UK government says data centers are critical infrastructure, gives them extra protection

Glowing server racks inside a data center.

Data centers in the UK are to be given a significant upgrade in security after the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) reclassified them to be Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).

Data centers are the backbone of most organizations, and thus the backbone of the UK economy, which is why DSIT wants to offer them the same level of protection as energy and water systems. The UK has the highest number of data centers in Western Europe.