Businesses in such industries as finance must comply with industry-specific security regulations. When it comes to data protection regulations, compliance often means securing physical devices and servers within safe facilities.
Unfortunately, smaller businesses usually have limited access to the necessary resources to meet these data protection demands and regulations. However, there are companies that offer SMBs like yours a service known as colocation security.
What is colocation security?
Colocation security is a service that provides rentable space and infrastructure to house your business’s servers. Colocation providers like Liberty Center One lease housing capacity in various sizes, from server racks to cabinets, cages, and even rooms, allowing businesses to purchase a space that meets their exact needs.
How colocation security protects data
When it comes to data protection, colocation facilities often outshine what many businesses can achieve on their own. These facilities boast robust physical security measures and advanced digital security, making them a compelling choice for data security. While tenants handle cybersecurity, colocation providers manage digital and physical security.
Digital security
In terms of digital security, colocation providers focus on continuity and connectivity. When you look for a colocation service provider, make sure they offer the following services:
- Redundancy – Equipped with robust data backup and network redundancy measures, these facilities prevent data vulnerabilities and downtime due to outages.
- Infrastructure management – Managed services help you plan, execute, and maintain secure infrastructure, freeing you to focus on growth. You can also reallocate your resources toward improving your bottom line.
- Secure interconnectivity – Access to high-speed and encrypted network connections allow for secure and reliable communications between different work locations.
Physical security
Physical security for colocation services primarily means controlling and monitoring access to your servers. An effective colocation provider will provide such benefits as:
- Physical barriers – Physical barriers such as walls, bollards, and fences protect against vehicular threats.
- Secure entry points – Secure entry points, strict protocols, and visitor escorts control who accesses your servers, while time-stamped logs provide a record of who accessed them and when.
- Surveillance systems – High-quality surveillance systems provide continuous monitoring and storage of footage for review.
- Secure storage – Servers are securely locked in cabinets.
- Background checks – Reliable colocation facilities mitigate security risks by performing background checks on their employees who regularly access the facility.
Regulatory benefits of colocation
Colocation providers understand the complexity of industry-specific regulations, such as the GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, and constantly pay attention to any changes or adjustments to those regulations. They implement strict controls and best practices to meet these compliance requirements while ensuring their infrastructure is constantly ready to undergo an audit.
Other benefits of colocation
In addition to the space and security benefits, colocation offers several other advantages, including:
- Disaster recovery – Colocation facilities are usually in locations that are not prone to natural disasters. This ensures your servers and the data within are protected from damage caused by natural disasters such as flood and fire.
- High-speed connectivity – Colocation facilities maintain high-speed internet connections from multiple providers. This gives your servers and equipment fast and reliable internet access. You can even scale your internet bandwidth as needed.
- Maintenance and support – Many colocation providers offer comprehensive maintenance and support services for your infrastructure, whether it be troubleshooting, repairing, and replacing hardware.
- Network infrastructure – Colocation providers offer advanced network infrastructure services, such as routing and switching, letting you connect your equipment to the internet and other networks easily.
- Redundant power and cooling – Colocation facilities are designed to run 24/7. They have backup generators, uninterruptible power supplies, and sophisticated cooling systems. This ensures that your servers and equipment stay on, even if there is a power outage or cooling system failure.
- Scalability and flexibility – Colocation services can scale your infrastructure on demand. You can add or remove servers and equipment without the cost and effort of building and running your own data center. This scalability is especially helpful for businesses with constantly shifting IT needs.
Learn more about colocation services and how they can help your business by contacting us at Liberty Center One.