OPERATIONS AND
ADMINISTRATION PLAY A ROLE
Proper operations and administrative practices are a key
component of protecting EDCs and should include processes,
tools and technologies that help monitor and
assess ongoing risks. Defined security policies and procedures
should be in place for monitoring and responding
to authorized and unauthorized access, as well as for coordinating
with local utilities and agencies regarding emergency
response and law enforcement. Periodic inspections
of the site, perimeter, enclosure(s) and ingress point(s)
from normal wear or damage caused by trespassers, theft
or vandalism are highly recommended.
These processes may also need to consider that EDCs
may have slower speed of reaction among operations staff
and may need to cover multiple locations, especially for
unmanned sites, which presents the case for predictive
analytics and service-oriented software enabled by the
very technologies these EDCs support such as AI.
Security and protective measures should, therefore,
be derived by sensors and software, such as integrated
power monitoring systems, temperature and humidity
sensors at the room and cabinet level, leak detectors, air
quality sensors, and vibration sensors. Automation considerations
that could help physical security operational
needs at an EDC include advanced networked technologies,
such as motion/occupancy sensors, dry contact
sensors, and biometric access control.
Automated infrastructure management (AIM)
solutions are also an excellent tool for detecting and
reporting, in real time, any unauthorized changes to the
patch cord connectivity. Moreover, AIM systems can
even be integrated with security cameras, where present,
to activate and record during unauthorized events.
CONCLUSION
While this article covers the importance of physical protection,
it should also be noted that cybersecurity is a key
consideration for EDCs that should be addressed. As organizations,
such as TIA, BICSI, and AFCOM, continue to
address best practices for EDCs through standards development
and educational curriculum, there will be more
much-needed recommendations for ensuring that EDCs
remain operational, secure and reliable. Without these
44 I ICT TODAY
Automation considerations
that could help physical
security operational needs
at an EDC include advanced
networked technologies, such
as motion/occupancy sensors,
dry contact sensors, and
biometric access control.
critical practices in place to protect EDCs, the emerging
technologies they aim to support like self-driving vehicles,
smart traffic systems, virtual and augmented reality, telemedicine,
drone delivery, and M2M communication will
struggle needlessly as they gain adoption.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Jacques Fluet is the edge data center
program director at the Telecommunications Industry Association
(TIA). He has over 30 years of telecommunications and ICT
industry experience in wireless, optical, and wireline networks.
He has been involved in products and services development for
equipment vendors for most of his career—from the design phase
to large deployments. He has held various leadership positions
leading engineering teams for Nortel and Ericsson and has been
involved in projects around the world. Since joining TIA, he has
been involved in 5G, IoT, smart buildings and EDCs with a special
interest in new applications from various vertical domains enabled
by next generation networks. Jacques can be reached
at jfluet@tiaonline.org.
link