Why India needs a national datacentre certification program

A standardised strategy can train professionals, bring in more talent, improve the industry eco-system and also make the country an investment destination

India’s datacentre market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.2% from 2023 to 2028, according to a report by IMARC Group. This growth is being driven by the increasing demand for cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence in the country.

The Government of India has taken some steps to support the growth of the datacentre industry, such as launching the National Data Centre Policy (NDCP) in 2016 and the Data Centre Scheme in 2019. However, there are still some gaps in the government policy, such as the lack of a national datacentre certification programme.

A national certification programme would help ensure that datacentre professionals have the skills and knowledge they need to work in the industry.

A national certification programme would help ensure that datacentre professionals have the skills and knowledge they need to work in the industry, which would make India a more attractive destination for investment in the datacentre sector.

There are several reasons why India needs a national datacentre certification programme. First, there have been several high-profile data breaches in India in recent years. These breaches have highlighted the need for better security in datacentres. For example, in 2017, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) erroneously exposed the personal data of millions of Indians. The breach was reportedly caused by a lack of security measures at the IMD’s datacentre. Similarly, a breach at the Indian Railways datacentre revealed passenger information, and this was attributed to unqualified datacentre professionals who lacked training. A national certification programme would help to ensure that datacentres in India meet high standards of security.

There is a shortage of qualified datacentre professionals in India. A national certification programme can provide a pathway to get the training they need.

Second, there is a shortage of qualified datacentre professionals in India. A national certification programme would help address this shortage by providing a pathway for professionals to get the training they need.

Third, the cost of datacentre training can be high, which can make it difficult for people from low-income backgrounds to get the training they need. A national datacentre certification programme could help make training more affordable by providing financial assistance to qualified candidates.

Finally, there is a lack of awareness of the datacentre industry in India. This can make it difficult for people to know about the opportunities in the industry. A national datacentre certification programme could help raise awareness of the industry by promoting it through government channels.

The Government of India too can take several steps to create a national datacentre certification programme.

Such a programme would help to address three key challenges.

Lack of skilled datacentre professionals: The Indian datacentre industry is expected to create 1.5 million jobs by 2025. However, there is a shortage of skilled datacentre professionals in India. A national certification programme would help ensure that datacentre professionals have the skills and knowledge they need to work in the industry.

Inadequate standards for datacentre design and operation: There are no mandatory standards for datacentre design and operation in India. This can lead to datacentre failures, which can have a negative impact on businesses and organisations. A national certification programme would help set standards for datacentre design and operation, which would improve the quality and reliability of datacentres in India.

Lack of awareness of the datacentre industry: Only 1% of students in India are interested in a career in the datacentre industry, according to a NASSCOM report. This demonstrates the lack of awareness of the datacentre industry in India and makes it difficult for people to learn about the opportunities in the industry.

India can follow the example of China, Singapore, China, the UK, and the USA to create a certification program. It would benefit the industry as well as the economy.

Here are four examples of the countries that have such certification programmes and the benefits they have seen as a result:

#1

The USA: The Data Center Certification and Accreditation Programme (DCAAP) has helped ensure that datacentre professionals in the US have the necessary skills and knowledge. This has made it a more attractive destination for investment in the datacentre industry.

#2

Singapore: The BCA-IMDA Green Mark scheme has helped raise the standards of datacentre design and operation in the city-state. No wonder Singapore has emerged as an attractive destination for datacentre businesses.

#3

China: The China Data Centre Certification (CDC) has helped ensure the quality and safety of datacentres in that country. This has helped China attract new businesses in this industry.

#4

The UK: The British Standards Institution (BSI) Kitemark sets standards for the security and reliability of datacentres. India can follow the examples of these countries and create a national datacentre certification programme. This would benefit not only the industry but also the Indian economy.

The vision of a national datacentre policy is to create a more secure, reliable and sustainable datacentre ecosystem in India. The industry is a rapidly growing sector in India, and it has the potential to create millions of jobs and boost the economy. However, the industry faces some challenges, and the lack of a certification programme is one of them. Such a programme would help to address these challenges and also bring more investments in this industry in India.

By Dr. Yogesh Shete

The author is Head of Strategy (International Hubs), NatWest Group.

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