Tips and Strategies for Securing Datacenters

Tips and Strategies for Securing Datacenters

  • By Ginger Hill
  • Aug 26, 2014

When I think about datacenter security, usually the first thing that pops into my mind is cybersecurity tools and strategies to prevent hackers from penetrating and gaining access to the important data stored therein. However, security of datacenters should actually begin with physical security of the perimeter to add another layer of security between the data and individuals with malicious intent.

Tips and Strategies for Securing DatacentersEvery datacenter usually has its own set of unique physical security challenges, as does any facility, making it difficult to secure, but after reading “A Guide to Physical Datacenter Security,” I offer you the following strategies and tips:

  1. Protect the perimeter: Develop a physical security policy for the datacenter, and ensure that every employee is aware and follows it. Consider implementing biometric access or security guards. Install CCTV monitoring equipment facing each of the outside walls, and don’t forget to aim a few cameras at the ceiling. Some intruders will try to use the ceiling as a crawl space to gain entry.

  2. Segregate loading and storage areas: Servers that do not contain data are still susceptible to an attack if physical access to the server is gained by a malicious individual due to sophisticated technology. This technology can be installed or implanted into servers, search data and report back to a central location without ever being detected.

    3. When receiving a shipment of bare servers, be sure the loading dock is segregated and secured away from the storage area to help prevent someone compromising the integrity of the equipment before it even gets on the racks.

  3. Keep power and network cabling neat: Obviously power is needed to turn on servers and have them communicate; therefore, make sure all cabling is nice, neat and clean to help prevent employees from making a mistake inside the datacenter. This could lead to unscheduled downtime and could compromise data integrity.

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Security Today Announces 2025 CyberSecured Award Winners

    Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 CyberSecured Awards winners. Sixteen companies are being recognized this year for their network products and other cybersecurity initiatives that secure our world today. Read Now

  • Empowering and Securing a Mobile Workforce

    What happens when technology lets you work anywhere – but exposes you to security threats everywhere? This is the reality of modern work. No longer tethered to desks, work happens everywhere – in the office, from home, on the road, and in countless locations in between. Read Now

  • TSA Introduces New $45 Fee Option for Travelers Without REAL ID Starting February 1

    The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026. Read Now

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.