• • • DATA CENTRE MANAGEMENT • • •
Why considered outdoor lighting solutions are critical for data centres
Thorn Lighting’s head of application Eliot Horsman explores the value that well considered outdoor lighting can add to a data centre and how it can enhance security and day to day operations
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t goes without saying that data centres hold sensitive or proprietary information, including customer data and intellectual property, which
means both digital and physical security of the site is pivotal. Physical security of a data centre can comprise
of various kinds of built-in safety and security features to protect the premises and thereby the data stored within it. Site safety and security starts from the outside, and is already considered at planning stages, where some of the initial considerations are location selection and authenticated personnel access points. Physical security is equally as important to the
smooth operation and protection of assets of any data centre, anywhere in the world. How we approach and integrate outdoor lighting solutions is therefore a fundamental layer in the security infrastructure. When we look at the topic of cyber security
architecture, the National Cyber Security Centre outlines five key principles to help ensure that networks and technologies are designed and built securely. These are: • Establish the context; • Making compromise difficult; • Making disruption difficult; • Making compromise detection easier; and • Reducing the impact of compromise.
These five key principles of cyber architecture
transfer across to the critical layers of defining the right outdoor lighting solution for a data centre and in terms of the physical architecture of the space. Allow us to expand on this.
Establish the context For outdoor lighting solutions, to establish the context is to determine and understand the environment in which a data centre is located and how this correlates to its surroundings. Light pollution and the impact that artificial light
can have on neighbouring residents and the natural ecosystems of plant and nocturnal animal life is a huge focus. Building regulations across the globe are changing to ensure a reduction in light pollution which takes many forms, from light spill, light trespass and sky glow. Flooding a data centre’s outdoor environment –
building surrounds, pathways, car parks etc – with light to give a clear view for surveillance and security systems is not a viable solution from a sustainability or energy cost perspective.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • APRIL 2022 25 Regulations to limit light pollution can be used
to the advantage of a data centre, beyond the benefits to human wellbeing, ecology systems and reduction of energy costs. As high security critical environments, data
centres must not stand out in their surroundings as a beacon to onlookers. Maintaining a low-key presence in the built environment is paramount. In addition, both humans and ecology systems
rely on periods of darkness to thrive. Lower lighting levels and warmer white light are proven to be beneficial to both human wellbeing and ecology, where artificial light is needed. Innovations in advanced lighting technologies,
such as Thorn’s NightTune and Variable Light Technology, illuminate the required area and gradually warm in colour to a more ecologically sensitive warm white light. As the light colour changes over time, these
technologies also allow gradual reductions in light levels during periods of low activity, reducing energy costs and allowing the site to blend into the environment, creating an ecology sensitive advanced lighting solution.
Making compromise difficult Limiting entry points is an effective way to enhance data centre security. Alongside this, multi-factor authentication prior to allowing a person’s entry, introduces security systems which often rely on facial recognition. This could be for security personnel to verify
against a photo ID or automated facial recognition. Being able to determine the details of a person’s face requires high quality colour rendition from the outdoor lighting to create a clear and accurate representation. When a data centre’s outdoor entry points
are lit, lighting is typically installed above. For example, when you drive down a road with streetlights that are in operation, your eyes can detect obstacles such as cars moving, not because the cars are lit but because the cars are in shadow and in contrast to the well-lit horizontal road surface. For optimum operation and so that facial
recognition is not impeded, to fully determine the details of a person’s face we must also consider vertical illuminance.
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