How Data Centers Handling Cyber Terrorism

 Jill Eckhaus , chief executive, AFCOM, the leading association of data center management professionals, said that today’s IT managers are facing big challenges about how to handle cyberterrorism . AFCOM is going to hold a Data Center World show between March 7-11 in Nashville, Tenn where the participants will learn different upcoming menace for cyber terrorism and how to cope with that. The AFCOM officials briefed that cyberterrorism is much bigger threat than the threat from a hacker.

Recently, a survey was conducted by data center provider Digital Realty. It revealed that most of the data centers are in expanding mode in the next 2-3 years. They also found out of 300 North American Companies surveyed that 83% plan for data center expansions in the next two years because they need more power. Many companies are also consolidating their data center operations. The new data centers are coming in an area with cheap access to power and a climate that allows use of free cooling.

“A hacker might be a student just looking for a challenge,” Eckhaus says. “Cyber terrorists want to destroy the United States. That’s the difference.”

The recent AFCOM survey of 400 data centers revealed that only one-third have considered cyber terrorism as part of the disaster recovery plans, only one-quarter have policies and procedures manuals in place for cyberterrorism, and only one-fifth provide cyber terrorism employee training. Also, end users are keeping close eye on data centers because they are demanding more. They realized how important data centers are and they can not do good business without them. Customers also expect that the performance of data center never fails or slows down.

Additionally, going green for data centers  is equally crucial now a days. All of the major corporates demand that data center should run in such a way that they can save power cost as well as looks environmental friendly to the users. That’s why it is getting difficult day by day to provide enough power and cooling to the data centers. Simultaneously, data centers have to realize that demand for information services are growing day by day. Storage need will also increase due to global Internet traffic and use of mobile Internet devices. Additionally, many data centers are offering Cloud Computing models that require strict uptime enabled by redundancy.