Appropriately so, companies pour a great deal of attention, resources, and money into software solutions covering Internet, network, application, virtualization, cloud service, and other security concerns. Software security is only half the battle when it comes to securing the data center data, however. Implementing and maintaining physical security measures are also vital and arguably every bit as important. As industry experts point out, an intruder who is able to tamper with or even remove a server full of data can effectively cripple the company.
Throwing technology at the problem isn’t enough, though. As Jenna Maertz, research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group (www.infotech.com), says, “Technology fails. Embrace this mantra when designing your security strategy. You can have the newest and shiniest technology in place, and a security breach can still occur. Have a backup plan, and a backup plan for your backup plan.” To that end, the following explores various aspects of physical data center security to consider.