If IT security is considered from an holistic point of view, it immediately becomes obvious that it extends far beyond logical, technical and organisational security.
Apart from the common firewalls, virus scanners and storage concepts, effective protection of IT structures against physical risks is immensely important. Irrespective of the required protection class – from basic protection to extended basic protection up to high-availability with minimised failure tolerances – IT security based on individual requirements is necessary. This requires adaptable, individual and scalable solutions that respond to the corporate structures and not vice versa.
Economic IT security solutions are therefore always modular, so that they can be flexible and adaptable to the local and spatial circumstances. They are scalable so that they can grow with the business and, above all, they are comprehensive so that precisely the right protection is available if a relevant risk should occur. Thus it is important to be aware of the diverse risks in advance, as this is the only way for a customised security solution to be planned and implemented to match demand.
IT needs new approaches
Modern IT safes are used to accommodate the security requirements even for decentralised or functionally separated IT systems and data. This new class of security system is capable of encasing a 19-inch rack (or several of them) so that a secure mini data centre is formed. The advantages are obvious: the IT safe provides the same protection classes as a data centre, but because of its smaller size and modularity it is quick and cost effective to install and maintain. A new location can be selected just as easily – dismantling and re-installation is a matter of only a few hours. Energy efficient infrastructures are deployed in such an IT safe.
An example is airconditioning. These cooling systems can be built smaller, lighter and therefore less expensively. In addition, the air ducting in an IT safe can be solved more elegantly as an air volume of only 2,5 cubic metres has to be supplied. Therefore, hot spots in the racks or pressure losses like those experienced in the raised airconditioning flooring of a data centre cannot arise. The energy hungry systems for the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can also be optimally dimensioned and therefore cost effectively designed because the power consumption of the IT safe is clearly defined. Thus there are no oversized or undersized UPS systems which can cause a real headache for data centre planners in other areas. In addition, the resulting smaller UPS units can be replaced or increased at a lower cost.
But most important of all is the security gained for the company, its executive managers and IT managers through the use of an IT safe. The server racks are no longer located in the cloakroom or in the corridor, accessible to all, but in an all-round secure housing with the relevant protection classes against fire, water, smoke, gas, dust, unauthorised access or vandalism.
Rittal Modular Safe LMS 9.3:
The modular IT centre
The Rittal Modular Safe LMS 9.3 provides users with a modular, extendable, mini-IT centre which provides an optimum reduction of exposure to physical and intrusion hazards. The system provides comprehensive protection for computer and telecommunication systems, and therefore ‘multifunctional security’. The modular design facilitates transportation of extensive systems into cellars or upper storeys of buildings, and installation whilst IT systems are in operation.
The safe, which has been tested as a system (ie, in modular form, with airconditioning unit and cable entry), provides certified physical protection of IT and communications systems. Certified security has been demonstrated by a series of tests in accordance with the relevant regulations.
In short, the modular, extendable Rittal safe offers an appropriate level of protection for IT and communications systems at decentralised sites. In addition to the core fireproofing function, the safety cell of the Modular Safe offers genuine added value in a range of other risk factors areas, such as theft, water, EMI, corrosive gases, vandalism, dust, debris and unauthorised access.
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