RealWire

Interxion, a leading European operator of carrier-neutral data centres, is the first data centre colocation provider to be awarded the new Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) data centre certificate. The certificate was awarded to Interxion’s recently completed 4,500 m2 AMS 5 data centre in Amsterdam, following an audit of the facility’s standards for technical implementation, operational resilience and business continuity management.

The new AMS-IX certificate was developed in 2009 to resolve issues encountered by AMS-IX and it’s members in the past and to eliminate any possible ambiguity about acceptable colocation standards in the future. It involved a full independent audit by consultants, Capitoline LLP. The audit evaluated location-related aspects such as flood protection and building quality – and scrutinised security and access control, fire precautions, power supplies, cooling and ventilation, cabling and management systems and monitoring. Also assessed were operating procedures and protocols that ensure operational continuity and timely, reliable customer communication in the event of outage.

“Our new certificate is designed to clarify the minimum standard of colocation services for AMS-IX and to simplify the decision-making process for exchange members looking for a maximum-availability data center environment.” said Job Witteman, AMS-IX CEO. “Until now there has been no standard tailored 100% to professional, high-end Internet exchanges and their users, and with the successful launch and accreditation of leading operators like Interxion, we hope the new standard will be adopted more widely by the industry.”

“We are delighted to be first in line to receive the new AMS-IX certificate,” said Michel van den Assem, Managing Director, Interxion Netherlands. “Any certificate that clearly demonstrates the value to customers of rigorous security, service and business continuity standards improves the overall quality of the industry, and in this case the endorsement comes from one of the largest Internet exchanges in the world. We provide our customers with direct access to 18 leading Internet exchanges in 11 countries, and we hope that where AMS-IX has shown the way, other Internet exchanges that connect to our footprint will follow.”

The new certification covers many of the areas already addressed as part of Interxion’s pan-European accreditation for ISO 27001. The ISO 27001 audit and certification process focuses on every aspect of the business, including physical infrastructure, site security and access management, personnel capabilities, communications and operations, legal compliance criteria, and back-up and disaster recovery.