6.5 Physical Protection

6.5 Physical Protection

1. Looks, keypads and biometrics- Physical protection may also be used to protect data. Access to individaul workstations or server rooms can be physically stopped by locking doors, locking screens via the keypad or putting padlocks on machines.

   • Although biometrics uses digital means to gather information, the protection it provides is still physical chare

2. Placing computers above known flood levels- One form of information loss that is often ignored is loss through natural causes, such as from flooding.

   • Placing machines on a scond floor, to where flood levels are unlikely ro rise, is a simple form of protection

3. Backup systems in other locations- Backup does not protect data from loss or theft, but migrates the effect if data is lost or stolen, as it provides a copy.

   • All orgisations should have a backup policy based on the need to protect vital information and at a time when most vital data is captured

4. Security staff-Security staff are sometimes cosnidered to be a form of physical restriction on access to data simply because they reduce the risk of an unauthorised intruder accessing the data storage system.

   • Biometrics uses digital means to gather information, the protection it provides is still pysical.

5. Shredding old paper based records- The form of protection is effective in protecting data falling into the wrong hands. If paper based records are not shredded, than there is a risk that confidental ro senstive data may be found and used by others.