Virtual Event Now Live: Zero Trust Strategies Summit! - Login for Access
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Government

UK Data Centers Gain Critical Infrastructure Status, Raising Green Belt Controversy

The designation of UK data centers as Critical National Infrastructure strengthens cyber defenses, but a proposed £3.75B data center on protected Green Belt land sparks debate.

UK data centers

UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle announced Thursday that data centers in the country are now classed as part of the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). This is the first new CNI designation since the Space and Defense sectors in 2015.

The move is logical and well-received (given the importance of data to the national economy) but has raised eyebrows over praise for a proposed new data center to be built in the ‘protected’ Green Belt region of the country.

“Data centers are the engines of modern life, they power the digital economy and keep our most personal information safe,” said Kyle. “Bringing data centers into the Critical National Infrastructure regime will allow better coordination and cooperation with the government against cyber criminals and unexpected events.”

The primary advantages of inclusion within the CNI are cybersecurity, financial, and regulatory government assistance. Thursday’s announcement concentrates on the security aspects. “CNI designation will, for example, see the setting up of a dedicated CNI data infrastructure team of senior government officials who will monitor and anticipate potential threats, provide prioritized access to security agencies including the National Cyber Security Centre, and coordinate access to emergency services should an incident occur,” says the government.

In other words, a new team of senior government officials will ‘monitor and anticipate potential threats’ (as already done by the security professionals at the NCSC) and then coordinate those threats with those same security professionals at the NCSC.

“Critical National Infrastructure status will also deter cyber criminals from targeting data centers…” adds the government. This is a naive statement – that’s not going to happen. Note, for example, CISA’s recent warning in the US: Russian Military Cyber Actors Target US and Global Critical Infrastructure (September 5, 2024).

UK Data center

Then comes the new data center. “The huge £3.75 billion private investment announced today in Hertfordshire is a vote of confidence in those plans and a clear example of my determination to ensure technological advancements are helping to grow our economy and create wealth across the country,” continued Kyle.

This is slightly misleading since the investment and plans are not strictly yet guaranteed. A planning permission request to allow construction of a massive new data center on Green Belt protected land (the Green Belt is land designated to remain open and rural) was only submitted to the planning authorities on the same day as this CNI announcement.

The company concerned is DC01UK (which suggests ‘data center #1 in the UK’); but little is known about it. According to UKTN, “DC01UK was founded in 2022 but so far has only published dormant company accounts. Two connected companies called DC01AB and DC01 Holdings were incorporated on 30 August 2024.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

DC01UK does have a website, but the website solely announces the proposed new data center – there is no information about the company at all. 

Despite this lack of information about DC01UK, the government’s CNI announcement makes much of this new data center. The CNI designation, “Follows near £4 billion proposed investment in Europe’s largest data center in Hertfordshire which will support almost 14,000 jobs across the country.” And, “It comes as the government today welcomes a proposed £3.75 billion investment in Europe’s largest data center, as plans have been submitted to Hertsmere Borough Council for construction in Hertfordshire by data company DC01UK which will directly create over 700 local jobs and support 13,740 data and tech jobs across the country.”

The CNI designation is good news for the data center industry in the UK. But the strong endorsement for an unknown company that has only submitted a planning proposal for a massive new data center on Green Belt land on the same day as the CNI announcement raises a few eyebrows.

Related: UK Warns of Russian Hackers Targeting Critical Infrastructure

Related: Know Your Adversary: Why Tuning Intelligence-Gathering to Your Sector Pays Dividends

Related: Why Intelligence Sharing Is Vital to Building a Robust Collective Cyber Defense Program

Related: Healthcare’s Ransomware Epidemic

Written By

Kevin Townsend is a Senior Contributor at SecurityWeek. He has been writing about high tech issues since before the birth of Microsoft. For the last 15 years he has specialized in information security; and has had many thousands of articles published in dozens of different magazines – from The Times and the Financial Times to current and long-gone computer magazines.

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join SecurityWeek and Hitachi Vantara for this this webinar to gain valuable insights and actionable steps to enhance your organization's data security and resilience.

Register

Event: ICS Cybersecurity Conference

The leading industrial cybersecurity conference for Operations, Control Systems and IT/OT Security professionals to connect on SCADA, DCS PLC and field controller cybersecurity.

Register

People on the Move

Threat intelligence firm Intel 471 has appointed Mark Huebeler as its COO and CFO.

Omkhar Arasaratnam, former GM at OpenSSF, is LinkedIn's first Distinguised Security Engineer

Defense contractor Nightwing has appointed Tricia Fitzmaurice as Chief Growth Officer.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.