DESIGN & BUILD
A systematically overlooked element of data centre security Although it ’ s the cyber risks and cybersecurity initiatives that are making the big headlines at the moment , Smith urges that physical security is equally as important .
“ When you consider the current climate , we ’ ve seen geopolitical instability , we ’ ve got rogue states , we ’ ve got nation states with malicious actors , and we know that data centres sit under critical national infrastructure . They ’ re a genuine threat or a genuine target for nation states .”
Data is being increasingly targeted . But despite this , Smith explains that physical security is systematically overlooked in favour of its cyber cousin . “ I think that physical security is overlooked 9 times out of 10 ,” Smith asserts .
“ For example , what ’ s not so clear is what we should be putting into a site ( in terms of the software platform , or from a device perspective , such as the cameras ). And I think that ’ s where you have to do the due diligence on the suppliers and understand , have they got the required ISO certifications ? How do they deal with known vulnerabilities ? Do they publish them ? Do they take cyber vulnerability seriously ? Do they go through independent cyber testing ?”
“ They ’ re the things that give you the confidence that you ’ re then working with a manufacturer or supplier who essentially is working from the same hymn sheet as you are , both from a compliance perspective and from a cybersecurity perspective .”
The next wave of physical security technologies Improvements in data collection and analytics capabilities , and the technology required to gather this information , are set to drive major advancements in physical security technologies . datacentremagazine . com 97