Implementing effective security measures in your data centre is essential for keeping the data, your employees, and indeed your customers safe from any threats – whether those threats are by individuals in person or virtual attacks through the internet alike. Thus, any strategy must be a holistic approach that covers all of the essential elements with equal dependability.
Here, we will discuss the main five considerations of data centre security, beginning with three layers of physical security, before looking at the technology and data itself.
1. Security of the building
The first layer of defence is to ensure that no one can get into the building that houses your data centre, or at least significantly reduce the risk of this happening. Methods of physically securing the boundary include things like external-facing CCTV cameras, access control for entry onto the premises, security lighting, strong fences, a physical security team, and visible signage.
Together, this will deter potential intruders, prevent unauthorised access to the building, and, if unfortunately, someone was to gain entry, provide evidence of any crimes committed.
2. Security inside the building
Say someone was to gain access to the building – the second layer of protection is the physical security inside the building itself. Again, you might use a combination of CCTV cameras capturing all corners of the building, access control, security lighting, and so on.
3. Security within the room where data is stored
The third layer of defence is to consider the physical security within the server room. Once in the room, people will have access to all of the data you have, so even authorised persons should be monitored in the server room in case of potential security threats and suspicious behaviour.
For this, you might consider 24/7 surveillance that captures every inch of the room, as well as alarm systems and speakers so that you can remotely identify, warn, and monitor visitors.
4. Protecting the data centre’s equipment
Technology is at the heart of a data centre’s day-to-day operations. If this equipment was to crash or become damaged, this can cause catastrophic data loss or open up vulnerabilities to potential cyber threats.
In order to ensure that your equipment is kept in working order, you need to ensure that the environment itself meets the necessary conditions. Installing an environment monitoring system will allow you to track temperature, humidity, water leaks, the quality of the air and airflow, and more, allowing you to catch potential issues before any damage can be done.
It does so by constantly monitoring the environment with sensors. The information recorded can then be analysed to spot potential trends and recurring issues, or to even sound the alarm in the event of an emergency.
Another thing you might consider is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) which ensures your equipment has backup power in the event of a surge or outage.
5. Protecting the data
Storing data is subject to stringent rules, laws, and regulations. As such, it is crucial to have the necessary virtual security measures in place to safeguard the data from cyber threats, adhering to strict auditing and monitoring rules laid out by the relevant regulatory body.
In order to reduce the risk of malware or malicious virtual attacks, you will need a robust cyber security plan. This may include using tools that monitor and review all traffic and activity, alongside risk management and automatic threat detection to identify any activity that might be suspicious.
