Grow your business capabilities: recapitulate the data centre security standards

Global damages due to cybercrime are expected to top US$ 6 trillion in 2021.There are at least 17 types of cyberattacks that threaten data centre security and businesses the world over.

Therefore, it pays to be prepared by implementing stringent data centre security measures. Here, we present some best practices of data centre security that you can implement to protect your facilities.

Best Practices of Data Centre Security

Zero Trust Architecture

As the name suggests, the zero-trust system treats every data iteration, movement, or transaction as suspicious. This method is one of the newest intrusion detection techniques. The platform monitors data flows and network behavior from a command hub in real time. It scrutinizes all those who extract information from the solution and alerts employees or takes away rights from user accounts if it detects an anomaly.

Physical Access Control

It's vital to control the movements of staff and visitors in the data centre. You can install biometric scanners at all entry points and maintain a log of who accessed what system and when. This can help you investigate any breaches that may occur.

Evacuation routes and fire escapes should only permit people to go out of the building. They should not have outdoor handles to prevent re-entry. If a safety door is opened, an instant alarm should be triggered. All entry points for vehicles should have reinforced bollards in place to shield against vehicle attacks.

Endpoint Security

All devices, including servers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, linked to a data centre network are termed endpoints. Data centres provide cage and rack space to customers which may have dubious security standards. If a client doesn't properly secure their server, the whole data centre may be compromised. Hackers can leverage unsecured devices linked to the internet.

For instance, most clients ask for remote access to the PDU (power distribution unit) so they can reboot their servers remotely.  Security is a vital issue in these use cases. Facility providers should carefully secure all systems and devices linked to the internet.

Maintain Entry and Video Logs

Store all entry and video surveillance logs for at least three months. These records can help to identify vulnerable entry points and systems.

Run Security Audits Regularly

You can run regular audits that include quarterly SOC and PCI audits, physical walkthroughs and daily security checks. Physical audits help to authenticate that the actual situations are in conformance with the reported data.

Redundant Infrastructure

Higher data centre tiers employ redundant infrastructure to ensure service reliability and data security. Data centres store the crucial infrastructure required for client companies' operations. Therefore, downtime is an important element in data centre security. If an incident occurs the downtime should be minimal.

It's essential to keep equipment and systems cool all the time as they generate plenty of heat. If the temperatures are too high, equipment could be harmed and therefore all data centres need to properly manage their climate.

Outages can happen due to many reasons, from human error to weather conditions. They can also occur due to power losses or power surges. Data centres should be prepared by having a UPS system in place to ensure equipment and servers remain operational even during an outage.

Building Management Solutions should be Guarded

Security experts know that a data centre can be rendered dysfunctional by targeting its building management solutions. These devices typically need patches as their manufacturers may not have produced them with security in mind. A cyberattack on a sprinkler system in a data centre can impact the numerous servers stored there.

Your prospective clients are sure to ask about the data centre security measures you implement. Therefore, you need to convince them by informing them about the data centre security best practices that you have in place. This can make the prospects select your company over competitors.

STT GDC India has a share of 33% in the Indian data centre market. We operate 21 facilities across nine cities with 197MW of IT load. We have the largest floor area in India spread across over 3.8million sq. ft.