Data Centers Are Growing: Are They Thinking About Perimeter Security?

As the tech sector and AI continue to rapidly grow, the global need for data centers is booming.  Over the next six years, an estimated $300 billion  will be invested in constructing data center facilities in the United States.  

Companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google are some of the more popular names in the data center industry and are leading the charge.  These tech giants have multiple locations around the country to hold and store digital information on hardware.

These facilities are highly secure, given the amount and types of data and intellectual property housed within their walls. Typically, security personnel would be focused on network security, protecting from sophisticated threats and global attacks.  

But what about exterior physical and perimeter security measures?  Physical threats and attacks are not as prevalent as the data breaches themselves, but given the importance of our data today, data centers must be prepared to prevent physical attacks of sabotage or intentional disruption.

What is a data center?

A data center is a physical location that hosts IT infrastructure for building, running, and delivering applications and online services.  They are also used for storing and managing the data associated with those applications and online services.

There are four types of data centers according to industry standards. Those four types are:

• Enterprise - this is a facility that is built and owned by the company that is utilizing the servers and hardware, typically onsite.
• Cloud Based - this is a virtual data center that is not typically built onsite. It may be utilized by one organization or by multiple customers around the globe.
• Colocation - this data center is a physical location that rents  “rack space” to its customers in order to house that organization’s physical hardware.  In these locations, multiple companies may have their hardware in one location.
• Managed Services - this is a data center that is managed, protected, and monitored by a third party.

What are the biggest physical threats to data centers?

Besides the threat of hackers gaining unauthorized access to the servers within the data center facility, physical threats are also a major concern. Controlling access points, validating authorized entry and restricting persons without proper credentials are critical pieces of the security personnel’s responsibility.

Here are some key threats that data center security personnel need to pay attention to:

• Unauthorized access at the perimeter - securing the perimeter is step one. Designing controlled access points along the perimeter will deter persons looking to conduct nefarious activities.
• Malicious insider threats - someone who works at the data center or gained access to the facility could have the intention to cause damage, steal information, or other disruptive actions.
• Physical attacks - aside from data being stolen or damaged, external threats could become a rising issue for data centers. Just last year, a machine learning expert called for the bombing of data centers to prevent the rise of AI.  Physical attacks could cause serious disruptions across the globe if an attack were to occur.

In Conclusion

The physical security of a data center facility begins with deploying perimeter security measures to counter and prevent threats from causing disruptions. Implementing preventive strategies will give security personnel, management, investors, and customers gained confidence in the integrity of the data center facility.

If you are thinking about implementing a perimeter security strategy or have concerns about your current strategies or equipment, we offer proven solutions that have been effectively utilized at data centers across the United States.  Contact our team at ARX Perimeters to get the conversation started and take a look at some of our solutions today.