The 2 Types of Data Center Security

In our digital lives, data defines us. And, for the most part, data defines our businesses as well. According to a recent PC World article, credit card and healthcare data will be the most vulnerable its ever been in 2015. This strongly emphasizes the need to ensure top-notch security for our data in our data centers.

Here’s a look into the two different types of data center security and why they’re important.

Physical Security

A physical attack on a data center could lead to a server or data rack being stolen, damaged or incapacitated for a period of time, which could mean that the stored data might be lost or unavailable as well. You can tackle the issue of physical security quite effectively by planning and putting the right security measures in place. For example, to control any leaks at the personnel level, it is important that the workforce at the data center are well vetted, and non-technical staff are allowed to clean or handle data repositories and servers only after adequate training. Security personnel must also be able to to know how to effectively handle a disaster or threat to the security of the data center.

Finally, log books and video cameras are part of the compliance standards for data centers, and the best data centers follow strict guidelines about letting people through the door, even if it is for a meeting or a quick visit. Do not overlook these.

Virtual Security

Virtual or network security could prove to be a bigger problem due to the many ways by which it could be attacked. An experienced hacker could use malware and other means to bypass firewalls and crack passwords to access the data. Legacy systems could also contribute to security loopholes, as they might not offer modern methods of data security. Once the data has been breached, there is no going back and it can lead to a loss of trust in the brand and numerous issues for the customers. This Forbes report mentions that 63% of customers were worried about the security of their data when shopping online, which, in turn, impacted Black Friday sales this past Christmas. Many data centers use collocation to help with network security if the provider uses managed network services to achieve this goal.

It is important to understand industry best practices to provide the best solutions in physical and virtual network security. Some steps include considering the security aspect right from the design stage of your data center, and making sure that security measures do not affect scalability in any way. Other measures could be a physical separation of networks and installing multiple levels of security using strict access control measures.

At Lifeline Data Centers, collocation is just one of the ways in which we ensure the security of your data. Learn more about what we do and who we are by downloading our comprehensive One Sheet:

Rich Banta

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Rich is responsible for Compliance and Certifications, Data Center Operations, Information Technology, and Client Concierge Services. Rich has an extensive background in server and network management, large scale wide-area networks, storage, business continuity, and monitoring. Rich is a former CTO of a major health care system. Rich is hands-on every day in the data centers. He also holds many certifications, including: CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor CRISC – Certified in Risk & Information Systems Management CDCE – Certified Data Center Expert CDCDP – Certified Data Center Design Professional