– Why data center security needs a reboot in 2023

Everyone has been talking about security in 2022. That’s especially true for the organisations operating data centers, which has become more important than ever to protect. GlobalConnect Carrier’s Head of Complex Solutions, Claes Björkengren, examines the implications.

Data security has been ascending the ladder of many organisations’ priorities for many years now.  But the new geo-political situation has sparked new conversations about security across the continent. Security moved further up the agenda for most companies as a result.

GlobalConnect has always recognised the critical nature of security, but the ignition of these new conversations has further accelerated the introduction of the most advanced solutions throughout the industry. It’s also clear that existing security infrastructure has fallen behind in many places, inadequate to deal with the pressures of today. Companies didn’t rely so much on their data two decades ago, when much of the existing infrastructure was built. Today it has become ‘mission critical’.

Data center security involves everything from cameras to redundancy and access systems. From my perspective, it’s authentication processes, both physical and digital that present one of the weakest vulnerabilities. You might have a 10 cm concrete wall, but if nobody guards the door or has the proper authentication processes, it’s useless. Security is an area that GlobalConnect has retained a keen and proactive focus on, as we run data centers throughout Northern Europe, with 14 of our data centers being ISO27001 certified.

GlobalConnect decided several years ago to expand our security measures beyond the international standard in response to current threats and customer demands. Today, our  data centers operate at a minimum of ‘Level Three’ and with many operating at ‘Level Four’ (the highest tier). But, we have also gone the extra mile to expand our security to protect technical components outside the data rooms too, including all technical rooms, to protect our customers’ data from every possible threat. These standards allow us to prove to our customers that we have achieved an excellent level of security within our data centers.

We also see a general transition away from small data centers and server locations, towards larger, more concentrated data centers housing great capacity. This makes security a lot easier to manage, when done properly. At GlobalConnect Carrier, for example, our data centers serve many different clients who can all exploit the effective security of a single provider. All our customers enjoy the same level of security, including 24/7 security. However, some customers request certain elements at higher levels of security than others. GlobalConnect Carrier uses a modular approach to its data centers that means we can provide a unique ‘tailored’ service in many cases – a service that customers will struggle to find elsewhere. 

It has become crucial for data centers to evolve in the face of current security threats. Outdated infrastructure and business models must be phased out to ensure organisational data remains in the right hands. This will not happen without data center organisations adopting a different approach in response to their customers’ needs. 

Claes Björkengren, Head of Complex Solutions, GlobalConnect Carrier