Arvada computer analyst organization Demartek was accredited as an EPA test laboratory for the United States EPA Energy Star Data Center Storage program, Dec. 12.
The company (7450 W 52nd Ave. Unit M329), which specializes in performing a variety of hardware and software tests on data storage systems, was awarded with the ISO 17025:2005 accreditation by Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation, Inc. (PJLA). The ISO 17025:2005 is the international standard for testing and calibration results.
“This accreditation gives us the opportunity to do more work,” Demartek President, Dennis Martin said. “We went to the EPA to see what the process was to be accredited and asked [PJLA] to be certified, so we started at the end goal and worked backward.”
According to Tracy Szerszen, president and operations manager at PJLA, meeting the ISO standards shows Demartek’s commitment to the industry.
“Obtaining such accreditation demonstrates their commitment to produce high quality and reliable test results,” Szerszen said. “This requires organizations to develop and maintain a quality management system internally and rigorous testing protocols to continually monitor the performance of test activities.”
To become certified, a company must go through several steps before receiving accreditation. First, the inquiring company must establish a relationship with an accrediting body, which can be found online through the EPA, then the company must apply; prepare for and have a preliminary assessment; review of lab management system documentation; have an on-site assessment of the laboratory management system and its technological competency. Following the assessment, the third-party accrediting body reviews the assessor’s recommendations and determines the final accreditation.
The final accreditation comes after a four-month long application process, which included Demartek’s preparations, on-site assessment and finalizing paperwork with PJLA.
“Now we’re a recognized test lab, we’re eligible to do more work with businesses that make data center storage equipment,” Martin said. “It gets the word out to data centers about being more energy efficient.”
ISO accreditation allows Demartek and other accredited companies to be EPA certified and perform tests measuring businesses’ data storage systems’ energy efficiency on a larger scale.
Demartek specializes in providing research and analysis of server, network, storage and security technologies for small, medium and large enterprises.

A complete list of EPA-certified companies is available here.