Cyber Security Institute

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

19 Ways to Build Physical Security into a Data Center

At information-intensive companies, data centers don’t just hold the crown jewels; they are the crown jewels.  Protecting them is a job for whiz-bang technologists, of course.  But just as important, it’s a job for those with expertise in physical security and business continuity.  That’s because all the encryption and live backups in the world are a waste of money if someone can walk right into the data center with a pocket knife, a camera phone and bad intentions.  There are plenty of complicated documents that can guide companies through the process of designing a secure data center—-from the gold-standard specs used by the federal government to build sensitive facilities like embassies, to infrastructure standards published by industry groups like the Telecommunications Industry Association, to safety requirements from the likes of the National Fire Protection Association.  But what should be the CSO’s high-level goals for making sure that security for the new data center is built into the designs, instead of being an expensive or ineffectual afterthought?

Sure, the extra precautions can be expensive.  But they’re simply part of the cost of building a secure facility that also can keep humming through disasters.

Build on the right spot.
Have redundant utilities.
Pay attention to walls.
Avoid windows.
Keep a 100-foot buffer zone around the site.
Use retractable crash barriers at vehicle entry points.
Limit entry points.
Make fire doors exit only.
Protect the building’s machinery.
Plan for secure air handling.
Ensure nothing can hide in the walls and ceilings.
Use two-factor authentication.
Harden the core with security layers.
Prohibit food in the computer rooms.
Install visitor rest rooms.

http://www.csoonline.com/read/110105/datacenter.html

I would also advise that you don’t organize related systems in nice rows (hortiontal or vertical).  It might be convienent but a localized incident could take out a whole critical business solution.  So distribute related systems across a data center.