Enables Datacenter and Co-Location Facilities to Provide Physical Security at the Datacenter Enclosure Level

Farmingdale, NY — September 15, 2009 — Physical security inside datacenters and co-location (co-lo) facilities is extremely important to ensure data integrity as well as privacy and compliance with industry and government regulations such as HIPAA. And while room access is protected via keys, codes and biometric devices, individual cabinet-level security has often required additional structures such as gates and individual rooms within the datacenter. To improve this situation for datacenter managers, IT professionals and facilities managers, AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com) has added remote access security capabilities to its AFCO Resource Manager real-time power and cooling performance management tool. Resource Manager now enables datacenter and facilities staff to remotely provide individual access to specific AFCO datacenter enclosures outfitted with electronic locks. More information about AFCO Resource Manager is available at http://afcosystems.com/ResourceManager.aspx.

By empowering datacenter professionals to lock down or unlock specific cabinets within their datacenters, we have given them the tools to secure and protect their businesses’ most powerful resources - their data

User defined control of remote access conditions is a significant benefit to using the Resource Manager solution

Sophisticated data centers each have their own unique requirements which need to be met based on their business and physical set up.

As datacenters and co-lo facilities become the heart of more businesses; they also become the single most vulnerable point of potential data loss due to accident or intentional interaction. Currently, in many datacenters, it is possible that an IT professional can mistakenly or purposely open and access, shut down or remove the incorrect computing equipment within a datacenter, simply by accessing the wrong enclosure. Traditional datacenter-level room security cannot provide protection against this inevitability. AFCO Resource Manager now provides the ability for datacenter professionals to remotely lock or release individual AFCO datacenter enclosures that have been outfitted with electronic locks. Now, when providing access to their secure datacenter facilities, IT pros can also enable access to specific cabinets within the datacenter, while limiting or eliminating access to others.

“By empowering datacenter professionals to lock down or unlock specific cabinets within their datacenters, we have given them the tools to secure and protect their businesses’ most powerful resources - their data,” said John Consoli, AFCO Systems Chief Technology Officer.

User Configurable Flexibility

AFCO’s implementation of access control provides extensive flexibility to meet the complexity of modern data center operations to support repair, maintenance, Move, Add and Change (MAC) activities, as well as security and emergency considerations. “User defined control of remote access conditions is a significant benefit to using the Resource Manager solution,” says AFCO developer John Segreti. “Sophisticated data centers each have their own unique requirements which need to be met based on their business and physical set up.” Using Resource Manger allows Datacenter and Site managers to set their own specific access rules.

The remote access flexibility also extends to the door hardware. AFCO offers many options to implement the physical locking features. These can range from simple solenoid based systems, to shielded magnetic implementations, as well as locally augmented solutions such as card entry or biometric.

About AFCO Systems
AFCO Systems is a global leader in the design and manufacture of scalable enclosure technology for mission-critical datacenter environments. It has the one of the largest globally installed bases of active, air-cooled, high-density (5-8 kW) and extreme high-density (up to 24 kW) server and network cabinets. AFCO Systems’ active airflow control technique, delivered through its KOOL-IT™ brand of technologies and services, provides cost-effective datacenter cooling in accordance with ASHRAE standards. This enables datacenter operators to measure, manage, monitor, and maintain their overall energy efficiency. The company is headquartered in Farmingdale, NY with global operating capabilities for its installations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.afcosystems.com or call 631-249-9441.

Media Coverage

PRWEB
Yahoo news
Topix
TMC Smart Grid news
Entrepreneur
Compliance News
HIPAA Compliance News

Server virtualization has been the big buzz in data center operations for only about four years. But today, virtualization is going beyond servers. Costs have dropped markedly, making the price tag on virtual servers lower than physical costs.

However, John Consoli, chief technology officer at AFCO Systems, warns: “Don’t assume that virtualization will save space.” In high-rent areas, many assume there will be a lower total footprint in the data center; however, the cost savings associated with virtualized environments sometimes lead to more applications and more servers overall, he says.

Read the complete article