DATA CENTRES MUST ALIGN THEIR PRACTICES WITH THE CHANGING LEGAL LANDSCAPE TO AVOID THE PITFALLS OF POTENTIAL PENALTIES AND TO SAFEGUARD THEIR REPUTATION .
DATA CENTRE PREDICTIONS
DATA CENTRES MUST ALIGN THEIR PRACTICES WITH THE CHANGING LEGAL LANDSCAPE TO AVOID THE PITFALLS OF POTENTIAL PENALTIES AND TO SAFEGUARD THEIR REPUTATION .
is still drastically underprepared for the forthcoming regulatory changes and new reporting thresholds . Data centres must align their practices with the changing legal landscape to avoid the pitfalls of potential penalties and to safeguard their reputation . Those that fail to adequately prepare for forthcoming legislation risk facing severe consequences that may include legal penalties , damage to reputation and resulting loss of business opportunities and revenue .
To comply with climate change targets our industry needs to be more accountable and these regulations should help to ensure everyone is working towards net zero . There are many potential benefits relating to the use of data associated with the new reporting requirements including the potential for increased informed ‘ green ’ investment to drive improvements alongside operational savings achieved through the use of better historic data and KPIs . At Keysource we welcome greater transparency for the data centre industry and are working with several clients to help them prepare and maximise the potential benefits resulting from new regulations .
Real concerns over reporting requirements
However , these reporting requirements raise several concerns for data centres . One concern is that some of the information is simply difficult to collect . Most colocation operators do not currently have control or insight into the data traffic , storage and processing being performed on their customers ’ IT equipment . Some parties have also raised concerns about the security risks associated with publicly reporting the names of owners , addresses and other details of data centres , especially information that is particularly sensitive for financial institutions . At present , it is relatively easy to find the location of data centres , but far more difficult to find details of the owners and operators of those data centres . Other parties are concerned about the administrative and financial burdens imposed on smaller operators . It is still unclear as to the extent to which local governments will publish data .
As part of the proposed EED recast , the EC is planning mandatory annual reporting of KPIs . The aggregated data will be used to develop sustainability indicators based on energy efficiency , use of renewable energy , water usage and waste heat utilisation . These indicators will be used to define and rate a data centre in terms of sustainability . The EC hopes that by creating a register of energy use based on performance indicator reporting , opportunities for the data centre industry to reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency can be identified and encouraged . It also hopes that future sustainability ratings developed from the KPIs will help to provide transparency and accountability for data centre carbon footprints .
It ’ s time to take action
To comply with our climate change targets , our industry needs to be accountable and these regulations will help to ensure everyone is working towards net zero . There will also be some benefits associated with the new regulatory changes such as cost savings and a potential for increased investment , as investors will be able to make better ROI predictions using historical data . �
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