Business organizations have various forms of data required for business activities and they use outsourced solutions to manage the data as well as ensure data security. Typically, they may have an in-house security solution or have an external security agency provide the service required. However, cyber theft and attack are common issues in data centres. Data centre managers should take physical security also into account along with cyber security when managing data centre operations to keep cyber threats away.
- Concentrate on the biggest threat: According to a Ponemon Institute study in 2016, the lack of good clean power is responsible for 31 percent of unplanned data centre outages. A company should make its best investment in physical security to deal with the issues involving data centre power. A remedy to this solution is to achieve Tier 3 (Concurrently Maintainable status in the data center) which equips every device with dual power and fully redundant power distribution system. Tier 3 data centers can run the equipment even if they lose UPS or generator power. It also lets data centre operators perform regular maintenance on power equipment and test the capacity and failover without threatening actual operations. This is one of the best ways to keep the systems running smoothly.
- Set up high standards for access control: Human data entry error is another major cause for data breach. The first step to rectify this problem is to focus on cleanliness and documentation. Data centres should not have uninstalled gear, cardboard box, spare cables or unlabeled device in the systems, since these can draw human error or insider attack closer. The incoming and outgoing of all data should not be entertained without a paper trail and no data should go into the rack without proper labelling and documentation in an online system. Use of identification cards and biometrics and the need to specify the reason for every entrance are valuable tools to control access. To ensure that the standards are being adhered to, IT managers must inspect the system regularly. In the case of agencies that operate preproduction, test, development hardware along with production equipment, all these systems should be set up in different rooms with different standards for access. Agencies should also separate building networking infrastructure from data centre network infrastructure.
- Choose a wise data centre location: Choosing an apt location for data centre location is crucial. It is important to avoid areas that are frequently hit by natural disasters like hurricanes, tornados, floods etc, also avoid areas near airports, railroads, parking garages, and highways too as these places are easily prone to chemical spill or fire. Places in proximity to facilities like military operations, medical facilities, embassies etc. should also be avoided as it can cause collateral damages. Data centres should be set up near areas with good and cheap power and high speed tele-communication services. Agencies can see the security benefits by colocating their datacentres within a telecommunication or hosting facility. Sites should also be selected and buildings constructed to withstand security problems.
Cyber attacks and theft are common issues in data centres but the above measures can help in improving the protection of data against all cyber attacks. Choosing a reliable business process outsourcing solutions provider is also important to ensure the confidentiality of data and prevent data breaches.
