Talex Data Centers with the first international ISO/IEC 22237-1:2021 certificate in Poland

Both Data Centers in Poznań and Wrocław received the highest marks in each of the categories:

• Availability : Availability Class 4,
• Protection: Protection Class 4,
• Energy Efficiency: Granularity Level 3.

TALEX S.A.

Talex S.A. is an IT company operating on the market since 1989. It offers comprehensive IT support for companies, including IT Outsourcing and Software Development. Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 2000, the company has two Data Centers offering services in the ITaaS model (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, hosting and collocation of servers) and provides cloud services.

Cooperation with financial institutions and large, well-known brands has allowed Talex S.A. to develop a methodology of activities that can meet the expectations of even the most demanding customers.

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF TALEX

For over thirty years, TALEX has been developing its offer while ensuring that it meets the expectations of customers. Striving to achieve the highest quality of services provided, the company implemented and certified a quality management system according to ISO 9001 as early as in 2002.

In 2005, it integrated it with the information security system according to BS 7799. A year later, the British standard was transferred and TALEX received the first ISO/IEC 27001 certificate issued by SGS in Poland.

Over the time, further certificates were added, including EN 50600-1 and ISO/IEC 22237, both being the first certificates of it kind in Poland.

ISO 9001 – Quality Management System – documents processes, procedures and responsibilities for the implementation of the principles and objectives regarding quality. The standard is intended to ensure compliance with customer and stakeholder requirements. It enables constant improvement of the quality of products and services and helps in the development and improvement of business efficiency.

ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security Management System - allows for assurance security of the organization's own data as well as customer and supplier information. It helps to demonstrate the integrity of your data and systems, reduces the risk of fraud and information loss or disclosure.

EN 50600-1 – European standard, consists of a series of standards containing best practices for data centers, from design standards including power, cooling, telecommunications and safety (including fire safety) to operational and management standards and recommendations for sustainable development and reduction of energy consumption.

ISO/IEC 22237-1 – An international standard equivalent to the European standard EN 50600 , containing requirements and guidelines for data centers. It defines guidelines for individual facilities and infrastructures, defines general concepts for the design and operation of data centers, includes business risk and operational cost analysis, as well as a DC classification system in terms of availability, physical security and energy efficiency.

 

DATA CENTER CERTIFICATION

In October this year, Talex Data Centers in Poznań and Wrocław were recertified to EN 50600-1:2019, as well as a certificate of compliance with the new international standard ISO/IEC 22237-1:2021. Robert Margas, Director of the Data Center Department, explains the reasoning that led to the certification “We want our customers to know that we meet the most stringent requirements for both of our Data Centers. This is particularly important because we cooperate with institutions from the financial and telecommunications industries and many other entities for whom business continuity, availability and security of stored resources are particularly important.

 

Our key goal was to demonstrate once again that Talex Data Center provides the highest level of security, business continuity and availability, regardless of whether the client uses colocation or cloud services.

The best way to prove this was to obtain a certificate of the new standard for Data Centers - ISO/IEC 22237-1: 2021 and maintain EN 50600 certification and update it to the latest version of EN 50600-1: 2019.”

WHY SGS?

We asked Anna Bąbalicka, Head of the Quality and Information Security Team at TALEX SA, about the reasons for choosing SGS as a partner in the certification process.

„The EN 50600-1:2019 and ISO/IEC 22237-1:2021 certificates are very important to us, which is why we wanted the audit to be carried out by a reputable and credible company. After years of experience, we also know that it is worth choosing a certification company that prefers a partnership approach to cooperation. Thanks to this, the audit is constructive and based on the search for space to improve the quality of services, and at the same time, it takes place in a friendly atmosphere.

Our previous cooperation with SGS at certifications made our choice of an auditing company natural. SGS is known for its reliability, accuracy and high quality of services, which we can confirm with full responsibility after many joint experiences in the field of certification.”

THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT

Both Talex Data Centers - in Wrocław and in Poznań - were subject to the audit. During the audit, the Data Center facilities were inspected and their parameters and procedures were checked. The next stage was the analysis of the documentation and discussion on the specifics of the Data Center operation.

 

The analysis of documentation in the scope of, for example, the performance of inspections of individual installations, security and business continuity tests or contracts, as well as checking the procedures used and risk analysis for the Data Center, did not show any inconsistencies.

The audit showed that the working methods and infrastructure of the Talex Data Center are compliant with the provisions contained in the standards. The positive result of the audit allowed Talex Data Center to maintain the EN 50600-1 certificate and update it to the latest version of EN 50600-1:2019 and obtain a new ISO/IEC 22237-1:2021 certificate.

TALEX DATA CENTER IN THE EYES OF THE AUDITOR

"TALEX S.A. is a company with many years of experience in creating and maintaining Data Centers. During the audit, I could observe attention to quality, security and continuous improvement in the expansion of Data Centers.

The approach of the staff is focused not only on meeting the requirements of the EN 50600-1 and ISO/IEC 22237-1 standards, but above all on building customer trust in external data processing centers. This will probably result in the adaptation of the security requirements of the new ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information Security Management System standard, introducing additional security measures in colocated and distributed data centers.

The greatest asset is the availability of infrastructure for the client - maintaining high ratios will be a tremendous benefit for the coming periods.” – Piotr Wrzesiński, SGS Lead Auditor.

PROJECT SUMMARY