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There is no getting away from the fact that stolen personal data is big business. There are gangs of organized criminals out there dedicated to seizing people’s details, card numbers, and more. Once they hack into an organization, they can hold that data for ransom or just sell it to the highest bidder on the black market. If you have ever wondered why you keep getting lots of spam (or junk mail), it’s likely someone has sold on your personal details to others!
As you can imagine, businesses are fighting a constant battle against the threat of data theft and lawsuits from customers and even government departments! It’s likely you are reading this article because data privacy is an issue that worries you too. But, how can you make your company’s data more secure?
Believe it or not, storing it offsite is one of the safest ways to do that. Sure, you can use cloud solutions like Dropbox or Amazon AWS to store things like company records and even databases. Of course, you don’t really know much about where or how your data gets stored on a public cloud server. The answer is simple: build your own data center and private cloud!
What is a private cloud?
A private cloud is essentially an offsite data storage and processing solution that you have 100% control over. You get to decide where your data is physically stored, how it gets stored, and how you protect it. Unlike public clouds, you don’t have data on your servers from other users, and you have full control over who in your business can access your private cloud.
The mechanics of building a data center
A data center is a physical location such as an underground bunker, cave, or blast-proof building that offers the ultimate in physical security. Inside that place is where you house your data servers, networking equipment, and, of course, IT management staff.
If you have a large company, you will no doubt need a resilient data center that offers fast remote connectivity. You’ll also need to invest in blade servers, UPS equipment for backup power, and an air cooling solution so that your networking equipment doesn’t overheat. There should also be provision for access control systems that only allow authorized personnel to enter the server rooms.
As you can appreciate, you will need a lot of electricity to power a full-scale data center. It makes sense to build your own private power substation on the site rather than waiting for a utility company to do it for you. That way, you can have peace of mind of a 24/7 service where you have full control.
When designing a substation for your data center, ensure the equipment can communicate with your utility company’s systems. The substation’s communication equipment should make use of IEC 61850 source code in its software and firmware for full compatibility.
Why you need a private cloud data center
You already know that you can have full control of your data. But, what are the other benefits of having a private cloud data center?
For a start, you have the option to scale your server solutions according to the needs of your business. You may also find that existing private cloud providers don’t offer fast enough remote connectivity for your requirements.
Last, but not least, your customers will have added peace of mind knowing that you are doing more than your best to protect their data.
