[caption id="attachment_4735" align="aligncenter" width="477"] IO.Anywhere modular data center platform can be adjusted to client specifications.[/caption] Modular data center provider IO is the first to be awarded Underwriter Labs’ safety certification for modular data centers, the company announced Sept. 25. The new UL 2755 rating has been given to IO’s IO.Anywhere family of products. Modular data-center operators like IO have claimed that their products can essentially be drop-shipped to customers, resulting in a faster scale-out deployment of needed computing resources. IO refers to this as a Data Center-as-a-Service. The UL 2755 rating safety standard not only covers the installation of servers in a module, but also addresses the safety of power distribution, cooling systems and smoke/fire protection systems—all of which combine together as a system in one "container.” "In the world of cloud computing, modular data centers play a vital role as they signify a key and flexible data infrastructure element for the next generation," Kevin Ravo, UL’s Business Development Director for global high-tech industry, wrote in a statement. "Having an industry standard—such as UL 2755—will provide IT organizations the confidence in the safety of the modular data centers they deploy as part of this next generation infrastructure. We salute IO for becoming the first company to achieve this certification." UL is also setting up a Standards Technical Panel (STP), following the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) process for the publication of UL 2755 as an ANSI Standard. In the international arena, UL has initiated a proposal through the IEC Standards development process to include this in the relevant IEC standard, it said. Underwriter Labs has also developed another rating governing data centers: UL 2640, designed to help data centers more accurately determine and optimize the utilization of server capability. UL 2640 is based on Power Assure's PAR4 methodology, which represents transactions per Watt-second of energy consumption. As the capacity, performance and capabilities increase with every generation of equipment, the PAR4 rating number will be higher, UL noted. "The UL modular data center certification needs to be a must-have requirement for all organizations looking to deploy modular infrastructure," Andreas Zoll, Vice President Engineering and Product Management for IO, wrote in a statement. "The UL standard represents integrity and trust, and we are proud to have this prestigious organization certify that IO.Anywhere is the first product to meet our industry's safety standard." Image: IO