Data centers are poised to become even more integral to the Internet's success as the Web expands, according to USA Today. At the heart of it, the Internet is a global network of connected hard drives and computers communicating via a common digital tongue. So when more data enters the system, more hardware is necessary to accommodate it.

"The Internet consists of hundreds of millions of networks, depending on how you're counting them. What we call the Internet is the way all these networks connect with each other," Burt Kaliski, chief technology officer of VeriSign, told USA Today. "This architecture has scaled very well from the earliest days of the Internet to the nearly uncountable numbers we have now."

Higher Internet traffic means higher risk
According to Cisco Systems, global Internet traffic has jumped by 500 percent in the last five years and should jump threefold in the next five years. That means data centers need to expand, open new facilities, or otherwise improve capacity. It also means more opportunities for thieves to steal hard drives straight from centers' server cabinets.

That's why many of the best data centers across the U.S. use biometric technology to prevent unwanted individuals from gaining access to restricted areas. Biometric security uses fingerprint scanners, palm readers and other technologies that analyze individual physical characteristics to act as a password. This eliminates or augments keys and passwords, which can be lost, forgotten or forged. For centers that are serious about protecting their clients' data, biometric access control is the best method on the market.

Data centers step up security
Equinix's SV5 center in San Jose, California, uses security cameras, double entryways and biometric security to protect its terabytes of information, according to USA Today. The heightened access control is not for nothing – Biometric Update reported that 40 percent of data loss, sabotage and attacks occur at data centers.

Digitus Biometrics has created a biometric handle compliant with several privacy and safety protocols. The device is the latest security measure in biometrics to protect server cabinets and other restricted access points. The handle is part of an overall security and compliance system that data centers can use to give their clients a security guarantee. Of the 500-plus handles installed, none have yet been breached.

To learn more about how to create indisputable audit trails with proper physical access controls through Digitus Biometrics, download our whitepaper here.