It's something everyone heard at some point as a child: "Use the Buddy System!"

Along with making parents feel better and keeping kids safer, the idea of the Buddy System also added a layer of accountability to any action: whatever was going on, there would be two people there to witness it.

In the field of information and data center security, there's a similar idea: the two-man rule.

The two-man rule adds accountability to any data center operation, adds security by preventing rogue individuals from doing any harm and lessens the dangers that can come from a lost access card or key.

In short, the same principle that guided the Buddy System that helped keep you safe as a child can help keep your data safe today. 

What is the two-man rule in data center security?

Today's military and intelligence units have a tough task at hand as they face a sobering reality: traditional methods of protecting a country and its citizens are no longer good enough.

Gone are the days where the latest weaponry and a strong army was all that was needed to keep peace at home and discourage conflict abroad.

The modern age requires those charged with protecting a country's people and interests to be prepared to fight both traditional and cutting-edge threats.

It's ironic, actually: the most visible forms of military security, like fighter jets and tanks, are borderline useless when it comes to protecting the country against one of today's biggest threats: cyberattacks and data theft.

As the world has become more connected through the Internet, smartphones and other forms of modern technology, cyber defenses have become increasingly important.

A half-century ago, "hacking" as a concept didn't really pose a tremendous threat; today, a powerful hacker could potentially take down a country's electric grid, disable air defenses or even force an unauthorized weapons launch, all with some malicious code and a few key strokes.

It's clear: protecting computer infrastructure and data has never been more important.

In this day and age, cybersecurity is national security

Nowadays, cybersecurity and data theft are two of the hottest topics in the world of technology.

The rise in the importance of and interest in cybersecurity has been driven by a number of high-profile incidents that have occurred over the past several years:

• There have document and data dumps perpetrated by individuals like Edward Snowden and Reality Winner that have revealed sensitive government information.
• There has been ongoing discussion about the involvement of Russia in "hacking" the United States Presidential Election.
• There have been massive global malware attacks, like Petya and WannaCry, dedicated to stealing personal or customer data and holding it for ransom.

To put it simply, data security is a big deal in today's technology-focused world, and it's only going to get bigger.

Organizations around the world, terrified by the prospect of becoming the next company that has its customer data stolen and by having to deal with the ensuing PR fallout, have responded to these threats by ratcheting up their data protections.

These attempts have included things like two-factor authentication, biometric authentication and varying levels of encryption. 

While they're effective at addressing certain types of threats, these methods don't address a central vulnerability: your servers and data centers themselves.

Don't ignore the physical when you focus on the digital

Cyber security is of the utmost concern for organizations of all kinds.

From the Presidential debates to the front page of the local newspaper, you're seeing it everywhere: a data breach here, an email leak there, thousands of credit card numbers stolen, hundreds of identities compromised.

With the Internet playing such a huge role in global commerce, it's no wonder there's such an intense focus on keeping the data that powers that commerce engine safe from prying eyes and nefarious characters.

Organizations of all kinds spend millions of dollars securing networks, locking down accounts, fending off hackers and more, all in the name of keeping valuable data safe.

If your organization does any kind of business online, from e-commerce sales to email communication, chances are you're taking some steps to protect that data. 

However, there's an unsettling truth to all of these security measures: many organizations completely forget about securing the physical locations where this data is stored and processed.

We're talking, of course, about servers, the backbones of the Internet and keys to any web page visit, Facebook post, online transaction or Tweet.

Server rack security protects your customers, company and reputation

Monitoring an access control system can be difficult. Between managing door alerts, controlling user access, maintaining your hardware and responding to alarms, monitoring a busy system can sometimes feel like sitting in Mission Control at NASA.

Yes, the point of an access control system is to make a building more secure, but you don't want that security to drive your facilities director nuts.

Access control systems can be complicated (as they should be, by nature, if the point is to increase security). However, you don't want a system that's so complex and so unwieldy that it becomes more of a burden than a benefit.

If only there was a tool out there that allowed a user to monitor all aspects of a security system from a single screen...

Oh, wait. There is!

It's called the PremiSys^™ Security Management Dashboard (referred to hereafter simply as Dashboard). 

Dashboard is an add-on software management tool for the PremiSys Access Control System. It's an award-winning piece of software, as it was named the Best New Product in Access Control Hardware & Software at the 2015 SIA New Product Showcase.

So yeah, it's pretty cool.

The point of Dashboard is to give users maximum control over all aspects of their access control system, essentially serving as a one-stop shop for every part of a system. To make things even better, Dashboard is optimized for use on the iPad^®, meaning you can use it to monitor your facilities on the go.

Dashboard gives PremiSys users the ability to monitor their system in a more concise manner, making it easier to increase security and preventing your facilities director from ripping out even more of his hair.

How can the PremiSys Dashboard make your security director's life easier?