Physical Security Part of the Data Protection Equation
Anyone familiar with Firelock’s vaults knows the primary value of the investment is unsurpassed fire protection, with the ability to keep the interior of the vault below critical temperature thresholds even if the fire reaches 2,000-degrees. A beneficial by-product of the design that isn’t as well known is the added physical security–keeping intruders out of the vault chamber–that a Firelock vault provides. 
The panels that comprise the walls and roof are not specifically designed to keep people out, but it would take considerable time to hack or cut through them to gain entry into the vault. If a motion detector or other intrusion detection device is installed outside the vault, then the time it takes to penetrate the vault structure gives security personnel or police more time to stop the bad guys.
The doors are also an excellent security measure. The outer door (which is the only door needed in document vaults) is an 1,100-pound fire door with a combination lock. When the door closes it automatically throws 10 steel bolts into the locked position in the steel door frame. This would be a very difficult door to open without the combination. On Class 125 data vaults double door assembly is needed to achieve this stringent fire rating, so this is another barrier to unauthorized entry. The inner door is a steel door with a conventional door handle and lock that is often converted to a magnetic lock that can be activated by swipe cards or biometric access control systems. These electronic lock systems are ideal for controlling access to the critical vault area during business hours and keeping track of authorized personnels’ entry and exit times.
Data security is more important than ever due to the incredible volume of data that can be stored on a single data tape or hard drive. Server equipment is also very valuable and can be resold by thieves, even if they don’t access the information on the components. By storing these mission critical assets in a Firelock vault the physical security part of the data protection equation is increased substantially–at no additional cost.
Tags: data protection, data storage, data tape protection, data vault, data vault design, fire protection, historic documents, media vault, mission critical information, physical security, server room design, server room planning
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 10:12 am and is filed under data center design, data protection, data storage, disaster recovery, fire protection, media protection, physical security, server room design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.