You might reasonably assume that security in a data center is mostly digital these days, all firewalls and passwords. But it may surprise you to learn that a really big part of keeping things safe is simply knowing exactly who is walking through the door and why they’re there in the first place.
Visitor management requires that you manage who comes in and make sure only the right people get access to the right areas. It’s not as simple as it sounds and this can end up being one of the most important elements in your entire security setup because data centers are full of sensitive systems that you really don’t want exposed to just anyone who just happens to turn up. Your security management plan must also work alongside all of the data center’s physical security options, including cameras, secure doors, locks and access cards.
The hard reality is that without a proper system in place, it would be far too easy for someone to slip in pretending to be a contractor and then get much closer to sensitive infrastructure than they should.
What Visitor Authentication Actually Means
If you think about it, one of the main aspects of visitor management is visitor authentication, which requires checking that people are actually who they say they are before they even step in to your building. This usually involves checking everyone’s ID, confirming that they have appointments, and making sure their purpose for visiting matches up exactly with what’s been scheduled, so there’s no ambiguity about why they’re there. It might sound onerous in comparison with standard office visitor management protocols, but in data center environments, security is so important.
A further essential element in visitor management is temporary access permissions, which ensure that visitors only get access to the specific areas they need for the exact amount of time they need it. So, instead of handing out building-wide access that could so easily be misused, everything is very tightly controlled and automatically expires. This serves to reduce the risk of someone wandering into areas they shouldn’t be in once they have completed the tasks for which they are authorized.
Access Logging and Escort Policies to Manage Visitors
Access logging is another thing to think about. Where visitors go needs to be recorded so there’s always a clear audit trail of who went where and when. If something ever goes wrong, those logs will become really important, as they give a full picture of visitor activity without you needing to rely on staff members’ memory.
Escort policies are equally important and something every data center should think about, since visitors in sensitive areas are usually required to be accompanied by an authorized staff member at all times and someone must be responsible for making sure procedures are being followed properly.
Best practices in visitor management observed in leading data centers focus on one key objective: making sure every single person who walks through the door is properly checked, logged, and escorted so there’s no scope for anyone to access areas to which they are not duly authorized.