Data and Control Centres.

Some of the rules for defining Industry Benchmark Standards.

• ECA have worked with the UK Government to set the standards for Data and Control Centres as part of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
• In establishing a baseline for resilience and information assurance (security, confidentiality, availability and integrity) we work holistically, with the practical integration of ISO27001 and ISO17799.
• Our compendium set of benchmark standards for assurance, construction and operation are based on many years practical experience of developing large IT systems and helping staff to operate them securely and reliably.
• No facility is stronger than its weakest component. Beginning from the outside, we assess the Data Centre in relation to its environment and construction. Then we work in, step by step, examining every system and process.
• The successful amalgam of People, Process and Technology is crucial to service delivery – especially if the centre is Business Critical, or part of the CNI.
• In fact, there are few hard and fast rules, every recommendation is tailored precisely to the needs of the individual centre.
• A resilient, secure data centre is based on interdependencies. As with a jigsaw, every piece matters.
• When risk and cost must be balanced, common sense, an open mind – and a deep knowledge of the options – are essential.
• Never assume! Always check!

The importance of Gap and Risk Analyses.

• When determining the required levels of resilience and high availability, a gap analysis indicates the design determinants needed to achieve the required service and hosting levels.
• A risk analysis examines threats, risks and the effects of partial or complete failure on the hosted service.
• It is always vital to understand the overall business requirement.
• Is an ‘always there’ service actually required?

Design Specification for Resilience and Security.
Here are the three core business determinants for siting modern Data and Control centres:

• The right Location – as free from risk and hazard as possible.
• A reliable electrical power supply – not every part of the National grid is suitable.
• Good diverse communications bandwidth – preferably fibre, from multiple Tier 1 suppliers.

If only it was as simple as that.

Location.

• In deciding this, analyse the practicability and cost-effectiveness of achieving the required levels of Resilience and Assurance. (For instance, some proposed sites may be conversions of earlier facilities, chosen to meet purely commercial, rather than resilience, criteria. Others may be on a flood plain.)

Power.

• As computers get smaller, they consume more power and, as a result, generate more heat.
• More heat means harder working chillers etc., so the demand for power grows again.
• Overheating is a sure way of increasing failure and thereby reducing resilience.
• Once, the primary cost unit for hosting was floor space. Now it is for electrical power.
• The next generation of Data and Control centres will be even more dependent on the basic hosting infrastructure that underpins their reliability and resilience.

Communications

• Without satellite alternatives, you’re stuck when your primary supplier fails you.
• Only diversity ensures the resilience essential to your communications.

Construction and Commissioning Assurance: some facts of life.

• A Data Centre should offer confidence in Business Hosting.
• Resilience and Security are always a balance between business threats and the cost of defence.
• Any investment in an ‘always there’ delivery service must come with an assurance that this has been achieved.

ECA has particular experience of inspecting and assuring data and control centres, providing accreditation to government or ISO27001 and ISO17799 standards.
This demands careful planning, from the design, through the specification, contract award, agreed system build, to the test and commissioning process.

Operation: where People, Process and Technology come together.
If all goes well, they’ll achieve great success.
But if it doesn’t…

• People are the strongest and the weakest link. They need the right mix of morale, motivation, training, experience, management and leadership.
• Process is the methodology by which people apply technology.
• Technology will only be truly resilient when People and Process are working together in harmony.

To discuss the ways in which we could enhance the Resilience and Security of your organisation,
simply ring +44 (0) 118 976 7544

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