Data Center Certifications: ISO 27001, SOC 2 & Compliance Standards Guide

If you've ever entrusted your data to a company and had doubts about how they'd keep it secure, then you're not alone. Many, many others have asked themselves the same question. I did, too, after my prior hosting company had a data breach, and nobody was able to tell me what caused the breach. This compelled me to learn as much as I could about data center certifications, and I'm happy to report that these certifications are more important than most people think.

Why Do Data Center Certifications Matter?​

A data center may claim to be “certified” when an independent third party has conducted an audit of the data center’s security, procedures, and safety measures—and has verified that those processes were followed in order to ensure compliance with certifying standards.

What Is Certification ISO Certification​

ISO means International Standardisation Organization.

ISO Certification is like having a rule guide in how to manage and protect information globally. ISO 27001 is typically the standard used by Data Centres.

ISO 27001 provides

• Policies regarding strong security
• A means of protecting data storage
• Access control
• Processes for regular audits and improvement

I think ISO 27001 is absolutely fantastic because it indicates a company is serious about its security rather than just spouting some fancy words.

What Is SOC Certification​

It stands for Service Organization Control Certification. SOC certification evaluates how well Data Centres protect customer data and operate business processes.

There are two main types of SOC Correlation Certification:

• SOC 1 focuses primarily on financial controls
• SOC 2 focuses on security, privacy, and system integrity.

In the case of SOC 2, there are two types of SOC 2 certification:

• One tests the design of the controls.
• •The other tests the controls over time.

The SOC Type II certification is most impressive to me because it shows that the provider is consistently doing well and not just appearing to do well on paper.

Also, there are several other certifications that I consider important:

• To comply with PCI DSS, you need to protect your customers' payment card data.
• HIPAA protects your customers' healthcare information.
• The Uptime Institute Tier Standards measures how reliable and available the data center is.

If your provider can demonstrate that they have obtained these certifications, then you know that they are serious about providing a secure environment for your company.

When choosing a provider to host your data, ask these questions:

• Do they have ISO and SOC certifications?
• Do they regularly update their certificates?
• Do they provide documentation or reports on the status of their certifications?

If they are hesitant to answer these questions, it should raise a huge red flag.

In Summary​

Data center certifications (ISO, SOCs and other certifications) are intended to protect you, your customers and your peace of mind. If they have obtained certifications, it indicates that they care about providing you with a secure environment, not just marketing you.