Regulatory compliance, by definition, is mandatory, not optional. It’s therefore vital that organizations are able to manage it effectively. With that in mind, here is a straightforward guide to how Denver data centers handle compliance with industry standards.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of regulatory compliance for data centers. Here are just 7 of the main reasons why it matters.
Avoiding financial penalties: Compliance ensures data centers operate within the law, preventing fines, lawsuits, and potential shutdowns due to regulatory violations. Failing to meet legal standards can result in severe financial and operational consequences.
Data security and cyber threat protection: Regulations mandate strong security measures to protect sensitive data from breaches, ransomware, and other cyber threats. Compliance frameworks enforce encryption, access controls, and monitoring to reduce vulnerabilities.
Trust and client assurance: Businesses and individuals entrust their data to compliant data centers, knowing they follow industry best practices. Certification in recognized compliance standards reassures clients that their data is handled responsibly.
Business continuity and disaster preparedness: Many regulations require data centers to have redundancy, backup protocols, and disaster recovery plans. Compliance minimizes downtime and ensures operational resilience during power failures, cyberattacks, or natural disasters.
Operational efficiency and risk management: Regulatory standards promote well-defined policies, streamlined processes, and structured risk assessments. This improves efficiency, reduces errors, and enhances overall service reliability.
Market access and competitive edge: Meeting compliance requirements allows data centers to serve industries with strict regulations, such as finance and healthcare. It also differentiates them from competitors, making them more attractive to security-conscious clients.
Ethical and transparent data management: Compliance enforces accountability by ensuring data is collected, stored, and processed ethically. It helps prevent misuse of information and aligns data center practices with consumer privacy expectations.
The key compliance standards in Denver data centers are much the same as the key compliance standards in other locations. Here is an overview of the five main ones.
HIPAA mandates the protection of electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). Data centers managing ePHI must implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This includes access controls, audit controls, and transmission security measures to prevent unauthorized access and breaches.
PCI DSS is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all entities involved in processing, storing, or transmitting payment card information maintain a secure environment. Key requirements include implementing robust access control measures, encrypting transmission of cardholder data across open networks, and regularly monitoring and testing networks.
GDPR is a regulation enacted by the European Union to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe, protecting the personal data of EU residents. It applies to any organization, regardless of location, that processes personal data of individuals residing in the EU. Data centers must ensure lawful data processing, obtain explicit consent for data collection, and implement measures to protect data rights.
These System and Organization Controls (SOC) reports, established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), assess a service organization’s internal controls. SOC 1 Type 2 focuses on controls relevant to financial reporting, while SOC 2 Type 2 evaluates controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Establishes security requirements for cloud service providers working with U.S. federal agencies. To obtain FedRAMP authorization, data centers must comply with rigorous security controls, undertake risk assessments, and implement continuous monitoring.
DataBank undergoes annual recertification for major compliance frameworks, including FedRAMP, FISMA, SSAE 18, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and Privacy Shield: GDPR. This ensures that all security measures align with current regulatory standards.
Here is an overview of the 7 main security measures DataBank currently implements to ensure compliance with the major standards.
Surveillance cameras: High-definition CCTV cameras provide continuous monitoring of both interior and exterior spaces. This deters unauthorized activities and records evidence for security audits.
Perimeter barriers: Robust fencing and secure access points serve as the first line of defense against unauthorized entry.
Secure access points: Controlled entryways, including gates and turnstiles, manage and monitor ingress and egress, ensuring only authorized personnel access the facility.
Containment areas (mantraps): These secure vestibules require individuals to pass through multiple authentication steps, preventing tailgating and unauthorized access.
Access control and authentication systems: Access controls are implemented at both a physical and digital level. Human users can be authenticated in multiple ways including through biometric data. Data traffic can be filtered based on criteria such as IP addresses, protocols, or ports.
Encryption: Data is encrypted both at rest and in transit using strong encryption protocols (e.g., AES-256), ensuring that even if data is intercepted or accessed without authorization, it remains unreadable.
Data masking: In non-production environments sensitive data is obscured to prevent exposure, using techniques like tokenization or anonymization.
Learn more about DataBank’s four Denver metro data centers, including key mechanical information, interesting facts about the region, and colocation options and benefits.
The factors affecting the cost of colocation in Denver are much the same as the factors affecting the cost of colocation in other cities. Here is a quick overview of them, along with Denver-specific considerations.
Your choice of Denver data center needs to align with your broader goals and objectives of the organization. The clearer you can be about your needs and wants, the easier it will be for you to judge if a data center is a good fit for them.
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