CNA has announced that the independent advisory organization Uptime Institute has been named the newest member of its Allied Vendor Program.

CNA recognizes Uptime Institute for the creation and administration of the Tier Standards and Certifications for Data Center Design, Construction and Operational Sustainability, which help owners and operators mitigate risk and improve the performance of business-critical infrastructure.

Once these standards are implemented, data center owners and operators may experience fewer and shorter-lasting incidents. As a result, any insured who demonstrates commitment to these standards may qualify for more competitive insurance policy terms and pricing with CNA.

“Data outages or interruptions can be catastrophic, and we are continuously looking at ways to help our customers reduce their risk exposures. Even simple incidents can cost millions in lost revenues and significantly impact customer satisfaction,” said Stephen Douglas, risk control consulting director, CNA. “Uptime Institute helps CNA’s customers lower that risk through its Tier Certification of Operational Sustainability and M&O Stamp of Approval programs.”

“CNA recognizes the importance of Uptime’s data center management process certification as one of the most significant ways to reduce the number of incidents and limit their severity, which results in reduced downtime and its expense,” said Lee Kirby, President, Uptime Institute. “Uptime is proud to join CNA’s Allied Vendor Program to bring these savings to a larger number of owners and operators. Membership in CNA’s Allied Vendor Program enables more owner-operators to take advantage of the operational excellence we have seen in 1,000 data centers across the globe, while reducing their overall insurance costs.”

In 2007, CNA developed its Allied Vendor Program to provide its customers with access to additional risk control programming designed to create safer, more secure work environments. This program remains a key resource for providing tools to assist policy holders in mitigating risk and strengthens CNA's commitment of providing customers more than an insurance policy.