John Matis

November 11, 2023

Organizations from across the globe entrust data centers to keep their information safe and secure. Amid the increased threat levels facing enterprises, it is not surprising that data security is top of mind for business leaders. During the first half of 2022, there were a total of 236.1 million cyber attacks worldwide.

The importance of security in a data center facility is hard to overstate because it involves both physical and virtual security. Companies invest in keeping their facilities and data secure – here are the prominent reasons why.

Data compliance

There’s no shortage of laws and regulations mandating the safekeeping of sensitive data. While there are certainly other obligations that a business should take into account, if they want to be in compliance with the law regarding customers’ data, they need to make sure to select a provider that is up to industry standards in compliance. Digital Realty maintains compliance with the most relevant data center security best practice with certifications, including SOC2, PCI-DSS, and ISO 27001. This means that we offer 24/7 security staff and the security systems, equipment, and controls to monitor and record access throughout our facilities.

Risk of natural disasters and other threats

Today, natural disasters pose one of the biggest threats to data centers. Physical data center security - starting with where it is built (outside of flood zones and in low seismic activity areas) and culminating with the actual construction of the building (is the building solidly built?) - lessens the risk of downtime when natural disaster strikes. This saves money and time and keeps your data flowing when you need it. With our world-class data center solutions, you can be sure we prioritize your security. We carefully locate each facility in locations that minimize the risk of flooding and other natural disasters.

Cost of downtime

Downtime is expensive, and so are data breaches. According to an annual survey conducted by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), 98% of organizations say that a single hour of downtime costs over $100,000. Tough security and compliance don’t guarantee complete uptime or data safety, but they do provide the first line of defense against these costly threats. You can avoid the cost of downtime by choosing a data center provider that has redundancy and business continuity measures in place. Redundancy refers to a system design where a component is duplicated so that in the event of a component failure, IT equipment is not impacted.

You can learn more about our security measures and compliance standards here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is SOC compliance?

SOC stands for Service Organization Controls. It helps companies establish trust in their services or products and there are three primary SOC data center standards.

What is SOC2?

SOC 2: The SOC 2 compliance data center standard ensures data security, availability, integrity, confidentiality, and privacy in areas such as data centers, IT services, cloud-based businesses, and more. It demonstrates a range of trust signals to customers, including key physical, on-premises and cloud security controls. With a heavy focus on security, SOC 2 also covers the processing, privacy and integrity of data management.

What is ISO 27001?

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) makes industry more effective and efficient by providing specifications for products, services, and practices. ISO 27001 sets standards for managing sensitive company information through a systematic Information Security Management System (ISMS). This framework covers people, processes, and IT systems.

Why is data center security important?

With so much data now stored in the cloud, data centers must secure these assets, manage virtual threats and comply with the latest compliance levels to ensure that resources are protected from unauthorized access.

What data center security certifications does Digital Realty have?

At Digital Realty, we know that properly protecting your valuable assets is fundamental to your organization's success. We make your success our top priority, so we take security very seriously.

Digital Realty has incorporated specifications into the design and management of our security systems that meet the rigid standards incorporated into the most relevant data center compliance programs, including SOC2, PCI-DSS and ISO 27001. A full list of our data center security certifications can be found on our website.

What is a Redundant Data Center?

Redundancy refers to the design of a system where a component is duplicated so that in the event of a component failure, IT equipment is not impacted. For example, having redundant power in case there's a power outage. The main goal of redundancy is to ensure zero downtime, even in worst case scenarios.

Three Reasons Why Security is Important