INTELLIGENT DATA CENTRES
Never rely on your tried and tested
ways of doing things. They may have
served you well in the past but it is
important to remember that today’s
threat levels have heightened
significantly in recent years.
Employees that work with data
who do not keep up-to-date with
the latest security issues could put
their organisations at risk. Luckily, as
Sarah Parks, Director of Marketing,
CNet Training, tells us there are tools
available that can identify the danger
signs before the worst happens.
The importance of
addressing people risk
F
or many years now the outage
figures attributed to human error
have remained static at around 70
per cent, costing companies thousands per
minute. This lack of change proves that this
significant issue is not being addressed.
However, it’s not just a lack of skills
and experience that pose a threat to a
datacentre facility; even those who have
worked in the industry for years who you
may think are ‘perfect employees’ can put
the organisation at risk.
Understanding their behaviour is vital;
how competent and confident they are at
applying their knowledge on an ongoing
basis within a mission critical environment
is the key to risk mitigation.
Many datacentre professionals have
naturally progressed into their roles as
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technology has evolved around them, so
they most likely learned on the job and
some adopt the approach of ‘it’s worked
this way for years, so why change the way
we are doing it?’
Data suggests that continuing to do the
things the same way time and time again
is risky, particularly within mission critical
environments. Liken it to passing your
driving test; when you first pass you are
tuned into the rules of the road, consciously
aware of what is going on around you and
you know the potential dangers.
Yet, after a number of years driving,
who refreshes themselves by re-reading
The Highway Code? Who goes out of their
way to understand the latest techniques
being taught to new drivers? Most people
are guilty of not refreshing their knowledge
in this area. This scenario in a datacentre
facility could have dramatic and potentially
costly consequences.
Research shows that 29 per cent of
datacentre technicians pose a risk to the
organisation; they have misunderstanding
and misplaced confidence and 50 per cent
have knowledge gaps in some areas where
they demonstrate a lack of understanding
within subjects.
In psychology, there are four stages
of competence, called the hierarchy of
competence. This is where the learning
model relates to the psychological states
involved in the process of progressing from
incompetence to competence in a skill.
Unconscious incompetent. This is
the most dangerous, or risky. This individual
does not understand or know how to
Issue 09
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS