How Does Data Center Security Work
Data center security works by implementing necessary security technology, protocols, and physical measures that will secure the data center’s assets and infrastructure from cyberattacks and physical breaches. It is also about creating a security perimeter that will prevent the data center from getting affected by internal and external threats.
The term data center security indicates the practices, measures, and policies that are implemented to keep data centers secure from all kinds of threats. The landscape of data center security is not only about protecting the data but also securing the application, operations, networks, power systems, servers, and infrastructure associated with it.
Modern data center security has expanded beyond traditional data centers as it now encompasses modern data centers with virtualized servers and data centers of the public cloud.
For effective protection, data center security is not limited to using virtual security measures but it also implements many physical measures like installing CCTV cameras and perimeter fences to prevent intruders. It also includes many environmental controls like maintaining temperature, power backup, and air filtration.
Why is Data Center Security Important?
Every enterprise in the world uses data centers in one way or another for their business continuity and without them, the whole operation will cease to exist in this modern digital landscape.
So it becomes essential for enterprises to protect the data center and ensure continuing progress in the market. Let’s take a detailed look at why data center security is an important component of every enterprise’s security strategy:
Data Protection
It goes without saying that data protection is the main reason that every organization emphasizes data center security. A data center stores a huge amount of valuable and sensitive data that helps in maintaining business workflow in many ways. It becomes vital to offer high-level security to prevent them from getting accessed by cybercriminals.
Preventing Cyber Threats
Since data centers store a lot of customer and financial data, it is constantly targeted by cybercriminals for theft, unauthorized access, or destruction. To prevent all types of cyber threats, data center security plays an important role as it protects the facility in every way possible.
Maintaining Regulatory Requirements
To operate in certain industries and process specific types of data, organizations need to maintain optimum security measures for their data centers. To adhere to compliance standards, organizations have to implement various security measures in data centers as violations of regulations can lead to legal consequences and fines.
Preventing Financial Loss:
An unauthorized data breach or any type of incident in a data center can cause sudden disruption in business workflow and access to customer data which leads to major financial loss. Every security breach incurs various types of costs that include investigation, legal support, recovery, and compensation.
Maintaining Reputation
Data centers facilitate business continuity in many ways and a breach in the facility will cause huge damage to the reputation of the data center and the organization using it. This is the reason organizations enforce all types of security measures that help keep any security incident at bay.
Protection of Physical Asset
Another reason every organization needs data center security is to provide protection for physical assets. Every data center houses a vast amount of expensive hardware that includes servers, networks, routers, and many more. It is important to have tight security controls that will protect these physical components from theft and damage.
Maintaining Uptime
High uptime of the resources in the data center is a requirement for every business and cybercriminals often look for ways to disrupt it. Having data center security can help in preventing any threats from attackers and ensure specific uptime.
Who Needs Data Center Security?
Enterprises that rely on data centers for storing and processing various sensitive data on a daily basis require data center security. Nowadays most businesses are dependent on digital data to operate their business and serve customers.
It becomes a requirement for them to implement digital, and physical measures to protect the data center from threat, loss, or theft. Apart from businesses, governmental and health institutes also need data center security because they also use these facilities for operation.
How to Secure a Data Center
Securing a data center requires a strategic approach as data center security requires both physical and virtual security measures. Securing a data center is not only about protecting the data but also safeguarding the hardware and other assets.
Along with physical and virtual security measures, enterprises also need to employ network security measures to prevent threats. Let’s take a look at how you can secure a data center based on different security measures;
Physical Security Measures
Data centers are physical facilities constructed at strategic locations and security measures required to protect them depend upon their size and type. Irrespective of data center size, it usually houses servers, switches, routers, power supplies, cooling infrastructure, air filters, telecommunication equipment, and many other expensive hardware.
Organizations require exterior and interior physical security measures to protect the data and assets in the data centers.
The exterior physical security measures should include:
- The outside perimeter of the data center should be guarded with a robust fencing setup having tip bars and barbed wires.
- Every opening in the facility should be designed in such a way that humans can fit through it.
- CCTV cameras and access control points must be installed that will track and monitor all the activities in the data center.
- The facility should be equipped with Intrusion detection sensors at appropriate locations.
- Top-end barriers that would prevent aerial and vehicle-based attacks and prevent collision damage.
- All the entry points should be locked.
- Security personnel should be present in different sections of the facility and they should patrol the complete perimeters.
The internal physical security measures you should implement:
- Security checkpoints should be present with strict access control and different permission levels based on the employee’s job role.
- Multi-factor access controls, biometric scans, and entry pins should be present at every level of the data center.
- Security alarms to alert security personnel in the event of unauthorized access and physical breaches.
- Turnstiles to prevent employees from entering the data center back to back.Faraday cage that prevents anyone from moving past a certain point without the right key.
- Armed security personnel to look after the interior.
- High-definition PTZ cameras should be installed as they can detect threats in real-time by detecting unusual activity patterns.
- Physical barriers with locks to prevent unauthorized entry to server and power supply rooms.
- Specialized locks to secure server cabinets and racks.
- Logging system that enables IT administrators to track the access to server racks and cabinets.
- Temperature sensors and climate control to identify unusual changes in the temperature or humidity.
- Chemical fire suppression systems should be in place to prevent fire damage.
- Tamper-evident seals on server racks and cabinets.
- Backup power sources.
Virtual Security Measures
In addition to physical security measures, data center security also requires virtual security measures that will help protect the digital assets of the facility.
The primary goal of virtual security measures is to prevent malware, DDoS, and other virtual attacks that are intended for data theft. The virtual security measures included in data center security are:
Data Security: Data serves as the primary target of every attacker while attacking a data center. To prevent such data theft or unauthorized data access, data loss prevention mechanisms, data encryption, access control, and other data security solutions must be implemented. Regular data backup is also a necessity which comes useful for different scenarios. Layered access should also be implemented as it will ensure not everyone will have access to the same data and some specific data should be in read mode.
Application Security: Application security is an important aspect of protecting the app that is based on the data centers. Security measures like multi-factor authentication, runtime protection, API security, application firewall, or all-around web app security are needed to protect the application layer.
Server Monitoring: Robust and continuous server monitoring should be implemented to discover and mitigate any issue in real time.
Network Security: To maintain optimum data center security, security teams also need to implement various network security measures including monitoring all the network traffic. It is essential to include Zero-trust network access, intrusion detection systems, firewalls, DDoS protection, and anti-malware solutions.
Identity and Access Management: IAM plays a crucial role in data center security because it ensures only users, services, devices, and applications with required permission and authentication can access the digital assets of the data center. It is highly effective in preventing unauthorized access to digital data.
Behavioral Analysis: It is necessary for data centers to implement a behavioral analysis solution that will monitor user, service, and system behavior for any abnormal pattern that might indicate unauthorized access or threat.
Virtualization Security: Data centers that offer cloud computing services should implement proper virtualization security that secures virtual machines, prevents VM attacks, and creates a security perimeter around hypervisors. It should also implement solutions that help in isolating VMs during security incidents.
Security Information and Event Management: The security team should invest in effective SIEM tools that will provide complete visibility into all the data and help in monitoring all the activity associated with the digital asset.
Honeypots: To deceive attackers, honeypots are becoming a popular solution in data center security. It serves as a decoy system that tricks an attacker and shifts their attention from critical systems while they try to breach the security system. As a result, the security teams get the opportunity to analyze techniques and motives and take necessary remediation steps.
Critical Components of Data Center Security
A data center security comprises different security tools, measures, technologies, and practices that protect digital assets as well as facilities from all kinds of threats. However, data center security is based on numerous critical components that work together to offer protection. Here are critical components that make up the data center security:
Physical Security
The physical security of the data center security looks after the security aspects in and outside the facility. It makes sure only authorized personnel have permission to enter the data center and access the equipment. Physical security encompasses the access control system, surveillance system, armed guard, and various other measures that prevent unauthorized entry or security breaches.
