If there is one thing that is certain in the current environment, it’s uncertainty. From COVID 19 to unprecedented racial tensions and unemployment crisis, we are facing a fluctuating and unpredictable economic recovery. These factors are affecting every single business, and business continuity across many sectors.
Business continuity can be disrupted by any number of events and preparing for them is often called “Black Swan” planning, disaster planning, or at its most basic, unexpected event planning. Anything from natural disaster to personal issues that disrupt the best of plans can be considered a threat to business continuity. IT infrastructure is critical to maintaining that continuity, from cashflow strategies to the protection of data. The right decisions when it comes to technology can be the difference between success and failure.
Jump to section:
- IT Infrastructure and Cashflow
- Adapting to New Ways of Working
- Physical Layer Network Security
- The New Digital Outreach
IT Infrastructure and Cashflow
For many businesses, their data is their business. When it comes to data centers, it is the only thing that keeps them going. But how does the right infrastructure help with cashflow?
- Optimized Use of Space: Real estate costs money and using the right physical racks and cable managers means servers take up less room.
- Flexibility: One of the keys to business survival at times like these is flexibility. Being able to shift the application or data and to lock down and suspend use of non-critical assets is vital.
- Increased ROI: While some businesses will struggle, others will shift and have critical projects that must be prioritized. This is a great way to increase ROI in challenging circumstances.
- Process optimization: Not only does your hardware need to be configured correctly, but your processes should be streamlined and as efficient as possible
The more efficient your IT physical layer and software performs, the greater your cost savings will be, and the more easily you can stabilize cashflow.
Adapting to New Ways of Working
If you had told anyone that the new way of working would be remote for the majority of employees in 2020, many would never have suspected that big companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook would be transitioning their workforces to work from home scenarios. However, the new reality means just that.
Not only are companies seeing increased efficiency, but they are also seeing cost savings from workplace infrastructure to the coffee pods in the break room that seem to never run dry now.
But a remote workforce creates IT challenges. Remote access to servers requires a new level of security both virtual and physical. Employees need secure VPN logins they can access from nearly any Wi-Fi connection, ways to secure and protect equipment they use remotely, and more.
Since Work from Home can include work from virtually anywhere, these factors have come front and center to the IT world. Devices from laptops to apps installed on personal phones and tablets can all be keys to a productive remote workforce. Physical items like privacy screen protectors and places to secure company devices when not in use are key. Off-site data and equipment security is a vital part of the “new business normal.”
Physical Layer Network Security
A common concern for IT personnel is the security of their remote sites. Even offices, as more employees transition to a work from home environment, will no longer have personnel standing by to “keep an eye on things.” This brings up the real value of remote monitoring.
The diagram above describes simply the way a remote physical layer network security monitoring system would work. Sensors and cameras would be deployed depending on the needs of the facility, and the data would be sent to a controller. This data could then be monitored by nearly any devices with an internet connection.
Everything in the environment could be monitored, including:
- Humidity
- Temperature
- The presence of water
- Power usage
- Server tampering or movement
- Server room doors and entry points
- AC Unit Status
And more. All of these factors trigger remote alerts and even physical alerts like sirens or light alarms on site. This ensures that data centers and servers are monitored even from a distance, and various items can be controlled from that same application, allowing the user to take action on the data they receive.
Without physical security, the usefulness of IT for continued business continuity is clearly threatened. “We basically work the same way as home security systems, but for business IT,” says Jumie Yuventi, VP Product Management of the A150 Physical Layer Network Security system. “Data center management platforms take the responsibility of 24×7 real time monitoring, warning notifications (by emails and /or SMS), data analysis and data archiving, so IT and facility managers can sleep better at night knowing A150 is keeping an eye on everything.”
The New Digital Outreach
You can be doing everything in your power to ensure data security both on and off site, and you can be doing your best to create opportunities to stabilize your cashflow and keep your business working.
But how do you communicate these things? The days of a simple meeting in a conference room with a slide presentation are now gone, and remote digital selling has taken its place. This means that not only do you have to communicate the new way things are working to your employees and internal partners, but to your customers and clients as well.
Consumers want to know now, more than ever, that you can be trusted with their data, that you are doing everything to make sure it is secure, and that your employees are safeguarding your data at all times.
The shift to remote selling, remote working, and remote monitoring has brought about changes that will affect nearly every business for years to come. To ensure business continuity, you must adapt and evolve with the changing times. Tools like efficient cable management and physical security are an important part of that process.
Want to understand how your physical layer can be both more efficient and more secure? Contact us today!
Physical Layer Environment Network Security Monitoring and Control
Full visibility, network security and control of your physical layer environment. Monitor your entire hybrid cloud and IT infrastructure from a cloud-based, integrated dashboard:
- Introducing the A150 System
- A150 System Architecture – High-Level Overview
- A150 System Features
- System Controller Hardware and Specifications
- Monitoring Controllers, Probes and Sensors
About the Author
Louis Chompff – Founder & Managing Director, AnD Cable Products
Louis established AnD Cable Products – Intelligently Designed Cable Management in 1989. Prior to this he enjoyed a 20+ year career with a leading global telecommunications company in a variety of senior data management positions. Louis is an enthusiastic inventor who designed, patented and brought to market his innovative Zero U cable management racks and Unitag cable labels, both of which have become industry-leading network cable management products. AnD Cable Products only offer products that are intelligently designed, increase efficiency, are durable and reliable, re-usable, easy to use or reduce equipment costs. He is the principal author of the Cable Management Blog, where you can find network cable management ideas, server rack cabling techniques and rack space saving tips, data center trends, latest innovations and more.
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