The government has announced that UK data centres will now be classed as ‘Critical National Infrastructure’ (CNI) and be given greater government support in recovering from and anticipating critical incidents. It puts data centres on an equal footing as water, energy and emergency services systems, and is designed to be a confidence-booster for companies looking to set up data centres in the UK.

► Data centres recognised as vital to functioning of the economy

► Key locations will have elevated protection from cyber criminals and IT blackouts

Data housed and processed in UK data centres will now receive extra protection to prevent information being compromised during outages, cyberattacks, and adverse weather. A dedicated CNI data infrastructure team of senior government officials will be set up to monitor and anticipate potential threats, provide prioritised access to security agencies, including the National Cyber Security Centre, and coordinate access to emergency services should an incident occur.

The announcement came on the back of a proposed £3.75 billion investment in what would be Europe’s largest data centre, which is being proposed for a site in Hertfordshire by data company DC01UK. It’s hoped that the new measures will boost confidence and encourage further investment in investing in data centres in the country, an industry which already generates an estimated £4.6 billion in revenues a year.

Earlier this year, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) also announced its intention to introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and strengthen the country’s cyber defences by mandating that providers of essential infrastructure protect their supply chains from attacks.