Chris Marsden, CEO

For data center security, businesses need to implement the best possible strategies, not just for compliance reasons but to ensure the safety of data as this resources grows in both value and importance. According to the Boston Business Journal, modern efforts in building access control have to include biometrics to ensure complete protection.

Corporate security means are evolving at a promising pace, which is important because so are the capabilities of criminals seeking illegal and unauthorized access to firms’ data. The value of data continues to rise as enterprises focus on new ways to leverage information for profits and drive enterprise growth through it. This makes it more appealing and lucrative for criminals to acquire it by whatever means they can. Cybersecurity was the buzzword of the 2000s, but during this decade data thieves have started to bypass firewalls altogether by turning towards more antiquated methods to gain direct access to what they want.

In the 1900s, a criminal could assume a fake identity and gain access to nearly anywhere if he or she was clever enough. A focus on security over the last 100 years has made this much more difficult, and finally, with the migration to computers, companies could keep a thief from getting his or her hands on information by storing it digitally. The criminals adapted and hacking become the new breaking and entering of corporate espionage. However, rather than try to keep up with these technologies, spies and opportunists have decided to take a step backward and returned to social engineering to get what they want. Now faking a name badge or ID card and knowing your way around an IT service desk can gain someone access to a server rack that he or she shouldn’t have, and all those expensive, digital security methods are useless to stop them.

By investing in high-quality biometrics technology, companies can protect their most important asset from both ends, eliminating unauthorized access to server rooms and optimizing the protection of their data for the criminals of the 21st century. This method of ensuring data center security will be essential , and making the right investment into scalable, high-quality biometrics will help a firm adapt as needed over time to ensure continued protection.

Colocation seems to becoming a more popular way for companies to avoid high costs related to disaster recovery and preparedness. However, as more firms turn to colocation centers to protect their data, they need to consider their data center security needs as well.

According to CBR Online, cost efficient disaster recovery solutions are becoming a top priority for most companies, especially small businesses, to the detriment of data center capabilities in some cases. In fact, some firms are sacrificing reliability for cost, a situation no company should risk.

“DR is going through some changes – a lot of users are moving from a gold standard to a more cost efficient model where they know there may be a slightly increased failure but they are able to save substantial costs,” Rakesh Kumar, VP of research at Gartner, noted about the trend.

In order to avoid sacrificing security, reliability or cost, businesses should consider investing in dedicated server rack security within their colocation strategy. By deploying biometric technology, companies can protect their data better than ever and still benefit from the savings of a colocation data center.

In a recent guide to selecting the right colocation provider, TechTarget included customization as a key consideration for businesses.

“While colocation data centers are set up as lights-out operations, customers still can be on-site to manage their systems when needed,” the news source noted. “It’s one way that colocation differs from cloud hosting. If the colocation company meets these requirements, compare its managed services, specialization and other factors to choose your partner.”

Any firm concerned with the security of their colocation-based servers that wants to optimize both disaster recovery and reliable protection should ensure they are investing in a provider that allows for on-site management customization to include biometric security measures. As such, a business can eliminate the risk of another firm the provider services accessing its data, or other forms of unauthorized access. While colocation centers are necessarily less secure than other options, this also offers peace of mind.

Colocation is a key opportunity for businesses, especially SMBs, to keep their data center costs down without sacrificing quality, reliability or security. Firms need to ensure they aren’t putting their own operations at risk by not taking advantages of these opportunities. The right partnership could help companies optimize their workflow, data protection and IT budget.

Context is a critical component of optimizing biometric security for building and server room access. Without context, businesses won’t be able to properly manage access control, easily update authorization lists or update their security measures when needed. Furthermore, evolving biometric technology use in the consumer market is affecting the context of its use in building access and data center security. For businesses not currently utilizing biometric security, there are many benefits. Faster, more efficient control of who can and can’t access facilities or specific rooms, as well as more fine tuned access control for server rack security, can help firms optimize their total data protection capabilities without limiting the workflow of engineers and server maintenance personnel. At the same time, these technologies can provide peace of mind in an overarching sense as firms look to boost their control over who exactly has access to one of their most vital resources.

