How Milestone Meets Data Center Security Needs

One of the easiest ways to enhance data center security is by upgrading video technology software. Let’s look at some of the top, data center physical security needs before diving into how advanced video technology can address them.

1. Perimeter security
   The first line of defense for any data center is a robust perimeter security solution. With multiple layers of protection, including License Plate Recognition (LPR), surveillance cameras, electric or virtual fencing, and advanced analytics, data centers can deter and detect potential threats before they reach critical zones.
    
2. Access control & compliance
   Data centers require stringent access management to safeguard sensitive areas such as server rooms, making it a critical component of data center physical security solutions. Access control not only manages entry and exit of authorized personnel, but also support security compliance when integrated with video management software, providing real-time monitoring and visual verification of access events.
   
   
3. Intelligent video monitoring
   With thousands of cameras often deployed in data centers, simultaneously monitoring every feed is impossible. Video analytics solve this challenge by proactively identifying unusual activities and generating alerts for immediate action. Video analytics can also support investigation of security events, enabling teams to reconstruct timelines and identify potential breaches more efficiently.
   
   
4. Cyber security
   Because data centers store and process sensitive data, they require robust protection against threats such as data breaches, ransomware, and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. To protect against cyberattacks, data centers need advanced firewalls and encryption of data – in transit and at rest – in addition to physical security measures like intrusion detection and access control systems. Additionally, regular vulnerability assessments, patch management, and compliance with regulatory standards are essential to maintaining a strong security posture and mitigating risks in increasingly complex IT environments.
   
   
5. Building management system (BMS)
   A BMS is critical to managing complex security technologies. Because data centers cherry pick the solutions that best meet their needs, a BMS is often needed to manage access control, video surveillance, fire alarms, HVAC control, programmable lighting, and electric power management solutions. Data center security solutions need to provide seamless interoperability with building management systems.
   
   
6. Redundancy & failover protection
   For data centers, downtime means loss of business, revenue, and even reputation. To mitigate this risk, data centers need technology solutions that offer seamless installation, upgrades, and system support with protections against localized hardware failures.

Unlike many VMS solutions that offer closed vendor solutions, we at Milestone understand the importance of open architecture and seamless integration with your data center devices. XProtect supports more security devices (cameras, sensors, etc.) than any other video management system, offering unparalleled flexibility for new and existing data centers to adapt and scale their security infrastructure without costly vendor lock-in. This adaptability is vital for retrofitting older facilities and ensuring compliance with evolving security standards.

Additionally, because all variants of XProtect are secure by design, data centers can comfortably build a security solution that supports the highest levels of cybersecurity, data safety and compliance. XProtect supports cybersecurity as a standard across all variants by providing:

HTTPS encryption between the cameras and the recording server, preventing unauthorized access to streamed video. 

Network separation, making it possible to separate the camera network from the client network and the core server network. 

Media database encryption and digital signing, preventing unauthorized access directly to video recording. Note that advanced recording features are exclusive to XProtect Expert and XProtect Corporate

Now, let’s check out  features and functionalities in respective XProtect variants, extensions and third-party integrations that can help your data center achieve optimal security performance.

Centralized search helps operators find the footage they need with filters for time, specific cameras, or camera groups. Search results can be further narrowed down based on XProtect’s built-in motion detection. If your cameras come with analytics that detect people, vehicles, and other granular data, then these filters will also be available in your search view.

Independent playback allows data center security operators to keep eyes on live security feeds while also playing back recorded video in the same tab.

Basic maps function helps data center security understand the spatial relationships between cameras and important areas like server rooms by giving a visual representation of facility layout overlaid with camera locations.

Alarm Manager delivers instant alerts for any internal and external security alarms, including information regarding priority level and state of the alarm. Alarm Manager is included in all XProtect variants except for Essential+. 

Smart Map  provides precise representation of the geographical layout of your data center to provide an accurate overview of camera placements across multiple locations. Smart Map syncs information from Google Maps, Bing Maps and OpenStreetMap with static images and CAD drawings. Included in XProtect Expert and Corporate variants. 

