Datacom is one of Australasia’s largest homegrown technology companies, combining deep technical expertise with end-to-end services to deliver sustainable digital solutions for leading enterprises and public sector organizations across New Zealand and Australia. Its specialist teams span cybersecurity, cloud, digital platforms, and applications, while also designing, building, owning, and operating mission-critical data center infrastructure.

With more than 30 years of experience delivering bespoke and flexible data center services, Datacom has built a reputation as a trusted partner, providing secure, resilient, and operationally robust environments tailored to customer needs.In New Zealand, Datacom’s four data centers—Orbit, Kapua, Abel, and Gloucester—are designed, built, owned, and operated by Datacom. These facilities are powered by Mercury and have achieved independent Toitū carbon reduction certification, recognizing the use of 100% renewable energy sources. Datacom employs more than 6,650 people across 26 regional sites. Its ability to deliver local expertise, maintain close customer relationships, and support critical infrastructure operations at scale is a key differentiator.

Data centers operate in an “always-on” environment, where customers depend on uninterrupted service and operational demands can arise at any time. As a full-service data center provider, Datacom supports customers across the entire operational lifecycle—from receiving and managing equipment deliveries to installing racks and IT infrastructure, handling media changes, and securely recycling materials.

“In a business environment that demands high performance every hour of the day, and every day of the week, you must have processes in place that allow you to regularly review your operations, and that provide useful feedback for your team about what is being done well and what could be done better.”

Datacom focuses on maintaining the high standards that underpin its 24/7 operational model and ensuring its customers understand the ongoing commitment to excellence that drives the team. To help achieve this, Datacom chose to work with Uptime to benchmark itself against others in the industry, support its commitment to continuous improvement, and gain trusted third-party verification for its data centers.

“Design and build certifications are largely ‘point in time’ assessments, whereas we wanted a certification that demonstrated to customers how well we run our data centers, day after day, year after year. The M&O Stamp of Approval demonstrates the level of quality that we provide and helps prove that we are different from the competition.”

Datacom values the M&O Stamp of Approval as an objective, outcomes-based evaluation of its data center capability. The assessment provides independent confirmation that Datacom’s data centers are managed to an exceptionally high standard, with consistent focus on risk management, resilience, and operational discipline.

As part of Datacom’s continuous improvement program, the team proactively reviews its processes and procedures. Findings and recommendations from the M&O Stamp of Approval assessments are used as an ongoing quality assurance mechanism, guiding targeted improvements to ensure best-in-class operational performance for customers.

Continuous improvement has long been embedded in Datacom’s data center operations, but the M&O Stamp of Approval has played a critical role in strengthening this culture across teams.

Operating 24/7 facilities places significant demands on personnel, making staff wellbeing, fatigue management, and workforce sustainability essential priorities. Uptime Intelligence research shows that human error remains a leading cause of significant data center outages, reinforcing the importance of strong operational practices and well-supported teams. In fact, poorly defined or executed operational practices are many times more likely to impact a data center’s performance than any other cause.

“One of the key challenges over the last few years for data center operators is attracting and retaining staff. As our industry grows, the challenge is not just finding the right people but making sure we have the right business set up to support our team’s ambitions and their desire to progress. By reviewing and understanding the Uptime’s M&O Stamp of Approval ‘Staffing and Organization Assessment Category,’ we set about delivering a new structure that focussed on staff development and staff welfare. By focusing on staff welfare, career pathways, and robust training, we have in many areas entirely removed the requirement for staff to cover overtime, leading to less hours spent at work thereby reducing staff fatigue. The clear career pathways, supported by robust training, including online courses, and hands-on practical experience has seen a large number of our team upskill quickly and move into more senior roles. The processes and evaluations that underpin the M&O Stamp of the Approval have supported our focus and improvements in this area.”

As Datacom looks to the future, continuous improvement will remain a central focus, along with exceeding customer expectations and enhancing the sustainability of all its data centers.