Environmental controls also play a crucial role in physical security as they manage server temperature and fire safety. Usually, environmental controls include suppression systems, fire detection, and temperature controllers with HVAC systems.
Data Security
The data security component implements necessary security measures to protect the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of all the data stored in the data center. It implements various data security measures like RBAC system, data encryption, data masking, regular backup, and other solutions to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the data.
Data encryption helps in encrypting data at rest and in transit while data masking masks specific PII to prevent unauthorized access. RBAC makes sure users and devices only have access to data and resources required for their operation.
Network Security
Another vital component of data center security is network security which comprises different security layers and all of them work together to prevent data theft, unauthorized access, and other cyber attacks. Network security includes firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and VPNs, and together they ensure data are protected from illegal access and are encrypted during transit.
This component also employs DDoS mitigation tools whose aim is to protect the data center’s network from DDoS attacks. Most organizations also segment the network to ensure a security breach in one segment doesn’t compromise the entire network.
Security Technologies
Data center security also requires security technologies along with the support of AI and ML to easily detect threats and prevent them before they make any impact. Anomaly detection is highly useful as it gives the security team the ability to identify unusual patterns that can lead to threats. Implementing MFA, monitoring systems, and other solutions is essential to ensure optimum security posture.
Operational Security
Operational security takes care of all the policies, procedures, and protocols that are required to maintain a seamless and secure operation of the facility. This security component mainly helps in performing security audits and compliance checks on specific days to make the data centers meet regulatory requirements.
Operational security also involves recovery plans and incident response that enables the IT team to react in real time during a security incident, helping minimize impact and restoring the operation to normalcy. In addition, it is responsible for conducting employee training so that employees can understand the security policies and know how to act on the situation.
Data Center Security Technologies
Every data center security encompasses different security technologies whose task is to maintain top-notch security of the data center. Here are some security technologies that are widely implemented by data centers:
Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication is a widely used technology in data centers as it involves multiple layers of security for validating access rights. MFA makes it difficult for attackers to gain access even if they have the login credentials because they will need the second element which is usually a one-time password.
The time-period of MFA is quite limited and a security alert is generated when someone fails to gain access. It is a powerful technology that helps in protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access.
Monitoring Systems
Every data center includes a monitoring system to keep track of all the activities inside and outside of the facility. Modern facilities integrate monitoring systems with behavioral analysis and other security features to identify threats by their unusual activity patterns.
The monitoring system is usually timed in such a way that there is no blind spot during real-time monitoring. Some monitoring systems are completely automated and automatically monitor every activity and can be configured to generate alerts across the system when a potential threat is detected.
Biometric
Nowadays every data center includes biometric technology for access control to different parts of the facility. Biometrics usually include a handprint, voice pattern, or retina display for authentication and they are included in different ways to access controls. However, they are widely included in two-factor authentication as an added security layer.
RFID Technology
It is a smart technology that is implemented in a data center to monitor and track all the hardware in the facility. Every hardware is nowadays marked with RFID tags which helps in tracking all the physical assets in the facility and safeguarding them from any unauthorized usage or theft. Usually, the RFID technology is combined with security solutions or business intelligence tools to automate the monitoring task.
Remote Security Management
For data center security, remote security management technology plays a crucial role in maintaining overall security posture. It gives the IT admins and security teams the ability to monitor active systems from remote locations and assess potential security incidents. As a result, security teams can respond to threats at any time of the day without any limitation.
Data Center Vulnerabilities
Cybercriminal utilizes a variety of tools and techniques to breach the data center security and steal the digital assets it stores. They mostly exploit the data center vulnerabilities to trick the security system into getting complete access.
Social engineering serves as the most used technique by attackers to trick users into giving them access to the data users. Ransomware and malware attacks are often launched through social engineering tricks to gain access or take control of the main system in the data center.
