How Telehouse America Drives Best-In-Class Data Security for Clients
October 7, 2020While cyber security is a constantly growing concern for businesses in the Tri-state area as well as around the world, physical security of data within data centers is just as important. Telehouse America has built a reputation for data center security with its countless customers. This has led to their recent upgrade to a best-in-class layered physical security system for its New York data centers with support from key technology partners. For the countless businesses using Telehouse America data centers in New York, the impact of such a move starts with understanding unified security systems in data centers.
Overall data center security encompasses systems and practices to keep the data center secure from threats, attacks (cybersecurity), and unauthorized access (physical security). The physical security aspects are what Telehouse America has focused on for this latest stage of optimization. In their recent case study entitled “Unification Takes Data Center Security to the Next Level,” (add link) Telehouse lays out the entire approach process, technology choices, partners, implementation process and reasons for the optimization.
In short, Telehouse is known for its data center cybersecurity measures as being state of the art. While the same can be said for their approach to physical security, they saw some ways to further optimize the physical security systems through the implementation of best-in-class technology systems. The new system takes the facilities from a legacy system nearing end of life to a best-in-class layered security system that encompasses the Staten Island and Manhattan locations.
Telehouse America’s Continuous Improvement Approach to Security
As a leading data center provider, the goal is to ensure clients of the highest standard of security, which means constantly assessing systems for ways to make them more secure, streamlined and integrated. In this constant reassessment, Telehouse found room for physical security system improvement in the following areas:
Further integration of video and access control systems to provide real time and granular access knowledge across systems for preventive security as well as investigative security.
Modernize legacy systems for their visitor management processes by adding newer biometrics, intercom, or perimeter technologies to enhance site security for optimum video and access control system integration.
Provide a unified security system that would free personnel from personal escorts of visitors and vendors so that personnel could concentrate on higher order engineering and data center tasks also in service to clients.
As the systems neared the end of product life cycles, the data center company was ready for a major security upgrade. “We wanted a unified and modern security solution that could accommodate the latest technologies to ensure the highest security, internal team efficiency and auditing/reporting capabilities that protect our client assets,” explained, Telehouse Senior Director of the Corporate Division Milad Abdelmessih.
To accomplish this best-in-class security optimization, Telehouse chose technology partners that could work within an open source environment while providing the best and most vetted security solutions. This included implementation of:
Using Security Center to monitor video feeds in equipment rooms and at all access points doors and loading docks by the engineering team
Omnicast™ video surveillance system and the Synergis™ access control system of Security Center to integrate security team monitoring across a total of 400 cameras and 400 doors to provide visual confirmation and integration of everyone seeking access in real time via a map-based interface.
Adding a MAGOS radar perimeter detection system to spot potential threats at the property line that is essentially a virtual fence around the data center sites that integrates cameras for detection and immediate awareness
Implementing built-in Sipelia intercom module within Security Center, operators for immediate two-way calling from doors and dock locations that are integrated with camera feeds. For identification and corroboration with key card system use.
BioConnect fingerprint and facial recognition, Deister key management technologies, and Genetec ClearID™ for further integration of physical identity and access management and automation of visitor requests.
Expanding future plans with cloud services
As the system advances, Telehouse customers will be able to log into the ClearID portal and submit all relevant details to request access to the site and server. That request is sent to the network operations center, where an operator will review the information and accept or deny the request.
Visitors must then go through a series of security checkpoints including turnstiles, revolving doors with anti-pass-back features, and dual-authentication requirements where both cards and biometric scans are vetted. Visitors reaching their authorized destination within the facility would tap their temporary issued access card to an access reader. Once verified, the system provides access to a specific key within the integrated Deister electronic key cabinet to obtain their specific server cabinet key. When their work is complete, the visitor must go through a similar process to exit.
Telehouse is now focusing efforts on upgrading security at the Los Angeles data center. Part of the plan is to minimize the onsite equipment, so the team is taking a closer look at Genetec cloud services. The security team is also considering the benefits of using Genetec Clearance. This digital evidence management system will streamline investigations and facilitate secure file sharing with customers, vendors, or auditors.
Abdelmessih summed up what this means for Telehouse America, its personnel and most of all to the thousands of clients across the Tri-state area and beyond:
“Since implementing the Security Center unified platform, securing our site and managing our visitors has become much easier. Having that unified security view ensures our staff can see what’s happening and respond without delay. Even from an operational standpoint, we’re delivering more value and assurance to our customers with detailed auditing and reporting. As we continue to evolve our security operations, I think Genetec will be a very long-term partner for us,”
Products: Security Center, Synergis, Omnicast, ClearID, Sipelia, Plan Manager
Partners: ASSA ABLOY, BioConnect, Diester, MAGOS Systems