People are essential to the operation of a data centre, but, according to Schneider Electric, studies show that people are directly responsible for 22% of data centre downtime through accidents or mistakes. That means finding effective access control solutions throughout the data centre premises right down to the racks where appliances sit, that balances the level of protection required with the cost, is vital. This need to protect IT appliances extends to the server room or other IT rooms within business premises.
We can provide the full range of APC NetBotz products to provide you with a complete solution for your data centre and server room. If want to know more contact us.
Essentially an effective access control system needs to reliably answer the question who are you and why are you here? If you are extending access control to the rack level the APC Rack Access Control solution should provide you with peace of mind. This uses the NetBotz 250 appliance plus a handle kit to enable remote lock/unlock capabilities and badge access privileges for IT enclosures. APC’s Rack Access solution scales easily and can be used for most brands of IT enclosures.
Access is granted through the use of proximity cards or a Web interface. Administrators can easily configure access control profiles for individual employees, configure scheduled access to equipment for maintenance purposes, and view audit trails. Various alarm notifications are available to indicate a compromised security state such as forced entry and door position.
This system integrates with Schneider Electric’s data centre management software, Data Center Expert.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need rack access control?
Studies show that people are directly responsible for 60% of data centre downtime through accidents and mistakes. That means finding effective access control solutions throughout the data centre premises right down to the racks where appliances sit, that balances the level of protection required with the cost, is vital. This need to protect IT appliances extends to the server room or other IT rooms within business premises.
What benefits will I have from rack access control?
Restricting access to your server rooms and the racks or cabinets only to those who need it will undoubtedly reduce some of the risks associated with loss of power or damaging changes in temperature. Additionally, when mistakes or faults do occur it is important to have an audit trail.
What other actions could I take to protect my IT spaces?
A good quality CCTV system, that works with an effective access control system, can be a useful additional tool to improve your training of staff and to assist you in identifying particular pieces of IT equipment. It will also provide the surveillance necessary if there are people that have a malicious intent when they enter your premises and try and access your data centre. Ecl-ips partners with a number of companies specialising in access control, as well as supplying CCTV systems, and is able to provide some solutions that has software that will allow integration between the two systems.
How does APC Netbotz's Rack Access solution work?
This uses the NetBotz 250 appliance plus a handle kit to enable remote lock/unlock capabilities and badge access privileges for IT enclosures. The appliance can be mounted in a 0U or 1U configuration and is designed to work with APC NetShelter SX racks or any brand of IT enclosure.
How do you get access using APC Netbotz Rack Access Control?
Access is granted through the use of proximity cards or a Web interface. Administrators can easily configure access control profiles for individual employees, configure scheduled access to equipment for maintenance purposes, and view audit trails. Various alarm notifications are available to indicate a compromised security state such as forced entry and door position.
Do you offer any other rack access control solutions?
Yes, the recently launched APC Netbotz 750 monitoring device has integrated access control along with surveillance, sensing, and advanced alerting for IT environments of all sizes, from single-rack edge networks to large data centres.