GAP analysis & compliance of data centers

Person steht mit verschränkten Armen in einem Serverraum zwischen zwei Reihen von Server-Racks.

Ensuring physical security and availability through a neutral third party

Particularly in the age of cloud services and co-location offerings, companies are increasingly deciding to outsource their data centres due to the associated costs. This raises the question of quality guarantees. With recognised standards such as TSI, EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237 and the corresponding criteria catalogues such as TSI.STANDARD or TSI.EN50600, which were developed by TÜV NORD, tools are available that enable companies to specify requirements, guidelines and expectations of the colocation provider in detail or to request evidence from neutral third parties.

It is not only the power supply and the cooling, air conditioning and ventilation system that play a role when it comes to ensuring the physical security and availability of a data centre. TSI offers you a comprehensive and established approach with requirement definitions in the areas of environment, building construction, fire detection and extinguishing systems, security systems and organisation, cabling, power supply, ventilation and air conditioning systems, organisation and documentation. TSI systematically identifies all potential risks and weaknesses of a data centre. It guarantees availability, physical security and compliance if you use it to your advantage.

Target groups for conformity assessments for data centers

Our testing and certification services are aimed at companies and organisations that want to bring their data centres 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

Our services

Provision of our assessment basis and introduction to the investigation method through a workshop (optional)
Recording and analysis of documents and plans provided for the properties
On-site inspection and intensive investigation by experienced experts in infrastructure and systems
Preparation of a meaningful assessment report

Advantages of a conformity assessment or GAP analysis of data centers

Reveals risks and weaknesses
Comprehensive and proven assessment principles based on recognised standards for data centres for over 20 years
Conformity assessment can lead to smooth TSI or EN 50600 certification
Use of comprehensive technical expertise: TÜV NORD has a team of over 25 experienced experts for all individual trades involved in a data centre.
Objective assessment of conformity without dependence on internal sources or operator statements
First-hand assessment by the market leader
Recognised test principles and experts - also for your colocation operator

Overview of standards

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.

TSI.STANDARD

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.

EN 50600

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.

ISO/IEC 22237

We also carry out conformity assessments based on your in-house, company-internal requirements or develop a suitable catalogue of criteria together with you. Please feel free to contact us.

FAQs on conformity assessments/GAP analyses for data centers

Thanks to our many years of experience and the specialist knowledge of our experts, we are able to identify a wide range of risks and weaknesses in your data centre. These include, in particular, weak points in the supply, such as insufficient redundancies that could jeopardise availability. In addition, we also uncover deficiencies in physical security, such as inadequate protective measures against burglary or sabotage. Our comprehensive assessment helps you to identify these risks at an early stage and take targeted measures to improve the security and reliability of your data centre.

Yes, we can take internal company requirements fully into account during the audit. Thanks to our many years of experience and cooperation with large and renowned clients, we are well prepared to develop and continuously update customised criteria catalogues. These catalogues are used in third-party audits to ensure that all of your company's specific requirements are taken into account. We work closely with you to integrate your existing standards and specifications into the assessment process so that the audit is optimised to meet your individual needs.

Using a neutral third party such as TÜV NORD to assess your data centre offers several advantages. You receive an objective and independent assessment of the physical security and availability of your infrastructure or that of your IT service provider or colocation provider, without having to rely on internal resources or operator statements. This can make decisions easier and increase the credibility of the assessment. You also benefit from the extensive technical expertise and experience of a market leader that has been active in the industry for over 20 years and is recognised by all major operators.

Yes, the methodology is equally suitable for new and existing infrastructures. Existing data centres benefit in particular from the identification of hidden risks and potential for improvement.

Once the assessment has been completed, you will receive a detailed report with information on compliance with standards, structural conformity and possible weaknesses in systems, processes or documentation.

A regular assessment - e.g. every two years - is recommended in order to recognise new risks, map changed framework conditions and continuously review conformity.