, and it’s up to each data centre to ensure they have the appropriate processes and policies to ensure this is done correctly and more importantly legally, which again, is where ISO 14001 can help put those frameworks in place.

[10:30] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[12:45] #4: ISO 50001 Energy Management – With just 13% of the 100 sampled data centres certified! This one is a shocker because, typically, data centres highest cost is in relation to their energy usage. They require enormous amounts of energy to keep their facilities running and to cool down their equipment 24/7. Which I imagine they’d be quite keen to reduce if only to save on running costs.

This is where ISO 50001 can come in, to help create a structured approach to effectively monitor that energy usage, so you can identify key trends and opportunities to reduce overall energy consumption, which in turn will save a lot of money.

With a healthier proportion being certified to ISO 14001, it seems a shame that so many are missing out on the additional benefits that ISO 50001 can bring, especially when it can very easily be integrated with ISO 14001. In fact, if you’re already certified to ISO 14001, then you’ve already done half the work to implement ISO 50001. Both frameworks are based on that Annex SL format, and both have a lot in common in terms of what documentation is required.

It can also help with compliance with some UK and EU based energy initiatives. For example, here in the UK we have ESOS (The Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme) which applies to large organisations that fit within its criteria. They’re usually required to provide a report once every 4 years, however as of 2023, Phase 3 now requires organisations to provide an Energy Action Plan which details what actions they plan to take to reduce their energy consumption.

There are likely a few data centres that would fall into ESOS’s criteria, and if you’re sick of going through the ESOS song and dance every few years, then ISO 50001 may be the answer for you, as being certified means that you’re going above and beyond ESOS’s requirements and will be considered compliant. Meaning no more pesky reporting, or having to locate an ESOS assessor to sign off on those reports.

[15:10] #5 ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management – With 12% of the 100 sampled data centres being certified.

ISO 22301 is the Standard for Business Continuity, and provides a basis for planning to ensure your long-term survivability following a disruptive event.

That 12% may not be truly reflective of all the data centres that have business continuity plans in place however, as according to a recent Business Continuity institute survey, 56% of surveyed businesses use ISO 22301 as a framework but aren’t certified to it.

There will be a fair few data centres in our sample list that fall under that category.

Why should this Standard be a priority for Data Centres? Well, the answer should be simple, if a disaster were to knock out a data centre, that has a massive knock-on effect. Many house servers used by hundreds if not thousands of businesses and users. If they’re unable to provide services, that will in-turn cause multiple other businesses to grind to a halt.

The true cause of failures at data centres can be many things such as hardware failure, human error or a disaster such as flooding or fires. However, the advantage of utilising ISO 22301 is the ability to be able to effectively deal with these incidents and restore services, which is essential for an industry which is quite literally the powerhouse for millions of other business and people.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Having a robust business continuity plan should be a top priority for any business, especially data centres, seeing as so many rely on them to keep their own services running. Even if you don’t want to go through the full certification process, it’s worth grabbing a copy of the Standard, as it provides a lot of helpful guidance.

If you’d like to learn more about ISO 22301 in general, go back and check out episode 42 where we go over the Standard in more detail and it’s many benefits.

[17:45] Runner up: ISO 20000 Service Management – Saw 11% of our sample data centres certified to this Standard.

This actually used to be known specifically as the IT Service Management Standard, so that probably clues you into why this would be adopted by many with in tech spaces. However, it truly is applicable to any business offering services.

The aim of ISO 20000 is to provide a framework for an effective end-to-end service management system which encompasses the entire lifecycle of a service from concept and design, through to service removal and end-of-life.

[18:55] Runner up: ISO 27017 information security controls for cloud services – With just 5% of our sampled Data Centres certified.

This one is fairly self explanatory in it’s relation to data centres, which operate solely on cloud based services.

This Standard was introduced after the 2013 version of ISO 27001 was published, as the main standard didn’t really address cloud security controls specifically. Mostly because cloud computing and its related security weren’t as widely adopted as they are now. So ISO 27017 was created to try and bridge those gaps.

In the latest 2022 version of ISO 27001, there’s now a new control for cloud security. So, we may see less interest in ISO 27017 certification going forward.

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