Risk management in facility management for data centres: status and deficits

Abstract

Purpose Data centres (DC) serve as critical infrastructure and require a sustainable and uninterrupted building operation. Effective risk management (RM), as a component of enterprise RM (ERM), is the basis for secure DC operations. The purpose of this paper is to determine, whether holistic and integrated RM solutions already exist or what they might look like. Design/methodology/approach A literature review of laws, norms, standards, methods and certifications combined with transcribed paper and pencil expert interviews with DC, facility service companies and consulting firms has been conducted. The study also investigates RM practices of 23 large international DC and facility service companies. Findings Results of literature research and intensive interviews with experienced DC experts, covering the entire life cycle of buildings, indicate that there are no holistic and integrated RM practice applications for DC on a sound academic basis. Practical implications Findings suggest that there is a need for developing a holistic and integrated RM framework for DC. This paper is a contribution to the expansion of ERM research and can be very valuable for builders and operators. The results of this research form the basis for the development of a structured RM framework for DC that improves performance. Originality/value The study allows professionals to understand the operational state-of-the-art of RM in critical environments and shed light on the wide spectrum of conceptualities and definitions.

Research and evidence-based standards paving the way for a digital and sustainable transformation of the built environment

“…Standards and norms were central to Bieser et al ’s (2020) work, which focused on assessing FM in data centres. They were among the researchers who indirectly called for research to ensure standardisation, and they discussed and analysed several standards.…”

Research and Evidence-based standards: Research and standards in combined efforts for a sustainable transformation of the built environment

“…The top 2 nd article mentions the term standard more or less throughout entire articles, including in their appendixes. Standards and norms are central to Bieser et al [20] who discusses and analyses many standards, e.g. ISO 15686-1:2011, DIN 32736, 2000 GEFMA 100-1, GEFMA 100-2, ISO 41001:2017, ISO 41011:2017, ISO 41012:2017, ISO 41013:2017, ISO 31000:2018 and VDI 6009:2002.…”

“…In addition, they also analyse a series of European norms (EN), such as EN 50600:2016, EN 15978:2011, EPA 1993, EN 15221 and the EN 50600 structure. The purpose of Beisers et al [20]'s research is to identify if there exist solutions for risk management "or what they might look like" (pg. 219).…”

“…219). In Beiser et al [20]'s result and discussion section, the term standard is used to refer to standardization bodies, while the mention of specific standards is used to describe what FM is and includes. They stress that further research is needed to develop a suitable framework, as "there is no uniformity with regard to the implementation of standards, methods, and certifications" (pg.…”

“…Sometimes standards are merely used as a reference defining terms, the identified top 10 papers all use standards to create the background of their research and to shape their research approach, e.g. Dzulkifli et al [22], Bieser et al [20] and Jang and Collinge [21]. Our results show little evidence that research has influenced standards in the past within the studied journals, but we find research intending to provide new standards and research calling for greater integration of research and standardization.…”