UK IT association Intellect has produced a detailed report on the issues facing the data centre industry and which calls for more dialogue between policy makers and industry representatives.
It says: “Data centres are vital to the resilience of the public services and the competitiveness of UK businesses….The economy’s reliance on data centres will intensify over the coming years, in line with the development of the Knowledge Economy.”
But the report warns that the industry is lacking a strategy for involvement in policy making across the sectors it affects. It also calls on policy makers to “establish a regular and sustained dialogue with the industry, particualry on issues such as energy, planning and environmental policy.”
The paper is aimed at all public sector stakeholders and regulators including central and local government, the UK Energy Commission and the Bank of England, the Financial Services Authority and HM Treasury.
It lays out the sectors that are increasingly dependent on data centres for their continued operation including utilities, retail, financial services in the private sector and all central government departments.
“Crucially all attempts to regulate the industry should be done in partnership with the private sector,” it says.
The full report can be read here.