Regardless of the domain, physical security is often seen as a necessary evil by management—a hindrance to streamlined operations and another expense that can’t be tied directly to ROI. While this thinking plagues every business, it’s particularly acute in data center communities.
However, with the value of the data that is warehoused in data centers, the temptation to ignore physical security threats is bad business. In 2022, The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Annual Threat Assessment Report noted that threats to critical infrastructure are increasing. While data centers might not traditionally have been viewed as part of America’s critical infrastructure in the same way the electrical grid is, to exclude them is folly. Just as reliable power and clean water are essential to a functioning economy and society, data centers are at the heart of today’s digital economy, the powerhouse of economic growth, and serve as the global communication backbone. Given this dependence on data centers, we should prioritize their physical security.
For most companies in the business of building data centers, security is neither their forte nor priority. Typically, that results in viewing security as a “bolt on” when construction is nearly complete—or has been completed—and the issue of security is finally top of mind. But bolting security on at the end of the build results in an unsatisfactory outcome, or an unacceptable compromise. To provide robust security that can actually protect the data, assets, and personnel that make up the data center community, security must be baked in from the ground up.
However, since security is not a core capability for most data center builders, nor an area in which they can readily build expertise and scale that knowledge quickly, the best way to incorporate this security from day one of planning a build is to collaborate. Partnering with a company that is dedicated to this specialized field provides the knowledge, expertise, and outcomes without heavy lifting or upskilling.
My company, Falken Industries, provides physical security, consulting, and accreditation guidance to the largest classified and private programs that make up the United States Government’s data center program. These are the projects where the cost of the data center build typically exceeds 2 billion USD, and the data center builder requires support, training, and dedicated staffing.
