DATA CENTER RISK ASSESSMENT

Protect IT operations with a risk-averse data center

How thorough is your data center risk assessment process when choosing a new site or colocation provider?
Taking the time to get granular can help prevent serious future challenges. H5 uses a rigorous process when selecting sites and facilities for our data center locations, ensuring our customers are protected.

Key considerations when assessing data center risk

Risk of Natural Disaster

The recent Texas power outages demonstrate how nature disrupts operations. Choose low-risk regions or the lowest-risk area (outside flood plain, high elevation) within a high-risk region to mitigate nature-related risk.

Proximity to Risk

Are there risk-centric organizations within a 50-mile radius of your data center? Think airports, chemical manufacturing, nuclear plants, outdoor gun ranges, etc. If so, their risk is your risk. Choose a location with the right neighbors.

Terrorism Threat Level

The United States reports terror threats for most major cities. It is a scary thought, but cities like New York, Oklahoma City, Washington, Boston and others have shown us the grim reality of this risk. Avoid if possible.

Redundancy

Data center design is important. Making sure there is at least N+1 redundancy across the board promotes business continuity if a UPS unit, emergency generator, cooling unit, PDU or other data center component goes offline.

Physical Security

All data centers are not created equal when it comes to physical-layer security. It is important to ensure that authorized personnel are the only people allowed anywhere near your hardware, documenting who comes and goes.

Controls & Compliance

It's easy to say you are risk-averse, but third party auditing provides documented proof that there are proper controls in place and they are being followed to the letter of the law. SOC, ISO and other audits work well here.