There should also be a number of sensors in place that can detect when anyone, authorized or unauthorized, accesses the data center.  The following 5 tips show how Ravica can offer effective solutions for that final line of defense.

• Install the Right SensorProbe. For optimum security monitoring, choose a SecurityProbe model.  The SecurityProbe has the same easy-to-use web interface as the BitSight with a Linux operating system that offers 128 MB of Flash and 64 MB of SDRAM.  With 8 ports for sensors and connections for 4 external cameras on each SecurityProbe, you can monitor all of your security conditions from a single interface.
• Monitor All Potential Entry Points. In order for a security breach to occur, an unauthorized person must be able to physically gain access to the data center and do so unnoticed.  Make sure that doesn’t happen by installing a security sensor on every door, window, or emergency exit that could provide access to the data center.  The security sensor has a magnetic open/close switch that will trigger an automatic alert when any entry point is accessed.
• Install Motion Detectors. As another line of defense, install a motion detector at key locations that will alert security personnel that a potential security issue is occurring.  The Ravica motion sensor has a RJ45 jack to plug directly into a port on the SecurityProbe.
• Integrate High Quality Security Cameras. Install a variety of security cameras including fixed and Pan/Tilt cameras that can proactively capture crucial images as the events occur.  With the Ravica web-interface, you can set up notifications that will automatically trigger a time-stamped, picture log when an event occurs with the security sensor, motion detector or any other sensor.  The pictures are captured in a standard JPEG format at up to 640 x 480 pixels, so you get a clear image of the event.
• Send a LOUD and Clear Message Regarding Security. Not only can notifications be set up to send email, voice, or text alerts to security personnel when a potential security breach is occurring; you can also include a siren/strobe light that can be triggered automatically by an alarm status on any other sensor.  The siren/strobe can also be triggered manually from the web-interface, deterring nefarious activity and giving a call-to-action signal to other personnel in the vicinity of the breach.

Whether your data center is large or small, Ravica can be part of the solution to help you protect your physical and intellectual assets from theft or sabotage.

This company just added a new international sales department. The work hours for the new employee were going to be 4:00am to 1:00pm. They wanted to know if they could utilize the picture log to record when people go in and out of the front door. They also wanted to limit the time frame for these pictures.

I did a bit of research and found out the answer was yes! You can set a time frame on the camera motion sensor and you can have the picture emailed or stored on the FTP server.  Now, they would get an alert and a picture when someone came through the door.

At this point, they could figure out who came through the door. They then wanted to know if too many people were going through the door during the early morning hours. To do this, we used a Syslog/Eventlog application that allows you to set a threshold. Each time an image was taken with the camera, an alert would be sent to the Syslog/Eventlog manager. If a threshold was met, let say five, then an email would be sent to the security office.

The customer was excited and wanted to implement this in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to see how it comes out.

-Jimmy D

As I mentioned before, the “continuous time to report,” or “rearm” as it is called on the SecurityProbe, are an excellent way to say, “Don’t alert me as soon as a sensor goes into a ‘warning’ or ‘critical’ status. However, if it has been in a ‘warning’ state for 30 seconds, let me know.”

Another way to limit how often – or how easily – your BitSight2 or SecurityProbe sends you Skype alerts or emails is to adjust the “reading offset” field, which can be found under each sensor’s advanced settings. The “reading offset” forces the sensor’s reading to move over or under a certainly value before generating an alarm. So basically, if your temperature upper “warning” threshold is set to 80 degrees and your “reading offset” is set to 2, and the current temperature is 79 degrees, then your SensorProbe will not alarm until the temperature drops another degree.

This prohibits the sensor from being right on the verge of a threshold and consistently bouncing between two statuses. You don’t want 20 emails in your inbox because the temperature in your data center is exactly on your threshold and wobbling back forth between “normal” and “warning.”

Another way of limiting alerts during off hours, maintenance windows or times when you are not really concerned with the readings breaching a threshold is to use the calendar feature. Please note that the calendar feature is available only on the SecurityProbe line of SensorProbes.

Block off times that you do not wish to receive alerts and the SecurityProbe will ignore the breached thresholds during those time frames. Perhaps you don’t want to receive alerts during the day, because people are always present and aware of the environmental conditions in the locations you are monitoring. However, maybe you want the temperature of your walk-in cooler monitored at night, when no one is in the building.

Whatever the reason, these are two great tips for better managing your alarms. This ensures that your alarms are more meaningful and so when you or you staff see an alert from your BitSight2 or SecurityProbe, you know it is time to act.

~ Jon Mills
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The sensor status filter allows you to enter a time delay that must occur before the sensor changes status, thus filtering out noise in the signal. This avoids unnecessary sending of notifications, as fluctuations can occur during normal working conditions.

To find this setting, go to the Motion Sensor Settings page of the web interface, and click on the sensor status filters button. Change the “Continuous time (secs) sensor is to report” field to some value other than zero. 1 second is a good place to start, but it all depends on your specific working conditions.

At any rate, increasing the continuous time to report field a bit can help keep you from getting false positives and give a little extra room for normal environmental shifts.

Stay tuned to the Ravica blog for more helpful environmental monitoring tips.

~ Jon Mills
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That’s where the motion detector comes in. It works not only with the SecurityProbe line, but with the BitSight2 and BitSight8 as well. The beauty of the motion detector sensor is that you can daisy chain up to 10 sensors to work off a single intelligent sensor port. And at just $125 per sensor, users can easily cover a good sized data room with motion detection and still have an extra intelligent sensor port on even a BitSight2 for monitoring temperature and humidity.

So keep the motion detector sensor in mind when speccing out a new data room or when adding security monitoring measures to an existing one. It is a very affordable alternative, when it is simply not possible to have eyes and ears on your secure locations.

For more information about our security monitoring solutions, call us at 207-324-8173.

~ Jon Mills
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Of course the first order of business is to set standards and procedures that make those in charge of data center security aware of exactly what is acceptable clearance and what is not. However, as is true for almost any kind gateway, mote, or minefield, people will find their way around. So there must be systems in place that keep us alerted to situations that are potentially hazardous.

The Ravica SecurityProbe can increase the level of data center security by providing insight in the following three areas.

Keep an eye on your data center
As the saying goes, “Seeing is believing.” We need to be able to see with our own eyes that everything is truly alright before we can really breath easy. Nothing beats being there, but if you can’t be there, then a video camera presence is the next best thing. With the pan-tilt dome camera, your SecurityProbe can watch up to four separate locations. It can even be programmed to move to a specific location when an event is triggered from any type of sensor. It will also take a series of snapshots and include them with email alerts when triggered by any sensor.

Batten down the hatches
It seems obvious, but the most important places to monitor in secure areas is the entrances and exits. That means, tighten up the doors and windows. Ravica security sensors are contact sensors that are perfect for letting you know when a door or window has been opened. The idea is relatively simple. There are two contact plates. When they are separated, like when the door edge moves away from the frame as it is opened, the sensor switches to an alarm status.

What’s in motion?
A great fail safe, in addition to watching the doors and windows with sensors and cameras, is monitoring for motion. Motion sensors can also sense for unauthorized access, or can simply be the trigger for telling a camera to pay attention to a certain zone. Make sure that the right amount of movement sets off the sensor in a sensitive area and it can mean the difference between knowing during or after a security breach has occurred.

Whether you are guarding Fort Knox or your small corporate data center, putting a SecurityProbe and the appropriate sensors in place can go a long way towards keeping unauthorized personnel away from your sensitive equipment and information.

~ Jon Mills
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