The large-scale modernisation of the Huizingen data center has been successfully completed. An intensive renovation project has completely revamped the physical infrastructure, such as the cooling and electrical systems. This has enabled LCL to meet the stringent requirement of the globally recognized TIA-942 data center facilities certification. The data center, like LCL's other locations, performs at the highest level.

TIA-942 certification

LCL adds the TIA-942 Rated-3 Facilities Certification to its portfolio of international standards certifications, which means that the data center has redundant capacity components and provides improved protection against physical events. 

Floris Smits, Project Lead at LCL: “Achieving this certification is of tremendous value to LCL, given that customer intimacy is our strategy. We want to give our customers the guarantee that we understand their needs and requirements and meet these adequately. We hold customer satisfaction in very high regard and we demonstrate this by consistently meeting a high level of customer satisfaction rating. By adding this certification to our existing certifications, we want to show our customers that we are exceeding their expectations.”

The TIA-942 certification demonstrates the extent to which a data center can withstand errors and ensure continuity. The certificate is based on structural, electrical, mechanical and telecommunication requirements. It also includes physical security. The TIA-942 certification was awarded by EPI renowned for its expertise on data centers and high-level of professionalism and integrity. An external, independent auditor appointed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) was charged with the certification.

TIA-942 is similar to the Tier-III certification that LCL has previously achieved from the Uptime Institute. Smits: “Whereas Uptime Tier certification focuses particularly on the main techniques, TIA-942 goes into greater depth on a number of additional aspects, such as connectivity and architecture. By achieving both certifications, we show that we deliver a diverse level of quality.”

Modernisation successfully completed

The data center was equipped with a completely new cooling system in the modernisation process. The electrical installation was also renewed. Smits: “Based on our own knowledge and experience, we knew what had to be done in order to perform at the highest level. The biggest challenge was replacing the cooling system. We had to replace it step by step, unit by unit. We wanted to remain as redundant as possible during the works, meaning that there was always one surplus unit to ensure that we could maintain concurrent maintainability. Additionally, there was also the electrical aspect, where we had to make sure that working on one feed did not impact the other feed. It was important to ensure that customers were not inconvenienced by the maintenance works. As LCL, we can proudly say that it was all done successfully: there has been no downtime.”

According to Edward van Leent, Chairman & CEO of EPI Group of Companies: “The globally connected digital economy needs data centers which are reliable and secure. EPI’s core principle is a full commitment to the highest standard in everything we do to ensure our customers get the highest level of protection.  We are very pleased that LCL shares the same commitment to get the EPI TIA-942 certification.” 

Joint team effort
The modernisation process was not possible without the combined efforts of the team. “LCL was there all the time to ensure continuity. We also carried out migrations at night and on weekends. The facility team provided great back-up, also with their knowledge of how to run and maintain the data center. A lot of support also came from the operations team and our service team also contributed. In addition to all this, our IT department also worked incredibly hard. It was an impressive project that we brought to a successful conclusion together," says Smits proudly.

Want to find out more about the TIA-942 certification or any of our other certifications? Then contact us or check out our website.