ISLAMABAD: In a significant step towards enhancing data accessibility and obtaining international recognition, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has announced the establishment of cutting-edge data centre.

The centre represents a groundbreaking initiative to digitally empower universities and fortify their IT infrastructure.

According to a statement, the newly established data centre at NED University Karachi has earned acclaim on the global stage.

HEC has been granted the esteemed “design document certification” by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) 942, marking an achievement for the nation and a significant boost for Pakistan’s IT sector.

“The TIA 942 standard, renowned as a benchmark for data centre design and construction, has bestowed a ‘Rated3’ certification upon HEC’s design. This certification plays a pivotal role in ensuring the quality, reliability, scalability, security and operational efficiency of cutting-edge data centres,” it stated.

“HEC is committed to facilitating varsities by providing them with high performance servers catering to cloud computing and High-Performance Computing (HPC), advanced storage solutions and robust networking capabilities,” it stated.

“The Data Centre will also facilitate high-speed, secure, and reliable access to data, offering a significant advantage to researchers at Pakistani universities.

“It will also offer joint and collaborative opportunities for Research and Development thus enabling seamless data sharing, online education and access to shared computing facilities to foster collaborative initiatives,” it stated.

Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad and Executive Director HEC Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum have congratulated the whole IT team of HEC on this achievement and thanked NED University for their support.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2023