VIRTUS announces certification milestones

VIRTUS Data Centres (VIRTUS), the UK’s fastest growing data centre provider, has announced  that it has achieved a Tier III design certification from Uptime Institute for its LONDON5 data centre.

Following in the footsteps of VIRTUS’ LONDON1, LONDON2 and LONDON4 facilities, LONDON5 has also attained UKAS accredited ISO 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001 certifications.

The Uptime Institute Tier classification system is the globally recognised standard for data centre performance, with over 1,200 Certifications for Data Centre Design, Construction, and Operational Sustainability issued in over 85 countries. Uptime Institute’s Tier Certification is the industry standard for data centre reliability. A Tier III data centre is designed to run without interruption. Tier III ensures that every component needed to support the digital environment can be shut down and maintained without impact on live operation. This accreditation signals to investors, customers and the marketplace that a facility meets the highest standards for infrastructure design, functionality and capacity.

The Tier Certification of Design Documents approves the functionality and capacity demonstrated in the engineering and architectural specifications of a data centre facility design. Uptime Institute experts review the design documents and provide consulting support to guide the final design in order to meet a desired Tier rating. The documents provide independent quality assurance to customers for infrastructure quality, concurrent maintainability and a facility’s ability to react to disruption due to unplanned events. They are also a prerequisite for Tier Certification of Constructed Facility.

In addition to the globally recognised, above mentioned ISO standards, LONDON5 has also been awarded ISO 20000-1 accreditation for Service Management Systems. ISO 20000-1 establishes best practice methodologies and frameworks to manage service management systems, facilitating improvement of services to meet requirements and deliver further value to our customers. Complying with the standard means that the VIRTUS facility adheres to industry best practices, and operates to the highest standards.

ISO certification is granted through an APMG accredited certification body and is issued in three-year increments, with annual check-ups (or surveillance) audits. VIRTUS has held ISO accreditations across its estate since 2013.

Neil Cresswell, CEO at VIRTUS said “These new accreditations verify that our data centres, people and processes are all meeting internationally recognised standards. Customers are assured that our facilities meet the most stringent standards for performance, reliability, uptime and security.

“Given how critical data is to the digitalisation of today’s businesses, organisations across the world look for partners who can guarantee that their IT operations run smoothly without any disruptions. These new certifications demonstrate that we are an ideal partner to successfully support our customers’ through their business transformation journeys.”

“Uptime Institute’s Tier Certification of Design clearly illustrates the high standard for quality set by VIRTUS Data Centres,” said Ali Moinuddin, Managing Director, Europe. “We are pleased to work with VIRTUS on the Tier Certification of Design certification award and look forward to working with them as they move forward to achieve the natural progression of the Tier Certification of Constructed Facility.”