Data Center Security: How Safe Is Your Data?
Your data is at the core of what you do. Invest in its protection.
Articles published November 17, 2020 by Stephen Webb
Most, if not all, businesses generate some kind of data. This could either be critical business data tied directly to the inner workings of your organization, or sensitive consumer information. The data you collect impacts business decisions and is likely a vital part of your daily operations.
Data management is the practice of collecting, keeping, and using data in a secure and efficient way. If your business collects and stores data, then it’s your responsibility to be proactive and protect that information. Collected data is typically stored alongside essential applications and software on cloud-based or on-premises servers, which are in turn housed in data centers.
What Are Data Centers?
Cisco defines a data center, at its simplest, as “a physical facility that organizations use to house their critical applications and data.” Modern data centers rely on network virtualization to support applications and store information across physical infrastructure and cloud environments.
There are four main types of data centers that businesses utilize:
- Enterprise data centers: data centers owned and operated by individual companies
- Managed services data centers: data centers owned and operated by a managed services provider, where a company leases equipment and infrastructure
- Colocation data centers: data centers where a third party hosts the infrastructure and individual companies rent space and provide and manage their own components
- Cloud data centers: off-premises data centers hosted by a cloud services provider
Aureon provides scalable and cost-effective cloud hosting and data center services for businesses of all sizes. Our data centers primarily fall under the managed services category. In addition, Aureon also offers colocation services.
What Is Data Center Security?
Data center security refers to the policies, practices, and precautions that keep a data center secure from threats, attacks, and unauthorized access. These safety precautions include physical security measures implemented on-site at data centers, as well as virtual security measures.
Examples of physical security measures at data centers include:
- Location away from areas prone to flooding and natural disasters
- Limited entry points that are only accessible by authorized personnel
- Surveillance equipment and/or security guards monitoring the premises
- Employee badge readers and, in certain instances, biometric systems
- Chemical fire suppression systems instead of sprinklers
Examples of virtual or network security measures at data centers include:
- Multi-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access
- Regular security audits to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities
- Managed firewall solutions to protect hardware and software
- Multiple layers of redundancy aka the duplication of critical components
- Data encryption, alongside backup and data recovery measures
- Network virtualization using cloud environments
Distributed Denial of Service (DDos) attacks, information theft, data alteration, and data loss are common security problems that data center security measures are trying to prevent.
While external threats are becoming increasingly common, internal attacks, whether intentional or unintentional, are the largest cybersecurity threat for most organizations. Employee education and the development of companywide user security standards are ideal defensive measures.
Data Center Design Tiers
There are four tiers used to classify data center design. A Tier 1 data center offers the lowest level of physical protection and lacks a backup system, meaning there is little to no redundancy. Meanwhile, a Tier 4 data center has a “fault-tolerant site infrastructure,” meaning there is a backup for every component in the system and one fault won’t result in downtime.
Managed IT Services That Boost Data Center Security
An investment in managed IT services, including the expertise and security enhancements that complement these services, is a cost-effective way to protect your sensitive business data.
Managed IT services that directly boost data center security include: proactive care solutions; network and data security services; firewall and network security; virtual desktop and server hosting; and business continuity services, including data backup and disaster recovery.
How Safe Is Your Data?
Not having a plan in place to protect your critical business data can result in large financial losses and potential lawsuits if consumer data is involved. It could even mean the end of your business. It is essential that you take a step back and assess your organization’s cybersecurity strategy, including companywide measures to protect the data you collect. Seek out help if needed.
Are you confident that your data is safe from cyberattacks?