Ringed With Fibre
Then , on top of that , the location of the data centre also plays a key role in determining the level of risk it faces . Watkins explains that “ natural disasters like hurricanes , floods , and wildfires are on the rise - all of them impacting the ability of data centres to stay online - and are physical security risks in the same way that accidents can happen and terrorists could attack critical national infrastructure .” Green , speaking from personal experience of the data centre site selection process , confirms that security and safety are typically the “ highest priorities ” when choosing a new data centre location . Operators looking to prevent breaches and outages need to consider everything from the site ’ s “ proximity to high-risk areas , such as switch yards and chemical facilities ;” to the “ likelihood of natural disasters , such as earthquakes and hurricanes .” Green adds that a single point of entry is a key consideration since “ open perimeters require more budget to secure and protect . And perimeter protection , done properly , tends to be more expensive than securing the actual building .”
Protecting the Nest When it comes to physically protecting a data centre , Watkins explains that “ to achieve the gold standard , there should be seven layers of physical security : a physical barrier , trembler wire , surveillance cameras , 24 / 7 security guards , vehicle trap , full authentication & access policy control and biometrics .” The key - as with the cybersecurity side of things - is controlling who gets in and who gets out .
Another good way to minimise that threat , he adds , is not to disclose your location . While the idea of an inconspicuous data centre might seem like trying to hide an elephant in a crowd of mice , even simple
Ringed With Fibre
One new technique for keeping data centres physically secure is Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology , which “ taps into fibre optics cables traditionally used for communications to provide continuous monitoring of a perimeter ,” explains Stuart Large , Product Line and Business Development Director at Fotech , one of the firms driving innovation and adoption of DAS tech .
“ The fibre optic cable becomes hundreds of thousands of vibration sensors that detect and track any activity , including vehicle movements , intruders climbing walls , digging or cutting fencing . DAS works by sending thousands of pulses of light along fibre optic cables every second and monitoring the pattern of light reflected back . The fibre optic cable picks up acoustic or vibrational energy from activity around the perimeter , which changes the light pattern reflected back ,” Large explains . “ By using advanced algorithms and processing , DAS analyses these changes to identify and to categorise the disturbance . Each type of disturbance has its own signature ; the technology tells in real-time , what ’ s happening , and where , raising an appropriate alarm .”
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