security
CENTRE STAGE
Rob Cooper of IO UK highlights the importance of securing the data centre in a digital age .
Businesses must not underestimate the value of their data . Regardless of their industry , data is the new and potent currency of business . Targeted advertising , predictive analytics and data driven decision making have all transformed data from a resource that is accrued as a business by-product to a commodity on which whole industries can be built . It ’ s important to note that much has been written about the potential of Big Data , however increasingly , the cyber security that surrounds it has taken centre stage in news headlines and the business boardroom .
It ’ s almost nine years since the seismic data breach suffered by US retailer Target and cyber risk has only moved up the boardroom agenda since . So much so that CEOs are increasingly taking direct responsibility when the worst happens and a breach occurs . Dido Harding , CEO of TalkTalk , was front and centre last year when the details of more than 150,000 users were leaked online . More recently , CEO Marissa Mayer has been held publicly accountable by politicians and the media following the massive Yahoo data breach that was discovered this summer . It ’ s clear this data security is an issue that executives can ’ t ignore .
Insider threats Recent research from PWC found that a third of businesses now consider insider threats to be more costly or damaging than external threats . This has interesting ramifications for the physical security of a company ’ s data . Access to a company ’ s physical data footprint is typically only granted on a very limited basis , to appropriate employees or contractors . However , there is a limit to the degree of security that a conventional office building can provide for critical data systems . The benefits of keeping your data off site in a data centre extend far beyond a cheaper cost per square foot .
The critical importance of data in today ’ s economy means many businesses must ensure their systems are kept running , without fail , at all times . With this in mind , the threat of business interruption includes everything from denial-of-service ( DOS ) attack to power failure . This is why the locations for data centres are so meticulously and precisely chosen . Colocation providers look for sites that are away from fault lines , flood plains or flight paths . They are usually set back from , or raised above , nearby roads and tend to be built in remote locations outside of major cities to lower the potential risk from terrorism . All of these steps are taken to minimise the risk of unforeseen circumstances taking a company ’ s mission critical data offline .
Data centres are also able to offer a far more comprehensive supporting environment for critical data equipment than can be achieved in an on site facility . A network of fully redundant subsystems and back up security infrastructure exists to make sure the chance of business interruption is kept to a minimum . A full complement of dual-power facilities , connectivity routes and cooling systems are maintained to allow data centres to cope with a failure in any of these fundamental utilities . On top of this scrupulous back up structure , data centres offer more control around access points and dedicated surveillance capabilities .
Modular approach However , not all data centres offer the same level of resilience and security provisions . A modular approach in a Tier 4 data centre , for example , adds a crucial layer of security by allowing organisations to customise the physical access to their data stack . Biometric and logical technology including iris scanners , fingerprint touch pads and varying authority levels can all be installed to ensure that access to the footprint of an organisation ’ s data is appropriately limited . Businesses can recreate their own security environment within the confines of an already secure facility . This environment can also be rapidly
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