Tertius Wolfaardt, architecture and engineering manager for South Asia – Pacific at Axis Communications, discusses why security systems must be embedded at the earliest stages of data centre design to support uptime, efficiency and trust
Too often, security arrives late to a project. The core systems have been defined, the layouts fixed, the budget secured and allocated, and only then is the question of security systems addressed.
By that point, any answer is constrained by what exists and what the design allows. That is not a viable approach. Security systems influence the way complex environments like data centres and critical infrastructure facilities operate, how they are maintained and made compliant.
Security systems are a vital pillar that supports decision-making and safety, thus architects and engineers must consider security structurally, and do so early.
Security systems create a vital data layer. They should be treated as a core part of infrastructure considered alongside power, cooling and connectivity at the earliest design stage. Introduce them too late and they remain peripheral and unable to reach their full potential.
The power of procurement
In large part, security systems’ current importance stems from their versatility. Physical security is, and will always be, a core function but when cameras, sensors and analytics platforms are employed as data generators they create value. Businesses are more willing, and indeed likely, to invest in solutions that support business uptime, reduce total cost of ownership, or improve performance.
This shift in thinking towards business insight and operational efficiency changes the game. It puts consultants and manufacturers in the position of justifying what a system can deliver rather than just what it does, which in turn moves the position of influence in the product lifecycle. Security is a design decision, and it comes in early.
Consultants define requirements, shape specifications and establish approved vendor lists. Integrators tend to follow those specifications. By the time a tender is issued, a system’s delivery capabilities are largely set.
Early-stage procurement is also the time to establish that a security system meets regulatory requirements, privacy obligations and cybersecurity expectations, none of which can be retrofitted.
In practice, this means defining risk levels, system requirements and integration points before design is fixed, ensuring that security is engineered into the environment.
System integration – by default
Early engagement also determines the way security systems are treated, whether they become isolated components or part of a broader operational structure. In data centres in particular, uptime, resilience and efficiency are constantly monitored. The data from embedded security systems can be part of, and contribute to, building and energy management systems (BEMS), data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) platforms and wider operational workflows. Added later, those connections tend to be partial or missing altogether.
Looking through the lens of business insight highlights the possibilities. A camera purely positioned for perimeter monitoring serves its defined purpose; the same device, specified and located with intent, delivers more.
It contributes understanding of the way a facility operates, generating data around patterns of movement, vehicle flow, access frequency and dwell times. It provides a reference point for informed operational decision-making.
Intelligent system building
The way architects and engineers think about risk is changing. Traditionally, risk in physical security has been event-driven and almost retroactive, centred around unauthorised access, intrusion or specific events, detected and addressed after the fact.
Integrating systems allows patterns of risk to be understood and predicted, sequences of behaviour to be studied and the sphere of analysis to extend far beyond the event.
For data centres, where even minor disruption can lead to major consequences, the ability to identify early signals is invaluable. It supports a proactive operational model which bases intervention on insight as well as alarms.
Those operating facilities are typically judged based on uptime, efficiency and predictability. Systems that can detect faster and alert to even the small things serve to boost those metrics.
Going beyond the human
For cameras to provide true operational efficiency, their sphere of detection should expand beyond the human boundary. Thermal cameras can monitor the heat of server racks, offering early alerts that feed directly into maintenance workflows. Audio analytics can identify anomalous sounds that indicate equipment wear before failure occurs.
External systems can track environmental changes that may affect operations. The point is not the individual capabilities of cameras and analytics but the way these functions connect to the overall data centre management structure.
For architects and engineers, system behaviour matters far more than feature lists. When security systems are treated as sensors and designed to be part of the operating environment from the outset, their data can be integrated, correlated and acted upon as part of day-to-day operations. Interoperability comes as standard. Introduced later, they are far more likely to remain standalone, their insight underused and their operational value diminished.
The other side of security
Deep integration increases exposure. The more security systems become embedded, the more the question of trust, and specifically of their cybersecurity credentials, is raised. With cameras and sensors sitting on the same infrastructure layer as mission-critical systems and DCIMs, a poorly protected, compromised or ill-maintained device could prove the ideal jumping-off point from which a digital intruder could move laterally into the heart of the network.
Just as the devices themselves must be designed into the network, their security must be designed into them: secure boot, key vaults and supply chain audits are as crucial a component of a security device as the quality of its sensor.
Maintenance, both physical and of device firmware, is equally important. A camera or sensor cannot be forgotten about; it has to be catalogued, monitored and updated in as streamlined a manner as possible. In many cases, today’s cameras can assess their own output, using image health analytics to detect potential faults or changes and flag these automatically even before regular maintenance schedules are activated.
In practice, security is a primary consideration. It is fundamental to modern systems design. Approached as a priority, it strengthens both protection and performance. Tacked on, for all its benefits, it does not offer everything it could to the systems it was meant to support. Trust is designed in early, or it is difficult to establish at all.
The post Engineering for operations: Going from security to insight appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