When it comes to data center security, the context of biometric technologies may go beyond what most companies realize. Authentication and authorization are just the initial steps of this context, which also extends to personnel management and dual security purposes. Firms aren’t just protecting their facilities or servers from unauthorized access, they are creating a closed circuit of security that establishes multiple safeguards against intrusion. Companies can even reverse the protection, requiring biometric pass​ codes to exit as well as enter a room, effectively locking down potential bypasses.

However, the context of full biometric security also extends beyond the hardware to the management software used to monitor, control, alter and report on security needs and activities. Within the proper context of full building security, this software will be at the same quality level or beyond that of the fingerprint scanners and other biometric tools used to authorize entry. This software will need to be scalable to personnel needs, while maintaining its own internal security to protect from cyber​ threats.

Optimizing building security is a well-rounded effort. Having the solutions that incorporate all of the necessary functions and features will provide peace of mind and fully-exclusive protection that modern businesses need, whether operating in a closed facility, a colocation solution or another data center option. Optimizing security in such a way that eliminates risk and helps ensure that the workflow needs to engineering and maintenance personnel aren’t interrupted for security’s sake either.

Data security is one of the top concerns any business needs to deal with, regardless of industry, size or scope. Without high-quality data center security in place, firms could be breaking federal and state laws, putting their customers at risk and hindering their own success rates. However, developing a top quality strategy for security compliance can be tricky, and companies need to ensure several factors are in place to see success.

When it comes down to it, data protection is about limiting access to information, keeping unauthorized persons out while ensuring that access is easy for legitimate personnel. One of the most used strategies to accomplish this is encryption, but encrypted data is still steal-able, and worst yet, slows down processes so that businesses have to take extra time to actually use that information when it is needed. A better way to fully protect data is to secure it at the source, in the server itself.

The key to accomplishing high-quality server rack security is access control. Implementing a successful access control strategy will require several steps, and firms will need to accomplish them in order to ensure their solution meets operational, compliance and reputation needs.

Internal audit
The first thing any business should do when reassess its data security is perform a full audit of its data needs and uses. By having a comprehensive understanding of current operations, an enterprise will know full well how to optimize the flow of information, and in turn know what not to do to slow it down when it comes to security. An analysis of how security solutions will impact business and productivity will assist in selecting the best option, while detecting key weaknesses that are already present in a firm’s security.

Visualize demand
The next step is to take the type to predict ever use scenario the company may encounter. While current operations are key, it is possible that changes may be necessary in the immediate future to keep up with industry demands, company goals or evolutions in technology. Firms need to visualize their data use one, five and even 10 years down the road to ensure the solutions they are investing in will be compatible and scalable.

Ensure the servers meet needs
Another key piece of the puzzle is to upgrade the actual data center technology if needed. For businesses to implement an extensive security solution, then rip out have their servers a year later to switch to a new system could create chaos an a significant potential increase in cost. If server-level technology upgrades will be necessary in the near future a firm might want to consider performing these changes first. However, depending on the data center security solutions selected, this may not be an issue.

Accessibility
The next consideration is how often servers actually need to be physically accessed. If a firm is going to be in and out of the server room all day – server rack security may not be the best choice because it will slow down workflow. Placing security measures at the building level may be more appropriate in these instances. However, it is still important to consider the security demands of the server cabinet. Dual-level protection may also be necessary for some businesses.

Biometrics
Finally, a business needs to select the security solution that meets its needs. Many companies may find that the best option for them is biometric technology. Biometrics provide critical protection at building access, or the server itself, eliminating risk a whatever level a firm needs. This allows for scalability, optimal protection over time and key support of accessibility, as ease of access will never be an issue for authorized parties.