Data centres are designed to store, process, and manage a wide range of digital data, applications, and services that are critical to an organisation's operations, including data storage, computing, and networking resources.
View WhitepaperA data centre is a facility or location where an organisation's computer systems, servers, networking equipment, and related components are housed, managed, and operated. Data centres are designed to store, process, and manage a wide range of digital data, applications, and services that are critical to an organisation's operations, including data storage, computing, and networking resources.
Data centre security has evolved significantly over the years to keep up with the increasing number of cyber threats and technological advancements. Traditional security methods, such as perimeter defence, access control, and surveillance, have evolved into multifaceted strategies designed to address a wide array of risks.
Security within data centres is incredibly important. If someone was able to gain access to a data centre and the servers hosted within it, they could cause significant and potentially irreversible damage, especially if government infrastructure is hosted within the data centre, as people could steal the data held on the infrastructure and gain access to private information.
This is why it’s so important for data centres to have so many security measurements to prevent unauthorised personnel accessing servers.
Some security measurements that are typically in place at data centres include:
At its core, data centre security begins with the physical protection of the facility. This includes secure access controls, surveillance cameras, biometric authentication, and even measures like blast-resistant walls to guard against physical threats.
The data centre's network is a critical focal point for security. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), firewalls, and advanced threat analytics continuously monitor network traffic, identifying and mitigating potential threats in real-time.
Encrypting data at rest and in transit is essential. Advanced encryption protocols, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and Transport Layer Security (TLS) ensure data remains confidential and integral, even if intercepted.
Data centres often employ redundancy and backup mechanisms to ensure service continuity. This includes failover systems, data replication, and backup power sources to prevent downtime during unexpected events.
Many modern data centres integrate cloud-based security solutions for threat intelligence, email filtering, and security information and event management (SIEM). These cloud services enhance overall security posture.
Some data centres and companies have policies which require storage devices (such as Hard Disk Drives, Solid State Drives, and NVMes) to be destroyed. This means that they must be significantly damaged to the point that they are unable to retrieve any data that was once stored on them, as simply erasing and deleting data isn’t enough to guarantee safety.
Security in the UK is very important, a lot of critical systems and data are held on the infrastructure in data centres, such as data for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, it could cause country-wide or even world-wide problems with big consequences. If NHS systems were to be damaged or switched offline, it could mean doctors and nurses are unable to check and access records and equipment, resulting in patients being unable to access health care.
For example, the WannaCry ransomware that occurred in 2017 infected the NHS, forcing them into ransom payments in the form of cryptocurrency. Although this virus was the result of an exploit of a vulnerability in old windows systems, it is still a good example of why security in the UK is so important.
If people were to gain access to our data centres that host these systems and data, it could have catastrophic results.
Data centres are the backbone of an organisation's IT infrastructure. Any security incident or disruption in a data centre's operations can result in downtime, affecting critical business processes and services. Robust security measures help maintain uninterrupted operations and ensure business continuity.
Many industries and regions have strict regulatory requirements governing data security and privacy. Data centres must adhere to these regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, to avoid legal penalties and fines. Implementing security controls helps maintain compliance with these standards.
A security breach or data loss incident can have severe consequences for an organisation's reputation and trustworthiness. Customers, partners, and stakeholders expect their data and systems to be handled securely. A strong level of security demonstrates a commitment to protecting sensitive information, creating trust among stakeholders and clients of a business, as well as the trust of the data centre and its owner.
Zeus Cloud places a lot of importance on security and as a result have adopted a security framework heavily influenced and based on Germany's strict data compliance policies.
Germany has enacted stringent data protection regulations and security policies, some of which are applicable to data centres. A couple of key aspects of those policies are:
Germany, as a member of the European Union, adheres to the GDPR, a comprehensive data protection framework. Data centres operating in Germany must comply with GDPR requirements, which include measures such as data encryption, access controls, data breach notification, and the appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO). The GDPR ensures that personal data processed in data centres is handled with the utmost care and in accordance with strict privacy standards.
ISO 27001 is an internationally recognised standard for information security management systems (ISMS). Data centres seek the ISO 27001 certification to demonstrate their commitment to security. This certification involves rigorous assessments of security controls, risk management, and ongoing monitoring to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
These policies and standards, along with Germany's reputation for upholding data privacy and security, make the country an attractive location for data centres seeking to meet high-security standards and comply with European data protection laws.
Since Germany is renowned for its robust and high-standard data protection regulations, aligning Zeus Cloud’s security practices with their policies, we can ensure the utmost protection for our clients' sensitive data within our data centres and infrastructure.
This approach not only reflects our commitment to data security at Zeus Cloud, but also helps instills confidence in our customers, knowing that their information is safeguarded with the utmost care and in compliance with some of the world's most stringent data protection standards.
Of course, Zeus Cloud being a cloud hosting provider that has infrastructure across the globe, as well as our own data centres in the UK, we still comply to each respective country’s security policies for both data centres and data itself, but we base our default security levels on Germany’s strict laws to help maintain a high level of quality and compliance.
If you're interested in data centres and co-location services, check out Colgrevance Data Centres.
