Security: a key challenge for data center operators
Data has become one of the main assets for institutional bodies and companies in general. To be more efficient, companies need to focus on exploiting data while making sure it is optimally protected. In the next three years, half of all European companies will look to externalise their data with a hosting specialist or public cloud services, moving away from using an internally-managed data center. This means data centers play an important role in helping big economic players complete digital conversion, especially since their role is constantly changing.
Data: a new capital asset
Companies that are working on a digital transformation have made data a valuable yet vulnerable asset. A company’s development no longer depends solely on selling products, but also on collecting and using data. To contribute to the company’s growth, this data must be securely collected, safeguarded and shared. It must also be available at any time.
However, it’s becoming increasingly complicated to make sure data is protected in simple internal IT rooms if data management isn’t one of the company’s services. In addition, regulations related to compliance, such as GDPR and ISO 27001, are increasingly strict and require implementation of control programs, information redundancy and meticulous security.
Hybrid cloud: a steadily expanding option
According to the numbers, more than half of digital leaders will be able to use hybrid cloud services since big cloud service stakeholders have already set themselves up to follow the new data protection standards in compliance with European legislation on securing data and guaranteeing data sovereignty. So, they have progressively implemented computing platforms in the European countries where they operate.
Private stakeholders’ determination to offer optimal data protection has pushed professionals in the hosting sector to implement stricter security measures. In addition to protecting data in the IT arena, data center operators now offer physical building protection, video surveillance, identity verification and biometric recognition before accessing computer rooms and other essential security systems. They are also adapting to specific regulations in certain sectors like ISO standards and PCI-DSS certifications and supporting clients during audit sessions.
Data redundancy now allowed
Service providers are now working in partnership with data center operators to provide clients a service option with better value for the money. To do this, they have set up new programs enabling IT redundancy. Once data protection has been achieved, a company’s ability to optimise use of this data depends largely on the availability of IT systems.
Institutional bodies and companies have two options. Either they handle constraint management or they rely on a stakeholder’s services. The latter option allows them to concentrate on capitalising on their data. As for data center operators, they are continually improving their services by implementing high-quality infrastructure that is more secure.
European data center operator DATA4 has space and electrical capacity that is unique on the European continent, with 121 ha of land and 146 MW of electrical power resources. DATA4 designs and builds their own Data Centers to better support their clients and offer them efficient and secure hosting solutions.
Their first data center was opened in 2007 in Essonne. In 2013, DATA4 exported their model to Italy by acquiring land that can accommodate up to 10 data centers. Today, three data centers have been constructed in Italy and three others in Luxembourg. The DATA4 platform became hyperconnected following an investment in telecoms infrastructure in 2016. The D4 Digital Hub was created in 2017. It is a data center that provides secure access to more than 200 cloud destinations and telecoms operators.
DATA4 facilities stand out because of their impressive size as well as their unique, high-quality design. This will enable DATA4 to provide diversified, scalable services to meet their clients’ needs.
