How to Ensure Your Data Center is Compliant in Denver

Many organizations have to comply with regulatory compliance programs. Some may also have to comply with local laws, potentially across more than one jurisdiction. With that in mind, here is a straightforward guide on how to ensure your data center is compliant in Denver.

Compliance standards for Denver data centers

Here are the 10 main compliance standards for Denver data centers.

SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2): Ensures data centers meet security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy standards. Regular audits validate controls.

SOC 3 (Service Organization Control 3): Similar to SOC 2 but provides a public report without sensitive details, demonstrating general compliance with security and privacy principles.

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard): Required for data centers handling credit card transactions, ensuring strong security controls to protect cardholder data.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): Essential for data centers storing or processing healthcare data, ensuring the protection of sensitive patient information.

FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program): Applies to cloud service providers working with federal agencies, enforcing strict security controls and continuous monitoring.

FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act): Requires data centers handling federal information to maintain robust security practices, risk management, and audits.

NIST 800-53: A security control framework used by federal agencies and contractors to ensure robust protection against cyber threats.

CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services): Ensures law enforcement and related organizations follow strict protocols for handling criminal justice data securely.

SSAE 18 (Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 18): Governs reporting on data center security and financial controls for transparency and reliability.

GDPR: Privacy Shield: Ensures data centers handling EU citizen data comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles, including lawful data processing, security, and cross-border transfer protections.

How to verify data center compliance

It’s important to have a robust process to verify data center compliance. Here are 10 key steps to follow.

Identify required compliance standards: Determine which compliance standards apply based on the data center’s clients, industries served, and regulatory requirements.

Review compliance documentation: Obtain and examine certifications, audit reports, and attestations (e.g., SOC 2 reports, PCI DSS compliance statements) to verify adherence to standards.

Assess security controls: Evaluate the implementation of physical, network, and operational security controls to ensure they align with the required compliance frameworks.

Conduct third-party audits: Ensure the data center undergoes independent audits from certified assessors, such as PCI Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) or SOC auditors, to validate compliance.

Verify policies and procedures: Review documented policies for data protection, access management, incident response, and risk assessment to confirm they align with compliance requirements.

Inspect data handling practices: Examine how data is stored, transmitted, and processed to ensure compliance with encryption, access control, and retention policies.

Confirm employee training and access controls: Check whether staff members receive regular compliance training and whether role-based access control (RBAC) policies are enforced.

Ensure continuous monitoring and reporting: Verify that the data center employs tools and processes for continuous monitoring, logging, and reporting of security events.

Review compliance renewal and recertification: Confirm the data center follows renewal schedules and updates policies to maintain ongoing compliance.

Cross-check regulatory changes: Stay updated on evolving compliance standards and ensure the data center adapts its policies and infrastructure accordingly.

DataBank’s compliance-driven services in Denver

DataBank ensures compliance with a range of standards by implementing robust physical and cybersecurity measures.

Physical security

Here is an overview of DataBank’s top 5 physical measures.

Perimeter security: Facilities are protected by robust perimeter barriers to deter unauthorized access.

Secure access points: Controlled entryways, such as gates and turnstiles, manage and monitor all personnel entering the premises, ensuring that only authorized individuals gain access.

Containment areas (mantraps): Interlocking door systems require individuals to pass through one secured door and undergo authentication before accessing critical areas, enhancing internal security.

Robust authentication: Electronic key card systems manage and monitor entry to secure areas, providing an audit trail for tracking personnel movement within the data center. Advanced biometric technologies, including fingerprint and facial recognition, are employed in particularly sensitive areas.

Intrusion detection systems: Networks of sensors connected to alarms and monitoring tools detect unauthorized access attempts, enabling swift response to potential threats.

Cybersecurity

Here is an overview of DataBank’s top 5 cybersecurity measures.

Firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDPS): Robust firewalls and IDPS monitor and filter network traffic both between public and private networks and within the private network itself.

Network segmentation: Network segmentation limits the potential impact of a breach by containing successful attacks within a restricted area.

Access control and authentication: MFA requires multiple forms of verification before granting access to systems and data. This is backed by robust authentication processes, including biometric authentication. Together, these measures significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

Encryption: Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, ensuring that unauthorized parties cannot read the data without the correct decryption key.

Backups: Although backups do not protect against cyberattacks, they do protect against their effects. In particular, they are essential in the fight against ransomware. They also protect against the effects of other types of disasters, such as severe weather.