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CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS
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Q & A : Mark Green , LMG
How does site selection change the physical threat landscape facing a data centre ? “ Security and safety are typically the highest priority in data centre site selection . To prevent physical breaches , the following need to be considered : proximity to highrisk areas , such as switch yards and chemical facilities ; likelihood of natural disasters , such as earthquakes and hurricanes ; single entry point into the facility .
It ’ s also worth stating that open perimeters require more budget to secure and protect . And perimeter protection , done properly , tends to be more expensive than securing the actual building .”
Is it harder or easier to secure a massive hyperscale campus or a smaller site ? “ Again , perimeter plays a big part in this . The larger the perimeter , the more difficult it is to secure . That said , once the perimeter is secured , breaches are reported to the data centre control room , so operationally they are not harder to manage . Larger campus buildings inside the perimeter are just as easy to protect if entry and exit points are kept to a minimum and include a singularity test at each entry point – usually an airlock .”
What are some of the reasons that people might try to physically breach a data centre ' s security ? “ There are many reasons why people might try to physically breach a data centre ’ s security features . They may have grievances against the host company and want to disrupt their services . Or , in more extreme cases , they may want to compromise the national security assets of a geopolitical rival .”
108 December 2021