Bookmarks increases investigation efficiency by allowing operators to easily tag, annotate, or retrieve video footage for a specific event. Included in XProtect Professional+, Expert and Corporate.

If you need additional features to meet your data center security needs, XProtect extensions seamlessly integrate with your core XProtect platform.

XProtect LPR supports overall perimeter security and traffic flow by allowing access to a pre-approved list of vehicles, verified by their license plate.  

XProtect Access streamlines access control by merging your VMS and access control into a single interface. Customers must independently purchase the access control solution of their choosing for integration with XProtect Access.

XProtect Management Server Failover safeguards your data center against costly disruptions and vulnerabilities by seamlessly switching to a backup server in the event of a failure, ensuring continuous operation, real-time file replication, and no downtime. Unlike competitors that charge a per-camera failover licenses, Milestone provides a single, cost-effective licensing model for this extension in XProtect Expert and Corporate.

XProtect Interconnect centralizes security management for multi-site data centers by connecting all your locations and cameras to one central hub with cross-domain support. Available at additional cost in XProtect Expert and Corporate.

XProtect Smart Wall delivers enhanced real-time situational awareness for your data center control room via a large canvas of monitors showing a customizable overview of all camera feeds. Smart Wall is available at no additional cost with XProtect Corporate and at additional cost with XProtect Expert. 

Interested in further customization for your data center security solution? Check out some of the 1,000+ third-party solutions that seamlessly integrate with any XProtect variant. 

License Plate Recognition (LPR) integrations can provide advanced features that extend beyond the XProtect LPR extension. Examples of advanced features include wildcards for match lists which triggers if a plate is one or two characters off, and live whitelisting and blacklisting of plate numbers and metadata based on make, model or color of the vehicle. 

Access Control is a critical security need for data centers. Check our list of technology providers to see find the access control solution that works for your needs.

Intrusion Alarm Systems integrations connect motion detectors, door contacts, glass break sensors, etc. with XProtect, enabling these external alarms to trigger actions within the VMS. Actions include recording video, sending alerts or displaying live feeds for immediate response. 

Fire and Smoke Detection integrations can be synced with XProtect to immediately trigger alerts that proactively support temperature regulation in server rooms. These integrations can help operators quickly identify and respond to potential hazards minimizing risks to personnel, hardware and facility while also ensuring compliance with safety regulations. 

Building Management Systems (BMS) help data centers manage security technologies in a single-integrated platform for a seamless security solution. Milestone supports your needs by providing a host of BMS integrations.

Data centers are the core of today’s critical infrastructure, making their security a top priority. Milestone’s innovative video management solutions address the complex physical security needs of these facilities, ensuring they remain operational, compliant, and resilient against evolving threats. Whether retrofitting an older facility or designing a new hyperscale data center, Milestone’s scalable and integrated approach delivers reliable protection for the infrastructure that keeps our world connected.

Now that we have reviewed the features, extensions, and integrations you can leverage as part of your data center security solution, let’s discuss the foundational Milestone Products you need to get started.

XProtect Expert or Corporate are the recommended variants based on data center’s requirement for failover and redundancy. Additionally, not only do these variants accommodate the features, variants and integrations discussed above, but they also offer users Milestone’s highest level of media database encryption. However, if these products exceed your needs, some of our data center customers do successfully use XProtect Professional+.

Milestone Care Plus is a paid maintenance program that includes software updates 2-3 times per year, helping you safeguard your product over its lifetime. While many data centers are hesitant to deploy updates due to the costly risk of downtime, this Care Plus provides 24/7 prioritized access to Milestone Technical Support to give you the peace of mind you need to execute important updates or patches.

One of India's Fortune 500 Information Communications Technology (ICT) providers leverages XProtect VMS and Smart Wall to deliver a converged tech ecosystem with the region’s largest MPLS network, top-of-the-line data centers, and cloud-managed services. Discover how their cloud-first strategy increased focus on the security of data management, with a growing emphasis on data protection and localization policies in this customer story.

In this article, we’ve covered the data center physical security requirements that we hear about the most. However, we know that your organization has unique needs and we’d be happy to hear about them. If you are interested in a video call where we also get to show you XProtect in action, please book a demo!