SIA launches data centre advisory board

Author: Joe Peck

The Security Industry Association (SIA), a trade association for global security solution providers, has launched a new Data Center Advisory Board to provide guidance on data centre security matters to its Board of Directors and to support SIA members with relevant resources.

The group will be chaired by Jim Black, Senior Director and Security Architect at Microsoft, who has been involved in the company’s cloud and data centre operations since 2011.

The establishment of the advisory board comes as global demand for data centre capacity continues to rise, driven by artificial intelligence, cloud services, and other digital technologies.

As facilities that host large volumes of sensitive information, data centres face increasing pressure to maintain robust and resilient security practices.

A focus on collaboration and guidance

According to SIA, the Data Center Advisory Board will contribute to the development of guidance and information related to security deployments, encourage collaboration between security providers and data centre security professionals, and engage with SIA’s government relations team on legislative and regulatory matters where relevant.

In his role at Microsoft, Jim is responsible for defining security technology strategy to protect assets and personnel across a global portfolio of more than 400 data centres.

He holds several professional certifications, including Certified Protection Professional and Physical Security Professional from ASIS International, as well as Certified Information Systems Security Professional from ISC².

Commenting on his appointment, he notes, “The data centre industry is experiencing unprecedented growth and heightened risks driven by emerging technologies and global operational challenges.

“I am honoured to serve as SIA’s inaugural Data Center Advisory Board Chair and look forward to working with this accomplished group of industry experts to advance and publish modern security standards that will strengthen cloud critical infrastructure protection worldwide.”

Don Erickson, CEO of SIA, says Jim’s experience makes him well suited to the role, commenting, “The Data Center Advisory Board is an important venture for SIA, and we are very pleased that it will be able to benefit from Jim’s experience and expertise in data centre security from its inception.

“Jim has for many years been an enthusiastic and generous supporter of SIA, contributing to multiple groups and projects that have advanced the industry’s professionalism and knowledge base. We are excited about what the advisory board will accomplish under his leadership.”