The Ins and Outs of Data Center Security

by Shawn Simon on Wednesday, September 18 10:11

A business especially the bigger ones, requires a data center to manage and protect information which are relevant to their business s operations. The data center is the business s facility which houses their computer systems, electronic files, storage systems, telecommunication systems, backup power systems, environmental controls for the offices and buildings, security systems, and the like. Without data centers, businesses would have a hard time coordinating the overall flow of things in their business environment.

These facilities are greatly dependent on modern computer systems, and the technology used to maintain these centers need to be maintained and constantly updated in order to ensure the efficiency of their performance. Because a lot of businesses now rely on technological advancements to further help their businesses flourish, having an updated data center helps increase their business s function at the top productivity.

These data centers protect the business s profitability as well as their reputation and productivity. Because of the great impact that a data center can have on a business s success, it is imperative for business owners to invest on top of the line data center security.

What is data center security for?

Simply put, this is the business s way to protect their operations security as well as the security of their business environment among many others. Because their data centers house important parts of their businesses operations as well as files stored in electronic means, having secured data centers is a must to make sure that everything is protected and that nothing goes amiss.

Data centers are complex systems, and since they house a lot of necessary factors essential for the proper function and optimum productivity of businesses, it is the business owners duty to invest in a good data center security system.

These security systems can take care of the most important systems of the business and help protect them from any external as well as internal threats which may negatively affect the operation of various businesses. While it may sound like a purely technical system, one must understand how data center security is also concerned with matters such as:

• Data and user security
• Network security
• Physical security

A good system encompasses all of these factors along with other more advanced offerings to ensure the security of the businesses data centers and whatever information or equipment are stored inside.

Getting to Know these Security Systems

Because information and other pieces of equipment stored inside data centers are of top performance to the proper operation of the business, it is a must to protect them from breaches. These security systems protect files and systems used by the businesses to operate smoothly.

Data is not a physically tangible thing but because there are pieces of hardware which can be manipulated to store, transport, and even destroy data, data security is a must for businesses in order to keep a good record of their files and to maintain their trustworthy reputation.

Data center security systems should not solely rely on software. To improve the efficiency, these systems ought to be integrated with the existing security given to the infrastructure itself. Some of the most common methods of ensuring security include:

Biometric access control These may range from fingerprint scanning, voice recognition, eye scans, and other similar features. With these security measures, only individuals who have been given the right to access the data centers would be allowed to pass. There must be a strict observance of who else these licensed individuals would take with them especially if they aren t supposed to be in these areas. Password systems Classic but still effective, entering passwords or codes can still be used for these systems. One must remember not to divulge the password or keep any physical copy of it which may be used by outsiders.

Security guards Do not underestimate having the physical presence of security guards in data center premises. They can ward off those who should not be in the area and can give better protection along with the system s security.

Surveillance cameras Should there ever be breaches, surveillance cameras may serve as very useful tools to identify the involved individuals. These can also be used as a remote way to watch over the data center in a more centralized fashion if roving guards are not available.

These are just some of the ways on how a data center can be kept secure and with the continuing improvement of technology, more efficient systems are bound to be developed.