NEWS
Cold winter could freeze data centre construction progress , warns temperature control expert
State-sponsored hackers and ransomware gangs are diversifying tactics
Freezing temperatures in the Nordics region and parts of North America may cause serious issues for data centre construction already delayed by COVID-19 , warns temporary temperature control specialists , Aggreko . For the Nordics region , which will see temperatures of – 15 º C to – 30 º C over the winter months , cold weather-related obstacles for data centre construction and maintenance could result in vital facilities not being operational for the entire winter .
While operators and providers in the region may have planned construction phases , like excavation , to be carried out before the ground freezes , COVID-related delays may mean that such stages have been pushed back . It is at this point where data centre providers need to implement temporary heating to thaw the frozen ground for excavation to continue . For facilities further on through the construction phase , rooms may need to be heated to a certain temperature for contractors carrying out installations to meet local legislation and aid safe and productive work .
Providing temporary heat may also be vital to ensuring ambient conditions are kept stable , so installation of electrical and mechanical infrastructure conforms to manufacturers ’ guidelines . Precautions also need to be taken with on-site generation , through both permanent and temporary rental solutions . Operators must consider whether equipment has been winterised , the fuel lines and storage tanks are correctly insulated and understand when additional trace heating may be required .
Some of the world ’ s most skilled nation-state cyber adversaries and notorious ransomware gangs are deploying an arsenal of new opensourced tools , actively exploiting corporate email systems and using online extortion to scare victims into paying ransoms , according to the 2020 Cyberthreatscape Report from Accenture .
Leveraging Accenture ’ s cyberthreat intelligence ( CTI ) capabilities , the report – which Accenture Security produces annually – examines the tactics , techniques and procedures employed by some of the most sophisticated cyber adversaries and explores how cyber incidents could evolve over the next year . The report includes research contributions from Context Information Security and Deja vu Security , which Accenture acquired in March 2020 and June 2019 , respectively . Those acquisitions built on several others this year – including
Symantec ’ s Cybersecurity Services business and Revolutionary Security – demonstrating Accenture ’ s continued commitment to scaling its cybersecurity services for clients .
“ Since COVID-19 radically shifted the way we work and live , we ’ ve seen a wide range of cyber adversaries changing their tactics to take advantage of new vulnerabilities ,” said Josh Ray , who leads Accenture Security ’ s Cyber Defence Practice globally .
“ The biggest takeaway from our research is that organisations should expect cybercriminals to become more brazen as the potential opportunities and pay-outs from these campaigns climb to the stratosphere . In such a climate , organisations need to double down on putting the right controls in place and by leveraging reliable cyberthreat intelligence to understand and expel the most complex threats .” •
20 INTELLIGENTCIO www . intelligentcio . com