Introduction
One of the most crucial factors to consider when choosing a data center partner is security. After all, your mission-critical infrastructure will be hosted in a building owned by someone else. The importance of data center security has never been greater, and data leaks and other cyberattacks are becoming a more serious hazard to any company. Learn how to secure and defend your data center, as well as why it’s so critical. Check out the Cybersecurity Course from Great Learning if you want to pursue a career in Cybersecurity.
What is the definition of data center security?
The technical and physical procedures used to safeguard and protect a data center’s assets and resources are called data center security services. It must be protected from both internal and external attacks.
A comprehensive security strategy covers all data center components, including the networks, servers, power systems, and the data and procedures they support. Furthermore, special data center security concerns must be addressed because data centers are a tempting target for threat actors seeking weaknesses.
What is the significance of data center security?
In the first place, why do you need data center security? Whether a data center’s computing workloads are employed primarily for storage, disaster recovery, or supporting applications, they form the backbone of its services. Furthermore, a company’s sensitive data and mission-critical applications provide hackers and other attackers with a gold mine of opportunities.
Data centers are a reliable part of every company’s infrastructure, and many firms rely on their data center assets to offer a safety net when all else fails. A secure data center provides company continuity and gives users the confidence to focus on building their enterprises rather than worrying about the security of their digital assets. Visit the advanced version of Stanford Cybersecurity course from Great Learning to explore more about the subject.
How to Keep a Data Center Safe
A data center is a collection of networking and computing equipment that processes and stores data for a company in one location. Businesses must use virtual and physical measures to defend the data center and secure it. To avoid malware, specific network security measures must be established to protect the organization’s computing assets from attacks and other threats penetrating the data center.
Physical Security
When constructing a data center, location should be a top priority. Certain places must be avoided because they pose security and safety hazards that might result in service outages or outright failures. These are some of them:
- Plants that generate electricity
- Areas along fault lines that are prone to earthquakes
- As planes land, they pass through certain areas.
- Locations near chemical plants
- Hurricanes are prevalent in these areas.
- Tornadoes are more likely to occur in the following locations.
- Seasonal wildfire-prone areas
- Areas at risk of floods
Using strong concrete walls, in addition to the construction above flood planes, may give an additional degree of physical security. Natural calamities and even explosions may wreak havoc on a data center’s physical security, so concrete walls a foot thick or thicker can assist.
Software or virtual security
In data center technology, virtualization is widely used. Virtualization provides a digital infrastructure that supports or replicates a company’s critical systems. Administrators may now administer the data center’s services from anywhere in the world. It also provides more flexibility because software can control the data center’s security and workflows.
Some data centers use virtualization to build access to public cloud services, while others include it within their data centers. While software and cloud solutions such as Soft Layer and Amazon Web Services (AWS) give managers more freedom, they also expose data center assets and systems to cyber risks.
Security is one of the services provided by several data centers to the organizations they serve. Intrusion prevention and detection systems, firewalls, and next-generation firewalls are specific measures (NGFWs). These controls may be used by an organization’s IT administrator to control who has access to the data center’s resources in general—or who has access to specific network portions.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) can also aid in the protection of a company’s data center assets. Users demonstrate their access credentials by combining what they know, such as a password, with something they physically have, such as a phone or flash drive.
Location of the Data Center
A data center that is strategically situated will be located some distance away from other offices or headquarters that are linked with it. A 20-mile radius is a decent rule of thumb, staying at least 100 feet off the major road.
Heavy storms, floods, and severe cyclones have become far more frequent in recent decades. It is critical to safeguard a facility from high-risk man-made and natural disaster zones to keep data safe and secure. Airports, chemical factories, and power plants are examples of high-risk sites where an external force might compromise data, Also you can also look at the data recovery services in Singapore.
Surveillance for security
Nobody likes to watch someone enter a data center and leave a disc holding their information. To guarantee that unauthorized persons do not obtain access to the data center, ask your data center whether they keep a record of who enters the facility and how access to crucial sections is controlled.
Cameras should be put throughout the facility at every entry, exit, and access point to ensure that the building is protected and secure at all times.
Redundancy
If the primary source fails, the data center provides additional equipment, staff, or storage layer.
In the case of a regional power outage or natural disaster, protecting this equipment is critical since it ensures that if one system fails, there is a backup in place. Furthermore, equipment redundancy guarantees that all systems remain operational in the case of a failure.
Redundancy of personnel
Personnel redundancy refers to securing the data center with the assistance of workers or staff when visitors are present. This might happen when contractors or maintenance teams are present in the building. An employee would always accompany visitors in an ideal world, especially if they were conducting maintenance on essential equipment.
Redundancy in storage
Finally, storage redundancy in a data center refers to an extra layer of network security. Many businesses provide a redundant internet connection to various physical infrastructures and carriers, allowing consumers to select the best security option.
Some people may also think about using a private cloud hosting service to give an extra layer of data protection for sensitive data, another benefit afforded to customers concerned with backing up their data assets.
