Infomart Data Centers has announced that its Silicon Valley and Portland facilities have been awarded Management & Operations (M&O) "Stamp of Approval" recertification by Uptime Institute, the globally recognized data center authority. Earning recertification of the M&O Stamp of Approval verifies that Infomart's critical facilities management continues to be among the best in the world. Uptime Institute created the M&O process by working with industry-leading firms to develop and institutionalize a set of operating practices and recognized criteria for best-in-class critical infrastructure management and optimal data center performance.

Infomart Data Centers has been a longtime proponent of the M&O Program. The company was a founding member of an M&O Coalition that helped establish the M&O Program Objectives five years ago. Infomart Silicon Valley was the first merchant data center operator to receive the M&O certification and the company's facilities continue to hold several of the highest ratings worldwide. Infomart Silicon Valley is also the only data center provider in the world to earn the Stamp of Approval three consecutive times.

"After receiving our first M&O Stamp of Approval in 2012, we have continued to elevate our game. While the latest M&O Stamp proves we are doing our best to provide maximum availability for our customers, what I value most about the M&O process is that it quantifies our improvement over time," says John Sheputis, president of Infomart Data Centers. "Most certifications are awarded pass / fail. By contrast, M&O results are data-driven and highly informative for our staff. A final report with an excellent score will still highlight where and how to improve. We use the M&O recertification results as feedback on how to continue to be the best in the world."

Uptime Institute's education, research, assessments and consulting span all aspects of business-critical IT infrastructure and facility management. When making an M&O assessment, the advisory organization evaluates wide-ranging criteria, including staffing and organization; preventive and predictive maintenance; personnel training; planning, coordination and management practices; and operating conditions. Unlike other data center operations certifications for security, management controls, and process documentation, the M&O Stamp of Approval is specifically designed for data centers and mission-critical performance.

"We congratulate Infomart Data Centers on achieving M&O Stamp of Approval recertification for its Portland and Silicon Valley facilities," says Lee Kirby, president of Uptime Institute. "With its achievement of the third M&O award at Silicon Valley, Infomart has achieved yet another first and only. Continuous improvement is an ongoing process, and Infomart's commitment to benchmarking and checking progress followed by benchmarking again over the course of six years demonstrates a singular commitment to organizational excellence and service quality. Infomart's client base should continue to rest assured in their choice of merchant and the rest of the industry be put on notice."

In addition to the M&O recertification, Infomart has completed recertification of Statement on Standards of Attestation Engagements No. 16 (SSAE 16) Type 1, SSAE 16 Type 1 SOC 2, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) compliance across all of its fully-operational data centers, including Portland, Silicon Valley and Dallas. Infomart Data Centers is also in the process of securing International Organization for Standardization 27001 (ISO 27001) certification.