EN 50600: The European standard for data centers
Appropriate measures must be taken to ensure the physical security and availability of IT infrastructures. In this context, the European standard EN 50600 offers a holistic approach to the planning, construction and operation of data centers.
In the form of different requirements, it provides planners, installers and operators of data centers with a comprehensive guide.
Our experts provide comprehensive services to help you plan, operate or expand your data center on the basis of EN 50600 in accordance with the latest state of the art.
Independent proof of physical security & availability
With an EN 50600 certificate, you objectively prove that your data center meets the extensive requirements of the standard for physical security & availability.
Reduction of availability restrictions & outages
You systematically identify potential security risks & thus reduce the risk of availability restrictions or failures of your data center.
All-round safety package thanks to TSI.ECOSYSTEM
We offer you a complete service package: from workshops to concept, planning & and conformity assessments to successful certification.
What is EN 50600?
EN 50600 is a European standard for data centers that uses a holistic approach to provide comprehensive specifications for the planning, construction, and operation of data centers.
It defines requirements for the planning of the trades, building construction, electrical supply, air conditioning, cabling and security systems, and specifies criteria for the operation of data centers. EN 50600, created by the European standardization body CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization), offers various degrees of freedom and is understood to be a modular system up to a certain point. First and foremost, EN 50600 is a standard that is applied to new data center buildings. It defines the requirements for expert opinions and analyses in advance of the planning and construction work.
While the ISO management standards that are just as relevant in the data center environment, e.g. ISO/IEC 27001, focus on the organizational and process-related level, the requirements of EN 50600 focus on physical security and availability. The standard, which is valid throughout Europe, is special among a large number of guidelines and best practices in that the results were developed in a Europe-wide standardization and coordination process.
Whitepaper download: What you need to know about the EN 50600
Our free whitepaper is focused on providing an overview of the European standard for data centers EN 50600 and how a data center operator can reach a conformity to the standard.
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Your benefits at a glance
Proof of physical security & availability
A certificate according to EN 50600 proves comprehensive safety measures according to the current state of the art.
Identification of improvement potentials
Within the scope of an evaluation according to EN 50600, you uncover possible improvement potentials at an early stage.
Minimization of risks & downtime
By identifying vulnerabilities, you reduce availability restrictions or even outages.
Trust with customers & business partners
With an EN 50600 certificate, you give customers & business partners security with regard to your data center.
Higher competitive advantages
With the help of an EN 50600 certificate you will stand out from your competitors & benefit from competitive advantages.
Reduction of operating costs through efficiency
By improving the energy efficiency of your data center, you simultaneously reduce ongoing operating costs.
Europe-wide comparability
You objectively prove that your data center meets the requirements of the EN 50600 standard, which is valid throughout Europe.
Security in the awarding of planning contracts
Certification gives you peace of mind when planning new data centers.
Our services around the EN 50600
Training
Our training provides an in-depth insight into the Trusted Site Infrastructure (TSI) method in the context of EN 50600.
Workshop
Project-specific preparation for an examination or certification according to EN 50600.
Environmental Risk Analysis
Conduct site assessments to ensure an optimal starting point for the data center being planned.
Planning evaluation
Support in planning & conceptual design of your data center according to the requirements of EN 50600.
Certification
Implementation of certification according to EN 50600 based on the criteria catalog TSI.EN50600.
Conformity assessment
Systematic identification of potential risks and weaknesses of a data center.
Whitepaper download: Data Center Construction According to EN 50600
Our whitepaper "Data Center Construction According to EN 50600" will familiarize you with the requirements for data center construction according to EN 50600 2-1 and the corresponding risk analysis.
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TSI.EN50600: Basis for evaluation & certification according to EN 50600
The basis for an evaluation and certification according to EN 50600 is the TÜV NORD GROUP's own criteria catalog TSI.EN50600. TSI.EN50600 adopts the proven systematics from TSI.STANDARD and maps all requirements of EN 50600, parts 1-3, into test criteria. The criteria catalog thus makes the standard, which is designed as a guideline, testable and certifiable.
