7 best practices for data center enclosures
When the staff divides the security area in the data center, they need to provide a flexible and affordable enclosure solution to complete the work.
However, anything in the data center can well reflect the difference between real solutions and unrealistic solutions only after careful planning and foresight.
People have seen many examples in recent years. Let's share the experience and lessons of data center enclosure:
1. Familiarize yourself with your obligations
Different devices and stored data in the data center are deployed in the security zone, which may be restricted by many security standards, such as SSAE16, HIPAA, PCI or SOC2.
In some cases, the legislation provides specific guidelines for the protection of sensitive data, so before planning, make sure that enterprises are familiar with all their obligations.
2. Use enclosure specially designed for data center
It is tempting to use chain fences or fence standards to build enclosures, which can save costs. But people have seen many such attempts, none of which is considered successful.
There are many reasons for them to understand these "doing" methods. The biggest reason is to save costs, but ultimately it is a waste of time. Enterprises believe that the cage built for the data center will save a lot of trouble.
3. Check the pore size of the cage
The enterprise locks some of the most sensitive storage racks. No one can enter without a key, so this is safe. Is it true?
What would happen if someone connected the network cable to a rack and stuck it through a hole in the cage? With a little time and patience, you can easily plug the network cable directly into the device.
However, many data center racks are not designed with this obvious access mode in mind. The best practice is that the opening of the cage of the rack is less than one RJ45 connector, so as to reduce this kind of risk.
4. It is difficult to disassemble the cage
One of the "Achilles heel" of many data center enclosures is that they can be removed with an adjustable wrench. The rack cage can be removed as a whole as long as several bolts are loosened with a wrench. If the enterprise is concerned about meeting safety standards, exposed bolts are a hidden danger.
Some cage systems provide no way to hide exposed bolts, Filing free VPS in Hong Kong This leaves users with another problem to solve. Therefore, it is necessary to select a cage solution that hides all bolts so that it cannot be detached from the outside.
5. Consider ceiling and floor
As one might have guessed, when designing the enclosure system, the space protection of the upper and lower parts must be considered to meet the safety standards.
May someone enter the safe area through the ceiling and climbing over the enclosure? Or by removing the floor tile and climbing under it? If you want to comply with the rules of security law, these situations must be solved.
Some rack cage suppliers provide ceiling solutions that make it relatively easy to package the top of the cage. However, to prevent entry from the floor below, you can create a homemade fence or barricade. This is not easy, but you can do some advanced planning or play some creativity.
The key is to look at the security zone from all angles and ensure that all possible entry points are closed.
6. Planned enclosure entrance
Surprisingly, there are many plans to consider the entrance of the enclosure. First, we will face the problem of swinging door and sliding door. Some enclosure systems cannot accommodate sliding doors, which forces many entrance spaces to be vacated. In the data center where land is scarce, these seemingly small details will increase more costs, so we must take precautions when designing and planning.
Another important consideration is the cage entry locking system. Will the door close automatically? Does it lock automatically, or can it only be locked from the outside? Therefore, careful planning is required, otherwise some bad results may occur. For example, if the staff cannot lock the door from inside, the door will be open for a long time when they can work in a "safe" area.
7. Aesthetic issues
The enterprise has invested heavily in advanced security software and equipment, installed the most advanced security camera and access control system, and implemented strict security protocols and procedures. All of these will demonstrate its advancement and security when customers visit.
However, what will customers think when they see a cobbled together amateur galvanized steel structure building fence when visiting the security zone of the data center?
Obviously, this will cause great disappointment and doubt the safety of the enterprise.
In fact, the enclosure should be replaced by a solution with a more professional appearance. This shows how important aesthetics is in a competitive market. Keep this in mind when planning your data center enclosure solution!
