Industry hot spots of data center in 2018

For many people, 2017 has been an intense and busy year. And many companies and departments may be entering the busiest period of the year. The same is true for the data center field. 2018 will be very busy, especially as enterprises continue to explore new technologies (such as IoT platforms and devices, mobile communications, etc.) and upgrade infrastructure to meet the needs of these demanding applications.

As companies strive to use new technologies to drive business development, launch new products and services, improve employee productivity, or reduce costs, there are also some important regulatory directives regarding data centers that will be issued and implemented, which companies will pay attention to and encounter in the coming year.

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The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on May 25, 2018, and will affect your business and the physical security of your data center. It completely updates the way EU member states and any company that does business with or holds data on citizens (European Economic Area citizens) must store, securely and manage personal data. The fines for misusing and misappropriating data are huge: up to 4% of a company's global revenue or €20 million, whichever is higher.

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also focuses on physical security. If the physical security of your data center is breached, or equipment is stolen, then there's a good chance a lot of data has been stolen. This would be a data breach, not just a lost laptop or hack, and such an incident would need to be reported to the GDPR within 72 hours. Both physical security and access control play a huge role under this regulation, so make sure you include physical security as part of your GDPR preparations.

Ecodesign Directive

January 1, 2018 is the deadline for the first phase of the implementation of the EU Ecodesign Directive (EU Directive 2009/125/EC). This was first introduced in 2009 and sets a framework of mandatory requirements for products that use energy or are related to energy use. This means that from this date, it will be illegal to produce and sell products within the EU that do not meet the new standards set out in the directive. When businesses order products from manufacturers, they will be responsible for ensuring that they meet the standards, even if they are ordered before the deadline, but if they are shipped from January 1, 2018, they must comply with this directive.

While most designers and manufacturers will be scrambling to ensure they are prepared in advance, there are still some companies that may still have old stock that they want to get rid of before the end of the year. Businesses need to make sure the specifications of the equipment they buy and use are changing and not be tempted by discounts offered on products that do not meet design directives.

ISO 50001 Energy Management System

ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems is the industry standard framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an organization's energy management system, which enables continual improvement of energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy security, and energy consumption. While not a new standard, and the current version has been in place since 2011, a new version is being developed that will be released in June 2018 (originally not until 2019). ISO 50001 is extremely valuable in helping organizations reduce costs and achieve their carbon emissions and energy efficiency targets, which are growing in environmental, political, and social terms. Make sure to consider the changing standard so that your efforts in preparing for the assessment are not wasted.

Be prepared for change

There’s a reason why the compliance you have to follow can easily have a negative impact on your business, and in all cases above, it can make your business more secure and efficient. Whether you’re heading into a busy or quiet year, you need to be prepared for these changes in 2018.