Data centers are the lifeblood of modern organizations. Given the volumes of data companies collect, data center security must be a top business priority. Failing to protect your data center risks losing customer trust, brand damage, and non-compliance fines.
These negatives are in addition to typical downsides such as server downtimes and application data loss. So, how should you go about securing your data center?
Here are three best practices to secure your data center at all times.
Examine physical security
Data and security will likely have you thinking of cybersecurity measures. Yet, physical security is one of the most important factors in gauging a data center’s suitability for your business. For starters, check where the data center is located.
Is it in a crowded part of town or isolated from civilization? Is it located in a floodplain? Water and data do not mix well together. You have several choices when choosing data center infrastructure. For instance, when selecting a colocation data center, ask for compliance and maintenance records to gauge the building’s safety.
In the United States, data centers usually follow physical standards defined by the Telecommunications Industry Association. Other physical security measures you must evaluate include building quality and server storage. Are the walls reinforced concrete and server cages locked to the floor?
A good data center also has temperature and condition monitoring systems installed. Servers produce a lot of heat, and you need adequate cooling and monitoring systems to ensure data safety. Humidity and moisture are other conditions your data center security systems must check continuously.
Lastly, check how the building is secured. Do security teams monitor access regularly and around the clock? What does the CCTV network in the building look like? If you’re choosing a third-party service producer, does this company have a history of reliability?
Work through these questions, and you’ll create a picture of your potential data center’s security. If you’re designing one from scratch, keep these points in mind.
Monitor virtual and physical access.
Physical access to a data center is as simple as having personnel check in through a badge system and then monitoring sensitive areas of the building via a CCTV system. Basic infrastructure like door locks and access gates further secure physical access.
Virtual access is a constant challenge in this age of cyber threats, malware, and ransomware. Most security processes were designed to restrict and monitor human access. Recently, malicious actors have leveraged machine-based techniques like microservices and automated jobs to infiltrate systems. These days, machine access dwarfs human access, leaving security teams in a tough spot.
Zero Trust, or ZT, is the best guard against such attacks. It isn’t a system but a philosophy. It requires you to assume every potential actor trying to access your system is malicious until they prove they have the right credentials. This might seem not very optimistic, but given the frequency of machine-based access, ZT is the right approach.
ZT also prioritizes automation in security. Use tools that connect different parts of your data center’s infrastructure and automate access. Implement controls such as time-based access – entities can access data for a limited time before their credentials are revoked.
Automation is also handy when renewing certificates and credentials. This saves your security team time, and teams can focus on monitoring network activity instead of executing clerical tasks.
Monitor backup status
Security is constantly changing as attackers become more sophisticated. As a result, assuming a pessimistic view and preparing for the worst is a good strategy. It gives you a margin of safety and keeps your business running even when disaster strikes.
As a consequence – you can never have enough backups. Make sure you store your backups in a separate location. For instance, do not store your backup on the same system or in the same physical location as your primary data center. Doing so defeats the purpose of having a backup.
Deciding on backup frequency is a critical process. Most companies back up all their data at once. However, this approach assumes all data is equally vital. Instead, take the time to create a data breach risk matrix that prioritizes data based on the risk of a breach to your business.
For example, financial data is riskier than customer success data. Consequently, you must back up financial data more frequently than the latter. If a dataset changes daily, back it up at the same frequency. Some companies choose to run hourly backups, too.
However, it would be best to consider whether this approach makes financial sense. If your business can run smoothly on less data than current, you don’t have to back up those data sets as frequently as they change.
Data center security is paramount.
Data centers are the beating heart of data programs and digital transformation. When evaluating those processes, monitor the physical and electronic aspects of security. The tips in this article will help you secure your data center and build a resilient business.
