Arguably the most difficult threat to counter is the one that comes from inside the company. Internal data breaches are becoming increasingly common in the age of cloud computing and data center management, and many IT professionals are pondering the best kinds of preventative approaches. Whether it’s an employee, a business partner or a contracted worker, theft of intellectual property and other private information is on the rise. Biometric technology might be the most effective security solution of them all.

By implementing biometric security in a data center, business leaders and IT managers can keep a close eye on internal activity, such as the person who accessed a server cabinet and the time they did so. Paired with comprehensive policies and responsible access mandates, a business can use biometrics to prevent internal data breaches on any scale.

Morgan Stanley cyberattack and data center oversight
Morgan Stanley recently announced that a wealth management worker stole account information from about 900 clients. The company promptly fired the employee and alerted law and regulatory authorities.

Mayiz Habbal, the CEO of Capital Markets Leadership Group, told InformationWeek that the internal data breach reflects problems with the infrastructure and policies of Morgan Stanley. Bob Olson, the vice president and head financial services for Unisys, added that at-risk businesses should equip workers with only the information they need to know.

“I think there’s acknowledgement that there are crown jewels in financial services – client data, clearing, trading information,” Olson said, according to the news outlet. “You want to cloak those and make sure you have the ability to limit who has access to the crown jewels.”

“A business can use biometrics to prevent internal data breaches on any scale.”

Insider threats from all angles
Michael Dent, the chief information security officer of Fairfax County, Virginia, told CIO.com that business leaders and IT managers should understand the various potential roots of internal threats.

“The insider threat comes in so many different ways that there is really no magic answer, I think, for anyone,” Dent said, according to the publication. “People need to understand that insider threats aren’t just your employees. They also are your contractors, your vendors, your volunteers, potentially, that come in and work for you.”

Proper data center security requires a company-wide effort, sound policies and a commitment to innovative solutions. Biometric technology can be the vital step that protects a company from internal threats and enables business to continue on as usual.