Anyone who works at a data center knows that network security is crucial, especially at a time when it seems like companies are being hacked and breached every day.

But did you know physical security matters just as much as the security of your servers’ networks? The threat of theft is a reality that many data centers face — don’t let yours become a victim of it.

Here are three items you need to have to keep your data center racks safe from theft, vandalism and other physical damage:

Cabinet locks

Your employees might be the most trustworthy people on the planet, but you should still never get server rack cabinets without a working lock. Whether it’s a built-in lock system or a padlock that goes on the rack enclosure doors, each and every rack enclosure must have a lock to keep your servers within their cabinets and safe from theft.

Secure server room doors

In addition to locks on your rack enclosures, it’s also a necessity to have each of your server room’s doors lock automatically. You can give employees keys that grant them access to the server rooms or install a password-protected lock that requires employees to enter a code — whatever you do, just be sure to lock the doors.

Keep server racks safe by keeping them cool

It might not be in the same vein as theft, but overheating is another threat to your server racks that can cause significant physical damage. It’s imperative for each server room to be temperature regulated with the right cooling equipment. You should ideally never locate your server rooms where one or more walls are external walls, and you should invest in the correct cooling equipment or natural cooling system to keep your servers from overheating and becoming unreliable.

Have any other tips and tricks for keeping your server rack cabinets and rack enclosures safe from physical harm? Feel free to share with us by leaving a comment below! Find more on this here.