Richard Banta has been named the first Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of the International Data Center Authority (IDCA). Rich is a certified Data Center Authority (DCA), Data Center Certified Auditor (DCCA), and Data Center Certified Instructor (DCCI).

He has served as Chairman of IDCA's Technical Standards Committee since 2019, dealing with representatives from numerous leading providers such as Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Bloomberg, Comcast, LinkedIn, AIG, and others. Rich is an accomplished authority and notable stakeholder in the digital infrastructure space with outstanding technical rigor who is driven to lead the digital transformation envelope.

Additionally, Rich holds credentials as a Certified Cybersecurity Auditor, Certified Cloud Security Professional, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certification in Risk & Information Systems Control, and Certified FISMA Compliance Practitioner. Additionally, IDCA has published for its members Rich's thesis on Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), one of the world’s most inclusive and complete papers on the topic.

IDCA Chairman CEO Mehdi Paryavi made the announcement, noting Rich's “extensive passion, knowledge and background in not only the Digital Infrastructure industry, strategically as a whole, but also in the areas of standards, compliance, and innovation with specific and in-depth expertise. By appointing Rich as the CTO, IDCA aims to cater to a greater technical community and serve a deeper and wider spectrum of audience, clients, and partners on a global scale.”

Upon accepting the new role, Rich said, “I've had a great experience working with IDCA and its Technical Standards Committee for these past few years in driving the use of uniform compliance and ways of doing things throughout the variety of initiatives in which IDCA is involved. In my role as CTO, I will now be able to build on this experience and further IDCA's mission to develop Digital Economies throughout the world.”

Prior to founding Lifeline Data Centers in 2001, Rich served as Senior Corporate Systems Consultant with Ascension Health Systems, IT Director and Data Center Manager with Simon Property Group, CTO at Community Health Network, and as a Systems Engineer for IBM and Microsoft systems and software for several organizations. Rich also served in the United States Air Force as a radar technician.

In addition to his recent work as Chairman of IDCA Standards Committee, Rich has been a member of the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity, and a committee chairman with the Central Indiana ISACA Chapter Board. He has led an organization through successful FedRAMP Moderate Readiness Assessment, and is co-inventor of Patent Number: US 10,243,397 B2 “Data Center Power Distribution” and Patent Publication US 2019/0269045 A1 “Electromagnetic Pulse Shield."