How To Protect Your Data Center with Access Control
Access control is an essential component of your security infrastructure. Without it, your entire business is vulnerable. Even if you think your business and its critical infrastructure are safe from damage or theft, there is always more that can be done to protect it. For example, if you change the locks on the front door of your business, it would be safer to only give the keys to one or two trusted individuals as opposed to everyone in the business.
This is not nearly enough to keep malicious actors out, so it is almost standard procedure to add additional security measures on top of an easily breakable physical lock and selective key distribution – you would also add cameras, security beams, and other kinds of deterrents or visual indicators that your business is protected. In the article below, we will take a look at why security (especially access control) is so important for your business and what you can do to ensure your critical infrastructure is protected.
How Exactly Does Access Control Protect Your Data Center?
All the security measures we previously mentioned were only in relation to protecting the front door of your business. That does not, however, mean that your security should begin and end with the front door. While it does represent a vulnerability in your business that must be protected, it is not the only vulnerability by far and should ideally serve as a “first line of defence” and not the sole focus of security in your business. Everything in your business should be protected – from the computers to the safe in the CEO’s office, from your expensive data center to the back door.
If a criminal breaks through the first line of defence (such as a door or window), what else is there to stop them? Almost anything that can be moved around in your business can be stolen, which includes the data or information your business uses to function. It is, therefore, a good idea to think of those components as liabilities that can only stop being liabilities if they are sufficiently protected. Leaving any aspect of your business unprotected is a long-term financial risk (and one which many businesses simply cannot afford).
Why Both Physical and Cyber Security Are Important
While access control is merely the first line of defence in protecting your assets, it should not be neglected. The main purpose of this kind of security infrastructure is to prevent unauthorised entry into your business (or restricted areas in your business, like the data center room) and to ensure that you can deal with unauthorised access as swiftly as possible.
Physical security is paramount for your tangible assets like computers and printers, while cyber security is important for your digital assets (most notably, your intellectual property). Both types of security are essential to protect your business, which means neither should be neglected in favour of the other. It won’t help you at all if you have the most advanced digital security system in the world and someone can just walk in and carry out a hard drive with all your sensitive data and information on it. Once that hard drive leaves your premises, there are countless ways to bypass the security on it, if only because the thief now has all the time in the world to do it. You are better off making it nearly impossible for any of your assets to be moved without your express permission (which is why we call it “access control” in the first place).
The Steps You Need to Take
We take your security seriously. You should too. We suggest you get in touch with us immediately to find out more about how our access control systems can protect your business or your data center or how our solutions can enhance the security you already have.
