Cloud Platforms and other independent data centers are monitored 24/7 by high-resolution interior and exterior cameras that can detect and track intruders. Access logs, activity records, and camera footage are available in case an incident occurs. Access to the data center is only possible via security doors that implement multi-factor access control using security badges and biometrics. Only approved employees with specific roles may enter. Additionally, the data center's physical security features a layered security model, including safeguards like custom-designed electronic access cards, alarms, vehicle access barriers, perimeter fencing, metal detectors, and biometrics.
The Cloud Platform provider meticulously tracks the location and status of all equipment within their data centers from acquisition to installation to retirement to destruction, using bar codes and asset tags. In the Cloud Platforms data center, metal detectors and video surveillance are implemented to ensure that no equipment leaves the data center floor without authorization. If a component fails to pass a performance test at any point during its lifecycle, it is removed from inventory and retired.
Hard drives leverage technologies like FDE (full disk encryption) and drive locking to protect data at rest. When a hard drive is retired, authorized individuals verify that the disk is erased by writing zeros to the drive and performing a multi-step verification process to ensure the drive contains no data. If the drive cannot be erased for any reason, it is stored securely until it can be physically destroyed.
The physical destruction of disks is a multistage process that begins with a crusher that deforms the drive, followed by a shredder that breaks the drive into small pieces, which are then recycled at a secure facility. Each data center adheres to a strict disposal policy, and any variances are immediately addressed.