Switch Datacenters Amsterdam Meets ISO 27001 Standard: The Guarantee of Safe IT Accommodation

Online, October 10, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The clients of Switch Datacenters can therefore rest assured that their IT equipment and the company data it contains are housed in a highly secure and professionally managed data centre environment in Amsterdam.

ISO 27001 is the highest ISO standard for data security. The BSI Group, a globally operating standards institute, extensively analysed and assessed the processes at Switch Datacenters in accordance with the stringent requirements applicable, before awarding it the ISO 27001 certification. The some eight thousand square metres (89.555 sq ft) of lettable floor area in the 'green' operated premises established by Switch Datacenters in 2011 are therefore now officially a secure environment in which to house IT equipment and business data.

Co-location Amsterdam, focus on ISPs

"Being awarded the ISO 27001 certification confirms that our organisation has professionally and efficiently implemented all the processes relating to data security," says Gregor Snip, founder and Technical Director of Switch Datacenters, which is based in Amsterdam. "This offers our clients ultimate security. They have a guarantee that their IT infrastructure and attendant data are accommodated in a highly professional and secure manner."

The highest available certification for data security is essential to Switch Datacenters, as clients both require and insist on this level of security. Mr Snip: "Our services in the field of co-location and internet connectivity are primarily focused on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and System Integrators. Such firms also have banks and other financial institutions as co-location and hosting clients. One naturally needs to be able to assure this type of client that their data will be treated both with integrity and securely. However, other types of clients with business-critical web environments, such as corporate organisations and e-commerce firms, also often have sensitive data which they cannot afford to have leaked beyond the organisation. Such organisations, too, require a guarantee that their data is in safe hands."

Efficiency of Switch Datacenters' infrastructure

During the course of the ISO 27001 audit, the BSI Group examined all sorts of security aspects in Switch Datacenters' organisation. For instance, the standard prescribes requirements relating to the maintenance of a well-documented Information Security Management System (ISMS). In addition, risk management was subjected to close scrutiny. Mr Snip: "This also involves matters such as charting the efficient and professional division of responsibilities within the organisation. However, ample checks also have to be incorporated to vouch for adequate risk management. Furthermore, organisational processes need to be set up in a suitably structured manner as to enable the swift identification and elimination of potential security risks." ISO certification is a continuous process, which involves regular repetition of the audit.

Switch Datacenters' data centre proposition is built on the foundations of KPNQwest, the joint venture launched by a Dutch firm, KPN, and its US partner Qwest, which was liquidated in 2002. In 2010, Switch Datacenters actually took over the extensive data centre that previously belonged to KPNQwest (8,320 m2) on Amsterdam's fibreglass hub - in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost - which it has converted into an extremely energy-efficient data centre environment with a current Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.27. Opened in 2011, this data centre employs technology including Free Cooling, which uses fresh air for cooling purposes. In addition to the energy savings this yields, Switch Datacenters has ensured that its data centre services are climate neutral and therefore provided on a 'green' basis, by means including the use of solely green electricity.

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About BSI Group

BSI Group (www.bsigroup.com) is a globally operating, independent organisation in the field of management system assessment and certification, in accordance with standards including those of ISO. The world's first standards institute (established in 1901), BSI Group currently has a workforce of over 2,250, employed at 50 international branches which jointly serve over 100 nations.

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About Switch Datacenters

Based in Amsterdam, Switch Datacenters (www.switchdatacenters.com) is a supplier of extremely energy-efficient, carrier-neutral data centre services. Its data centre already operates at with a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.27. And its R&D department aims to further reduce this figure during the next few months - by means of the implementation of innovative cooling concepts - to a level of just 1.1, which is extremely energy-efficient. Furthermore, Switch Datacenters (high density) co-location services are climate neutral and therefore provided on a 'green' basis, by means including the use of solely green electricity.

The data centre itself was opened in 2011. The first data centre established by Switch Datacenters (Switch AMS) has a floor area of 8,320 square metres (89.555 sq ft), which is being put into operation in several phases. The data centre is located on Amsterdam's fibreglass hub, in the city's Zuid-Oost district. While Switch AMS is currently connected to 460 fibreglass connections belonging to some 40 carrier networks, this figure is certainly expected to rise even further. This should greatly benefit its efficient and redundant Internet user network.

Switch Datacenters' state-of-the-art data centre infrastructure nevertheless pays consideration to the latest IT developments, such as virtualisation and cloud computing, in which regard uptime is absolutely crucial. Switch Datacenters therefore applies AEG's high redundancy UPS technology, which is comparable to a RAID5 system, while the data centre offers clients a guarantee of 100 percent uptime.

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Social media Switch Datacenters:

Twitter: @SwitchAms
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sales.switchdatacenteramsterdam
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/switch-datacenter-group

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Media contact:

Switch Datacenters Amsterdam
Gregor Snip, Technical Director
+31 (0)20 691 6424
press@switchdatacenters.com

KINXX PR
Koen Stegeman
+31 (0)6 30491407
koen@kinxx.nl