Weak password is the most common data center vulnerability that is exploited by attackers targeting data centers. Weak passwords occur when a user recycles password on multiple accounts and if an attacker steals login credentials of one application, then they can use it to gain access to the data center. The IT administrators must provide strict guidelines to every user to use strong passwords and prevent password recycling.
Apart from users, poorly configured networks or insufficient security tools also give rise to many vulnerabilities in data centers. Attackers always look for such vulnerabilities in the network to exploit them and gain access to the data center. The only way to deter such an attack is by keeping the network configured all the time and keeping the tools up-to-date.
Spoofing is another vulnerability that affects data entry. In this type of attack especially in IP spoofing, the message sent by attackers will look like it is coming from a trusted source and it easily gets entry into the internal network. Firewalls serve as the only security measure to prevent IP spoofing attacks.
Remote access tools often serve as a vulnerability to the network of the data centers as cybercriminals try to exploit these access points through non-remediated vulnerabilities and compromised credentials.
Organizations often provide remote desktop protocols and virtual private networks to enable users to work remotely and use the data center’s resources. Attackers utilize different techniques to infect the access points and get entry into the network.
Every data center hosts different applications and many of the applications carry vulnerable code. This vulnerable code arises due to the use of codes from third-party libraries and external sources.
Sometimes the vulnerability in code arises due to the negligence of developers. Cybercriminal utilizes these vulnerable codes to gain entry into the application and eventually, they get entry into the data center through the connected network.
Many organizations rely on third-party applications that are often hosted from the organization’s data centers. These third-party applications lead to numerous security vulnerabilities and this provides the pathway for attackers to breach the data center security.
Data Center Security Tiers
Every data center has its own security measures depending upon their tier level. Not every data requires a similar level of access control and security measures as others. For efficient usage of data centers and ensuring optimum security for data, data centers are divided into 4 tiers. Usually, higher-tier data center security indicates the presence of more sophisticated physical and virtual security measures. Let’s take a look at all the tiers:
Tier 1 Data Center Security
Tier 1 data center security indicates a hosting facility with basic security measures both in terms of physical and virtual. The physical measures usually included CCTV cameras, limited access control, and perimeter fence while the virtual measures included traditional firewall systems, anti-malware solutions, and anti-virus software.
Usually, data center security involves a limited number of premium security technologies and offers a single point of failure. It is primarily used by groups of users or small businesses to store normal data.
Tier 2 Data Center Security
Tier 2 data center security is those facilities that have better physical and virtual security measures in comparison to tier 1. These facilities come with additional features like security guards, stringent access policy and controlled access points, and standard monitoring.
Businesses requiring colocation services usually rely on tier 2 as it helps in distributing resources to the business’s data center. Tier 2 data centers don’t come with advanced security technology and have only one source of power.
Tier 3 Data Center Security
Designed to cater to varied organizations, tier 3 data center security involves advanced security measures like security information and event management and intrusion detection and prevention systems.
These data centers also employ different data protection measures like data encryption, regular backup, data destruction, data masking, and many others. What makes them different is the use of dual power and cooling resources and even if one fails, the server won’t cause any downtime. These data centers can be put to maintenance without stopping the service.
Tier 4 Data Center Security
The tier 4 data center also carries the security feature that tier 3 data center security offers along with advanced security technologies with ML and AL support and continuous threat monitoring.
The tier 4 data center has a top-end physical security feature which includes biometric access control, smart surveillance, armed security personnel, barbed fences, and many others. It utilizes multiple resources for power, cooling, and other aspects, thus ensuring high fault tolerance against downtime. Top cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform use tier 4 data center security for data protection.
Final Words
Data center security is a vital aspect of every organization’s security strategy and it goes beyond just protecting digital assets from unauthorized access. It requires a comprehensive and robust security strategy that not only addresses data security but also physical and network security. It is important for organizations managing the data center to understand threat posture and effectively protect digital assets from evolving security threats.
