CBRE Data Centre Solutions, the world’s leading integrated data centre operations service provider, and Uptime Institute, the global data centre authority, today announced a strategic partnership to enable CBRE to offer its clients the Management & Operations (M&O) Stamp of Approval, the industry’s only operations focused data centre risk assessment solution, as part of CBRE’s Critical Environment Risk Management (CERM^TM) programme.

“Our data centre clients look to CBRE to proactively offer the means to reduce their risks associated with delivering business services,” said Mike Doolan, Chief Reliability Officer, CBRE Data Centre Solutions. “In response, we sought out the industry’s most respected provider of data centre risk assessment services to become an integral part of our risk management programme. By adding Uptime Institute’s M&O Stamp of Approval assessment to our own operational programme, we can make available unparalleled risk identification and mitigation services to our clients.”

Recognizing the similarities and strong alignment between Uptime Institute’s M&O Stamp of Approval and CBRE’s CERM™ programme, clients with whom CBRE manages data centres will be given the option of having their data centre operations independently assessed by Uptime Institute experts at both the site and portfolio level to confirm that the data centres meet Uptime Institute’s demanding and market-tested operational and sustainable standards. Key indicators considered during the assessment will include the review of operational processes in place, expected behaviors and the risk mitigation methods that need to be in place to ensure efficient and effective data centre operations.

CBRE clients will earn the designation by demonstrating superior management and operations, at which point the M&O Stamp of Approval will be “Awarded” to the client by Uptime Institute.

As part of this program, CBRE clients will benefit from a preferential rate for the M&O Stamp of Approval assessment. In addition, CBRE clients will have the ability to amortize the costs of the assessment over the duration of the award period, therefore giving clients the option to budget for the risk assessment as an ongoing operational expense.

“Reducing the risks associated with providing essential business services requires both technical and operational prowess,” said Martin McCarthy, CEO and Chairman, Uptime Institute. “Uptime Institute’s globally adopted M&O Stamp of Approval provides the industry’s only independent validation of operational practices, supporting cost effectiveness, risk management, sustainability and operational efficiency goals. Our new partnership with CBRE extends their CERM™ program further to strategically include a deeper focus on operational efficiency and risk assessment, utilizing Uptime Institute’s proven M&O Stamp of Approval protocol to identify and mitigate risk to ensure CBRE clients’ business runs smoothly.”