Protecting Client Assets
Blending access control with video management brings terrific results
- By Kim Rahfaldt
- Apr 01, 2016
TelX helps companies build more agile businesses faster with reduced
infrastructure complexity and broader reach to new markets. Founded
in 2000, TelX built the largest carrier-neutral, physical layer interconnection
data center in New York City. Through acquisitions
and facility expansions, TelX built a national portfolio of interconnection
and collocation data centers. Digital Realty Trust acquired TelX in 2015.
As the company grew over the 14 years, each data center facility operated independently,
resulting in different landlord and lease arrangements. Disparate video
systems were installed at the nine different locations. The one consistency was the
installation of AMAG Technology’s Symmetry Enterprise access control system.
In 2013, TelX made the decision to move to a single platform for its physical
security technology program, and John Matis, the director of security, was tasked
with creating its multi-year strategy. He moved quickly into the discovery phase
and began looking at video solutions to integrate with Symmetry.
“I had to research alternative solutions,” Matis said. “Pass the budget for those solutions
and determine a project management concept to bring together all our disparate
video systems (and some security systems) into a common best-market solution.”
The complex work environment due to government imposed regulatory standards
and operational standards created one challenge. The goal was to get to a level
of operational efficiency in alignment with what the company is driving. To achieve
that, TelX developed uniform security and operational practices across the business.
“I think it is incumbent upon any of our technology partners to strive to develop
uniform practices that our folks in the field, and our security and loss prevention
teams can use to very simply adhere to the procedures and process in a
security event,” Matis said. “They cannot get overwhelmed with technology and
must be able to do their jobs.”
As a result, Matis selected Salient Systems’ CompleteView Video Management
System and PowerUltra NVR servers to integrate with Symmetry Enterprise access
control. The integrated security management system was easy to use and easy
to deploy across all facilities in the United States.
The second challenge was finding an integrator that understood the critical demands
of TelX’s complicated working environment and regulatory requirements,
yet also held a keen working knowledge of Symmetry and CompleteView. Plus,
add understanding how TelX’s new parent company, Digital Realty Trust operated
and how sophisticated security requirements may become in the future.
TelX selected AVS Technology as its integrator. AVS Technology has the knowledge
and skill to manage the head end system, and understands the complex requirements
of a data center. AVS delivers superior system design, installation and
service, and brings exceptional customer service to every installation and service
call. AVS is also the integrator for Digital Realty Trust, TelX’s parent company.
Security Contributes
to Value Proposition
Data integrity is of the upmost importance
for TelX. Securing that data is so
important, TelX promotes their security
program as a selling point. In addition
to offering cooling, interconnectivity
and power, providing sophisticated
security measures is an important element
customers consider when choosing
a data center. TelX matches the
enterprise datacenter security model,
and often goes above and beyond the
requirements needed to maintain and
keep practices up-to-date.
“There are extremely acute requirements
from customers to have industry
best security technology and procedures
in place,” Matis said. “We are
keeping positive control of the data
center environment and making sure
that the risk expectations from our
partners are met.”
Security System Helps Meet
Company Goals: Technology,
Compliance, Standards
TelX’s security program encompasses
technology, implementing policies and
standards and meeting compliance
requirements. The Symmetry Access
Control system integrated with CompleteView
and other leading technologies
helps TelX meet its operational
goals including compliance standards
as well as exceed customer’s security
expectations.
Technology helps TelX meet its requirements
for internal business and
regulatory standards and allows them to
match security goals with overall business
objectives, so they are proactively
mapping activity and indicators for their
business that drive profit and loss.
CompleteView video management
allows Matis and his team to perform
routine surveillance and ensure proper
movement of assets through its data
centers. Through surveillance, Matis is
able to analyze operational efficiency
and mandatory tasks related to data
center compliance.
From a centralized standpoint, TelX
depends on its video system to allow individuals
who are in the field to log-in
and see what is occurring at the different
building locations. The capability
to remote log-in allows off site staff to
solve problems from anywhere.
“The ability to have visual information
accessible to whatever level of the
organization we need is imperative to
our security program and a main reason
video is an essential component to
our overall solution,” Matis said.
TelX’s diverse portfolio means it
must be in compliance with PCI DSS
Section 9 and 12, to accept, store process
and transmit credit cardholder
data; SOC 2 and 3 complaint, the
security and accessibility mandates
within the data center industry; and
HIPAA (healthcare) complaint due
to its number of healthcare customers
that host patient health records. Symmetry Access Control helps TelX meet
those compliance requirements.
Concentric Circle
Using a powerful combination of
products and technology, TelX implemented
the widely used concentric
circle approach to secure each of its
facilities and customer assets. Starting
with the outer most layer and
working inward, security gets tighter.
Exterior gates and barriers are accessible
through a valid card swipe. All
perimeter doors are secured through
Symmetry.
Moving inward, more layers are
added. A card swipe is needed on the
outer layer using HID RP40 readers,
but TelX uses either Iris ID or Morpho
V-Flex or V-Station fingerprint biometric
scanners, requiring authorized
individuals to present their access card
and a biometric to gain access to more
restricted areas.
Vingtor-Stentofon’s IP Master Station
audio system is installed in TelX’s
suite-style office locations where entrance
to the company is off a common
lobby. Security guards use audio to
communicate with each other, ensuring
only authorized staff are entering the
company.
Each location uses the concentric
circle model throughout its facility,
and around each client’s assets, doubling
down on security. Via Complete-
View VMS, the video is transmitted
through the Symmetry Access Control
system so the security team can monitor
all activity.
“Guards monitor the Symmetry system
locally from every site; they watch
live activity and cameras to verify people
do not enter restricted areas or tamper
with other customer’s equipment,”
said Michael Riotto, vice president of
AVS Technology.
NEC ExpressCluster high availability
software is used to monitor and
protect Symmetry from hardware and
software failures with fully automated
recovery of Symmetry application and
data, ensuring the Symmetry security
system is up and running 100 percent
of the time. For TelX, this is critical for
business operations.
TelX invested in a security system
not only to protect its buildings, employees
and assets, but to deliver impeccable
security to protect their high
profile client’s data services. Providing
top-notch security is part of TelX’s value
proposition, therefore it must operate
flawlessly around the clock.
“We use our security system as a
reference point,” Matis said. “For how
well we are doing as a business and
how well we are doing as a security department
at the same time.”
This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of Security Today.