It happens, and ever more often, that data centres come under attack. This is a problem. According to the 2015 Cyber Threat Yearbook report compiled by Cyren, cyber attacks have increased by 144% over the last four years. These attacks can cost up to 40,000 dollars an hour, which is why CFOs’ attention has also turned to the problem of security.
Data centres are built to safeguard the information they contain and to keep unauthorised people away. That is why these facilities are often located in anonymous buildings, fitted with bulletproof glass and surrounded by huge fences. Should anyone nevertheless manage to breach these defences, they would find data halls protected by biometric security systems and various other security protocols. Access to the servers, in short, would in no way be guaranteed.
In short, physical security is clearly the biggest concern for operators in the sector, but experts agree that the cyber security of these facilities must receive the same level of care and attention. This is because, in the era of Big Data, data centres are a very attractive target for hackers, who aim to gain control of these valuable digital assets.
As the shift to the Cloud in companies continues at a sustained pace, the Internet of Things spreads ever further, the number of Internet-connected devices grows and Big Data plays an increasingly central role, cyber security threats to data centres will increase accordingly. And so cyber security will become a growing priority in data centres too. Indeed, it deserves the same degree of attention and must be structured on multiple levels (including privileged network access and constant network monitoring), even though it is by its very nature invisible and intangible, hidden among lines of code and firewalls.
THE ESSENTIAL HUMAN CONTRIBUTION – Showing customers that you care about the security of their data by investing, for example, in ISO certifications and becoming PCI DSS-compliant is a practice recommended by experts. And that is not all: operators in the sector consider it equally important not to overlook the role that staff play in maintaining the integrity of an organisation’s IT defences. Showing that all operating processes are constantly kept under control is fundamental to gaining customers’ trust. According to experts, the presence of a security team can make the difference: security barriers and biometric scanners are all important features for ensuring a secure data centre, but nothing compares with the 24/7 presence of a human element inside the building.
