Data plays a fundamental role in the modern economy and, consequently, securing this data is becoming increasingly vital. With global data volume expected to reach 175 zettabytes by 2025, data centre demand is skyrocketing. As such, it’s critically important to safeguard data centres against potential threats.

At present, according to the company, Securitas’ Data Center Group secures 570 data centres in 36 countries. "There is no business as usual within a data centre," says Milton Plet, Senior Vice President. "Data centres are high-security environments with stringent operational and governance requirements. That's why it is critical to have specialised professionals who understand the peculiarities of the environment protecting and securing these facilities. Securitas excels in both technology and security, enabling us to offer a comprehensive solution for data centres."

Operating on trust

As the leader of the new Group, Milton is responsible for supporting Securitas’ data centre client portfolio, driving expertise, and enhancing the client value proposition on a global scale. Since 2016, Milton has overseen one of Securitas fastest growing global data centre engagements transforming it into one of Securitas' premier strategic global client partnerships.

"We operate based on trust," adds Milton. "Regardless of your location or specific needs, we constantly test, analyse, and enhance our services because we understand that security in today's world remains dynamic and complex. Our clients are the lifeblood of our business, and their trust has made us successful."

Through this group, Securitas offers tailored support to help our data center clients implement the most robust and secure protection. This includes:

• Global account leadership, governance, and single point of accountability

• Advanced technology solutions and tools to help detect, prevent, and predict threats

• Data centre security expertise with a team of dedicated security practitioners who can effectively support and complement our client's security operational requirements

All of these work together toward one common goal: safeguarding the data and people within data centres.

The unique security challenges of data centres

Data centres are essential for the storage, processing, and delivery of digital information that we use in our daily lives. These facilities protect vast amounts of data generated by organisations and individuals alike, and they’re central to our modern digital infrastructure. Without data centres, the internet as we know it would not exist, nor would the ubiquitous cloud.

These facilities inherently pose unique security challenges, but perhaps one of the most prevalent is the risk of human error. Human error is the most frequent cause of downtime in data centres, making it important to minimize the number of people on the premises. Securitas' highly trained data centre security specialists can handle virtually any security challenge that arises while also performing other critical duties, reducing the use of unnecessary personnel and lowering the risk of human error.

Minimizing the risk

Much of the Securitas data centre security programming focuses around controlling physical access and mitigating opportunities for data theft. Working in tandem with clients, the company helps them adopt a security posture based upon least privilege access principles.

“Allowing access to a data centre solely to clean a camera lens or update a fire extinguisher may be unwise," concludes Milton. "Our security specialists not only minimize the likelihood of errors for data centre operators but also save money for our clients and help give them peace of mind."

Beside human error, data centres face potential risk from natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, which can cause power outages, equipment damage, and other disruptions. Cyber security threats are also a significant concern, as hackers may attempt to steal or destroy sensitive data, install malware or ransomware, or take control of the data center’s systems. Additionally, power failures or other issues with the electrical grid can lead to downtime or data loss.