by To protect them from cyber attacks or IT failures, data centers in the UK are to be classified as critical national infrastructure, the government announced.
The buildings store much of the data generated in the UK, including photos taken with smartphones, financial information and NHS records.
By being designated as critical national infrastructure (CNI), data centers are now placed on the same level as water, energy and emergency services systems and therefore receive greater government support in predicting and recovering from major incidents such as cyber attacks, outages or environmental disasters.
The government said the move – the first new CNI designation in nearly a decade – will not only help protect critical data infrastructure, but also give businesses the confidence to drive economic growth in an increasingly digital world.
The data centre industry is already worth an estimated £4.6 billion a year and the UK currently has the most data centres in Western Europe.
“Data centres are the engines of modern life, powering the digital economy and keeping our most personal data safe,” said Technology Minister Peter Kyle.
“The inclusion of data centers in the critical national infrastructure regime will enable better coordination and cooperation with the government in the fight against cybercriminals and unexpected events.”
The move to grant the sector CNI status came as the Government also welcomed a planned £3.75 billion investment in the creation of Europe’s largest data centre in Hertfordshire by data company DC01UK. The centre is expected to create more than 700 jobs locally and support thousands more jobs across the country.
“The huge £3.75 billion private investment announced in Hertfordshire today is a vote of confidence in these plans and a clear example of my determination to ensure that technological advances help grow our economy and create prosperity across the country,” added Kyle.
Earlier this week, Amazon Web Services (AWS) also announced plans to invest £8 billion in the UK over the next five years to build, operate and maintain data centres – the company is one of the world’s largest providers in this area.
