Certification of data centers

Ein modernes Rechenzentrum mit mehreren Reihen von Server-Racks in einem hellen Raum.

Guarantee availability, security, and resilience—with certification for your data center

With data centre certification, operators of enterprise data centres and providers of colocation and cloud infrastructures are on the safe side. Their data centres are highly available and stand for reliability thanks to testing by independent third parties. It gives third-party users of such data centres security and confidence in the installation.

TÜV NORD has been carrying out evaluations and certifications of data centres since 2002. Since then, over 1,000 certification projects have been successfully completed. A data centre certified by TÜV NORD according to TSI.STANDARD, EN 50600 or ISO/IEC 22237 is a proven benchmark for data centres in Germany and increasingly in the international environment.

Certificates issued to date in accordance with TSI.STANDARD, EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237

Target groups for certification of data centers according to TSI, EN 50600, or ISO/IEC 22237

Our certification services are aimed at companies and organisations that want to bring their data centres and server rooms up to the highest security and availability standards.

Our target group:

IT service providers and hosting providers
Colocation data centres
Companies with their own data centres (enterprise)
Financial institutions and banks
Healthcare organisations
Government authorities and public institutions
Telecommunications companies
Cloud service providers
Industrial companies with high data volumes

The advantages of data center certification according to TSI, EN 50600, or ISO/IEC 22237

Successful certification of your data centre means that the security and availability standards can be clearly demonstrated at any time. At the same time, you benefit from proof of compliance with the provisions of recognised standards such as TSI.STANDARD, EN 50600 or ISO/IEC 22237 and can use the certificate for your corporate communications. This provides you and your market partners with clear advantages.

Proven reliability of your data centre
Improvement of the general security level
Basis for compliance with international security standards.
Gain new customers who value a reliable and highly available IT infrastructure.
Strengthen credibility through certification to recognised standards.
Demonstrate your commitment to security and reliability.
The in-depth expertise of our auditors guarantees a comprehensive and precise assessment of your infrastructure.
Certification can also be used internally for quality assurance to support continuous improvement processes and raise internal standards.

Overview of standards used

Innenansicht eines modernen Serverraums mit beleuchteten Server-Racks.

TSI.STANDARD

Trusted Site Infrastructure (TSI) is a methodology for testing and certifying the physical security and availability of data centres that has been established since 2001. It has become the benchmark in the data centre industry. It is based on TÜV NORD's own TSI.STANDARD criteria catalogue.

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Blick in einen modernen Serverraum mit mehreren Reihen von Server-Racks und heller Beleuchtung.

EN 50600

The European data centre standard DIN EN 50600 uses a holistic approach to set comprehensive specifications for the planning, construction and operation of data centres.

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Person steht in einem großen, beleuchteten Serverraum und blickt auf die Reihen von Servern.

ISO/IEC 22237

As the international equivalent to EN 50600, ISO/IEC 22237 creates the basic prerequisite for ensuring that data centres can be planned, built and operated according to the same principles worldwide.

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Your path to certification according to TSI.STANDARD, EN 50600, or ISO/IEC 22237

Certificates issued to date in accordance with TSI.STANDARD, EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237

1

Workshop (optional)

Creating a common understanding, preparation, orientation, assessment of the state of the art, definition of objectives

2

Document review

Formal review of security concept/business risk analysis, implementation descriptions, implementation plans and schemes, etc.

3

Certification audit

On-site audit to review the planned and implemented infrastructure measures

4

Certification report

Preparation of a meaningful and detailed test report

5

Certification decision

Evaluation of the test report, certification decision, issuing and publication of the certificate if all requirements are met

6

Re-certification

Before certificate expiry after approx. 24 months for seamless follow-up certification

FAQ on data center certification

An issued certificate is generally valid for 24 months and can be extended for a further 24 months as part of a re-certification. Surveillance audits are not required.

Since 2016, conformity with EN 50600 can also be tested and confirmed with the TSI.STANDARD. Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4-2 of EN 50600 have been fully adapted and integrated into the catalogue. With the publication of V4.5, an ISO/IEC 22237-specific supplementary test is also possible. Conformity with the five published parts of the standard (ISO/IEC 22237 parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) is confirmed by means of an additional certificate. In this way, the data centre operator can obtain three certificates at once: TSI, EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237.

The difference between TSI or EN50600 certification and ISO 27001 lies in the focus: ISO 27001 focuses on the management of information security through an information security management system (ISMS), while TSI certification assesses the physical security and availability of data centres. ISO 27001 is suitable for all companies, while TSI is specifically intended for data centre operators and providers of colocation and cloud infrastructures. Both certifications complement each other by covering different aspects of security.

To obtain TSI certification, data centres must meet the requirements for physical security and availability in accordance with our TSI.STANDARD or TSI.EN50600 criteria catalogues. The individual requirements can be clarified in a non-binding workshop, which provides an overview of the requirements and the necessary measures that are applicable in your specific case. The criteria catalogues are also transparent and available to download free of charge.

On the one hand, the granularity level for energy efficiency qualification can be determined based on the specific requirements of EN 50600 or ISO/IEC 22237.

In addition, the customer can obtain an additional award, in which the standard-compliant PUE value recording is confirmed in accordance with Part 4-2 and this is < 1.5 on an annual average. The certificate receives an additional "PUE award".

The offer is aimed at companies that operate an existing or planned data centre, server room, data centre or critical IT infrastructure. This is particularly relevant for.

Operators of colocation or cloud infrastructures
Companies with their own data centre
Public authorities, banks and healthcare organisations
Industrial companies with high data and system requirements

An independent assessment provides clarity about the current technical status, existing risks and potential weaknesses. Companies receive specific tips on how to optimise their IT infrastructure and can better fulfil external requirements (e.g. from audits, tenders or from the BSI or BaFin). The proof can also be used in customer communication - for example to strengthen trust and credibility.

Yes, the assessment approach is scalable. Even smaller server rooms, edge locations or decentralised IT installations can be checked and classified - adapted to their function, risk and criticality level.