The certificates document that the data center
■ complies with EN 50600,
■ has realized one of 4 availability classes,
■ has implemented at least protection classes 1-3 and
■ has energy efficiency capability according to one of 3 levels of granularity.
The latest version V2.1 of the TSI.EN50600 dated 01.01.2024 replaces the previous version V2.0 dated 1.4.2020 and will be agreed as the basis for testing in future evaluation and certification projects.
The criteria aspects of the TSI.EN50600 criteria catalog
The criteria catalog is divided into nine thematically separated evaluation areas. These are in detail:
ENV: Environment
POW: Power Supply
CON: Construction
ACV: Air Conditioning & Ventilation
FIR: Fire Protection & Extinguishing Systems
ORG: Organization
SEC: Security Systems & Organization
DOC: Documentation
CAB: Cabling
Optionally, there are two further assessment areas that lead to supplementary test statements and possibly also to further certificates.
EFF: Energy Efficiency
The EFF assessment area adds an energy efficiency statement to the EN 50600 certificate.
PoC: Proof of Concept
The POC assessment area contains requirements for a supplementary procedure to prequalify standardized, modular data center concepts. Providers of these concepts can thus obtain a so-called EN 50600 | ready certificate.
The EN 50600 at a glance
Structure & composition of EN 50600
EN 50600 has been published gradually since 2012 in ten parts and subparts:
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EN 50600-1: General aspects for design and specification
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EN 50600-2-1: Building construction
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EN 50600-2-2: Power supply
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EN 50600-2-3: Control of ambient conditions
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EN 50600-2-4: Telecommunications cabling infrastructure
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EN 50600-2-5: Fuse systems
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EN 50600-3-1: Information for management and operation
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EN 50600-4-1: Overview/general requirements for performance indicators
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EN 50600-4-2: Key figure for energy used
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EN 50600-4-3: Share of renewable energies
Availability classes of EN 50600
The availability classes of EN 50600 are applied to the power supply, the cooling supply and the cabling. The classes differ according to EN 50600-1 as follows (the exact distinction can be taken from the criteria catalog TSI.EN50600):
Availability class 1
Low availability. Design without redundancies based on a supply path.
Availability class 2
Medium availability. Design with partial redundancies based on a supply path.
Availability class 3
High availability. Design with redundant components based on multiple supply paths. Solution for maintenance during operation.
Availability class 4
Very high availability. Design with system redundancies based on multiple supply paths. Fault-tolerant, except during maintenance.
Protection classes & granularity levels according to EN 50600
EN 50600 distinguishes between 4 protection classes, which are associated with various properties for burglary protection, fire protection, smoke protection and protection against environmental hazards. They describe the properties of rooms with regard to unauthorized access, internal environmental events (e.g. fire) and external environmental events. At least 3 protection classes are to be formed.
In addition, the standard differentiates 3 levels of granularity that relate to the capability for energy-efficient operation. The classification is based on measurements of the energy supply and the ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
What is the relationship between ISO/IEC 22237 & EN 50600?
ISO/IEC 22237 is the international sister to EN 50600 and thus also offers a holistic approach to the planning, construction and operation of a data center.
With regards to the already published ISO parts, it can be seen that the requirements have been transferred virtually unchanged from the EN to the ISO standard. This makes it possible to optionally obtain an additional ISO 22237 certificate over and above the EN 50600 certificate, which confirms the conformity with the already published parts 1, 3 and 4 of ISO 22237.
Your way to the EN 50600 certificate
1.
Workshop (optional)
For the best possible preparation for assessment & certification according to EN 50600, it is recommended to hold a workshop.
2.
Document review
Our experts check the documents you create with regard to the requirements of EN 50600.
3.
On-site audit
The document review is followed by an on-site review of the planned & implemented measures in your data center.
4.
Preparation of the assessment report
You will receive all results of the document review & on-site audit in the form of a meaningful & detailed audit report.
5.
Certificate issuance
If your data center meets the requirements of EN 50600, you will receive the certificate you are aiming for from us (validity 2 years). After two years, a re-certification can be performed to award the certificate for another two years.
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