The EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres, intended to help data centre owners become more efficient, is not getting any significant level of support in the UK, according to a data centre specialist
The Code of Conduct was launched in late 2008, as a practical set of guidelines designed to improve energy efficiency within the data centre industry, bringing vendors and data centre operators together, to develop good practices for reducing the energy consumption of data centres, which Gartner analysts have warned warned now made up 12 percent of data centre expenditure.
The code is voluntary, and has faced persistent criticism over the small number of organisations that have publicly embraced it. Some have argued that unless more people adopt it, it may have to be embodied in mandatory regulations.
Executives working on the Code, have argued that take-up is increasing. There are now 60 data centres signed up, with a further 70 currently having their applications processed, according to a report in Business Green.
The Code’s website currently lists only 28 participants, and 101 companies endorsing the code, but Lam Newcombe, CTO at Romonet, reportedly said that the code had attracted a large number of high profile participants with data centres responsible for over 100MW of energy use.
“We are clearly having an effect on the market and, for a campaign that has had very little PR, we have made really good progress,” Newcombe told Business Green.
But this view was in stark contrast to a recent report from data centre solutions specialist Sentrum, who earlier this month said that the EU Code of Conduct is failing to engage the data centre industry, with a significant lack of support in the UK.
This is a problem, as London remains the largest single data centre market in Europe according to a Tariff Consultancy report.
Sentrum said that its report had found that that by mid-2009 only a minority of companies (12 percent) had adopted the EU Code of Conduct. And even worse, it said that in 2010, only 15 percent of large UK organisations have adopted it.
Thirty-six 36 percent of IT managers say that for them, there are more important IT priorities to manage, and 48 percent cited stretched resources as the most common obstacle. And it seems that signing up also does not necessarily indicate that the Code has been adhered to: 47 percent of the early adopters blame the recession for the continued lack of compliance.
“Our research showed that the failure of the Code to gain traction within the industry is largely due to the way in which it has been set up, introduced and administered,” said Franek Sodzawiczny, development director and partner at Sentrum. “By being presented as a voluntary choice, the Code has simply become a toothless guard dog – essentially lacking the tools to police, and enforce, the associated necessary standards.”
Eighteen percent of respondents blamed the low profile of the Code for hindering compliance within the industry, the same number citing a lack of policing. Separately, 27 percent believe a lack of potential financial penalties associated with non-compliance is to blame.
“The net result of this is a failure of the Code to deliver upon its basic remit,” said Sodzawiczny. “Not only are we seeing pathetically poor levels of adoption, but of those who have signed up, 87 percent admit to failing to comply with the Code recommendations.”
Trying to get the industry to focus of the Code during a recession was always going to be a tough proposition, but looking forward, 48 percent said that they were very likely to adopt the Code, compared to just 33 percent in 2009 – but only if future adoption can also be equated to compliance.
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Gartner have scored an own goal here. Totally misjudged the aims of ECOC and the value attached to it by not only the Commission but the dc operators.
Energy consumption represents 12 percent of data centre consumption? Where on earth, (or elsewhere!), do Gartner analysts get this from? If energy consumption were as low as 12 percent, no data centre operator would be particularly worried. If this is analysis at its best we should ALL be worried ... particularly if people might listen to it.
As for failure of adoption of the EU Code of Conduct, the point is rather missed. The code is voluntary but gaining more and more traction all the time. Many tenders, particularly government, require that respondents are participants or endorsers. Non compliance? What says so? Certainly not the EU JRC. Is anyone else qualified to make this statement?
As for Sentrum stating that it is failing to engage with the industry - as an organisation that has failed to become either a participant or an endorser, are they in a position to comment? It appears that they want to criticise a code of conduct that is voluntary and to which they have not bothered to take part. Isn't that rather like crticising the party because you didn't want to go?!
Good points, both of you. Thank you for making them.
Peter Judge
UK Editor
The list of participants on the JRC website is only half the story. I've got first hand knowledge that the code's best practices have had not just a significant impact in the EU but much further afield also.
The USA, Japan, Singapore, Austrailia and others have either adopted large chunks of the code or simply absorbed the best practices into their own state led programmes. Why? Because they are mostly little more than good common sense with some tried and tested methods of how one might implement them.
There are very few data centre people in the EU now that have not heard of the code and most speak positively of it's goals and effect on the industry.
The report misses the point in that it's not about how many names appear on the JRC website but rather how many people use the code, speak about it, promote it, point others to it, etc.
Telecity group are one data centre operator that has proven implementing the code's best practices has made and continues to make good business sense! The code was never about regulation or legislation or about forcing businesses to comply, it's was about making an impact on the ever growing use of energy to ensure it gets used efficiently rather than wasted.
With that in mind I believe it has been successful and will continue to gain traction as the word spreads.
Zahl Limbuwala
Chairman
BCS-Data Centre Specialist Group