Cyber-attacks and security breaches are the bane of businesses, in particular, financial institutions.

OCBC Bank has long refused to compromise when it comes to defending against such dangers.

The bank's new regional data center, designed to support the operational requirements of OCBC Group entities for the next 30 years, was purpose-built to ensure security threats are kept firmly at bay for decades to come.

It is also cloud-enabled to support the bank in its move towards a hybrid and private cloud infrastructure.

As a purpose-built facility developed and owned by the bank, the data center is fully designed and customized to the precise needs and requirements of OCBC's business and operations.

Being wholly-owned, it enables the bank to have absolute control on security and physical access and aims to eliminate the risk of unavailability of space or capacity when needed.

It also aims to remove any risks associated with interdependence on other tenants' activities, which is the case in shared facilities.

Fully operational since the third quarter of 2017, the S$240 million facility sits on a land area of 0.5 hectares, equivalent to half the size of a football field, with a built-up floor area of 134,500 square feet across six stories.

It hosts thousands of devices with the expanded capacity to serve the needs of the OCBC Group, including Bank of Singapore, OCBC Wing Hang, Great Eastern, Lion Global Investors and overseas branches across 18 countries.

The facility boasts some of the highest standards in security, resiliency and efficiency in the region, to ensure enhanced security against cyber and physical threats, business continuity even in times of outages, and cost savings from energy efficiency.

The data center was accorded the BCA-IMDA (Building and Construction Authority-Infocomm Media Development Authority) Green Mark Platinum Award, the highest standard attainable in Singapore for energy-saving design, operation and management.

This was achieved by utilising water-based cooling systems and cold aisle containment that reduce the energy required for cooling densely packed servers, and diesel rotary uninterruptible power supply (DRUPS) system that enables efficient power usage.

With 30% more energy-efficiency than other standard data centers in Southeast Asia, it will reap cost savings of up to $0.5 million per annum.