Most companies think that only physical security measures will help them in protecting their assets. These physical security measures will help you in protecting your IT assets. However, it is a small aspect of a large multi-layered approach. Colocation customers should maintain strict access policies. This will help them in protecting their servers. In this article, we are going to discuss the importance of data center access policy.

Definition of a Data Center Access Policy:

Access policy will help you in determining who can access your facility. It will ensure that only authorized personnel can access your colocation assets. This can be simple in some cases. You might have a list of people that will have complete access to your systems. However, most companies will have a complex list. They need to create a detailed and conditional list. You need to give some restricted access to your users. However, you also need to give full access to your business stakeholders.

Most companies will only consider their employees while creating this list. They forget about other third-party vendors. These vendors will help you in installing hardware. Also, they are responsible for maintenance. Thus, they need access to your equipment. Similarly, sometimes you need to get your compliance certificate. You need to give access to third-party vendors. They will perform a security audit. Thus, you also need to think about them while creating your plan.

These are some common scenarios that companies will face. You need to consider these scenarios while creating your data center access policy. It will help you in removing confusion. You will automatically know about the authentication that you need to provide. If you have a good data center access policy, then the probability of data breach will automatically reduce.

Importance of Data Center Access Policy in 2020

Most companies store their critical data and applications in the colocated server. Thus, it is important to protect this data. Some companies may store critical information about their products. Many companies also store their critical code on these servers. You can also store your customer’s data on these servers. Thus, it is important to protect this data. This will help you in running your operations smoothly. Also, it will help you in avoiding any compliance violations.

A strong access policy will help you in dealing with unauthorized access. It will be easy to track the data breaches. Thus, you can deal with these situations. Companies are learning about the importance of data center access policy during the COVID-19 outbreak. If you have a strong access policy, then you can easily manage your off-site equipment during a crisis. Thus, it was easy to understand the impact of new policies. Most companies were forced to embrace remote work due to this pandemic. If you already have a good policy, then it is easy to make these changes. This will ensure that you are maintaining the same security level during this crisis. Hence, a strong data center access policy is very important for modern companies. We are going to share some tips that will help you in creating a strong access policy.

Determine people that can access your data

It is very simple to determine people that should have access to your IT assets. However, most companies complicate this process. If you are working with a colocation data center, then they will already ask you for a list. This list should contain the name of people that can access your servers. Every colocation provider has different rules and regulations. However, most pre-authorized individuals need to visit the data center facility. They will provide proper credentials like key cards. Your employees can use these key cards for accessing your equipment.

Companies need to create this list. The data center doesn’t have to worry about creating this list. Colocation customers have the right to identify people that can access their equipment. They have to manage this list. Colocation customers can even add and remove people on this list. Sometimes data centers can also deny people from accessing their facility. However, it is the responsibility of customers to properly check this list.

Determine who will manage access

It is important to update your access lists regularly. Make sure that only active people are on your list. If someone has not visited the facility in 1-2 years, then you should remove them from the list. It is important to create a small list. This will help you in easily managing the list.

You need to appoint a representative that will manage this list. Your data center provider will only contact your representative. This person will have the authority to add or remove people from the list. Data center provider might contact them for confirming the access request. Your representative will help you in managing your access policy. Also, they will ensure that it is up-to-date.

Determine how you will handle your on-site storage

Data centers are also following strict security procedures. These procedures are already mentioned in the contract. If someone wants to access the data center, then they should be on the access list. Also, they should have proper credentials. Many data centers are also using multi-factor authentication. You need an ID badge for accessing the data center. They will also document every visit. This will ensure that both the customer and facility can check who accessed their assets.

Your employees can access the data center without having credentials. However, they can’t check your IT assets. Data center providers will not let everyone access their data centers. This can lead to data breaches. Thus, they will first verify with the customer access representative.

Conclusion

If you want to improve your security, then you should start by managing your access policy. You should create a list of people that can access your assets. This will remove the burden from the data center. A good access policy will clearly define all the roles. This will help you in reducing the chance of human errors. It will limit the people that can access your computing equipment. Most companies only focus on the biometric lock and perimeter fence. However, access lists will help you in protecting your colocation assets. Thus, you should work on creating a good access policy. If you need more information regarding access policy, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.