Data centers are places where important and sensitive data are kept. As such, data centers attach a great importance to security, which begins at the perimeter. In an interview with asmag.com, Babak Shir, VP of Engineering at SightLogix, discusses the importance of perimeter security for data centers and what solutions are needed to make sure the perimeters of data centers are well protected.
Q: Why is perimeter security important for data centers? What perimeter security/safety threats are often faced by data center operators?
Shir: Verification of threats at the outermost fence line is the earliest detection of a potential threat seeking to cause physical damage to the infrastructure, such as power infrastructure, or to gain access to the building to reach an internal target.
By detecting intruders at the outermost boundary, security teams gain early warning across large buffer zones, giving them critical time to assess, respond, and intercept threats before they reach the data center buildings. This proactive approach delivers perimeter-to-building protection, ensuring that security measures are not just reactive but preventive.
Q: What security solutions or systems are needed to ensure that data center perimeters are well protected?
Shir: Perimeter security solutions for data centers must be able to detect threats early, accurately, and reliably under a range of outdoor conditions, including low or no light, as well as various weather conditions, such as rain, snow, sleet, fog, sunny, hot, and humid environments. These solutions also need to be able to detect at great distances and accurately discern the difference between real threats, such as an intruder, and environmental changes, such as tree limbs blowing, animals, or other factors to reduce outdoor false positives.
Accurately identifying threats is a baseline requirement for perimeter security, but being able to leverage geo-spatial analytics, such as target speed and location, is also key in directing PTZ cameras to track intruders in real time. This real-time visual tracking is critical for enabling a fast, informed, and coordinated response.
Security solutions also need to be able to verify genuine threats. Traditionally, this verification occurred by having personnel physically go to the location of the alert or requiring human operators in a security monitoring center to stare at security monitors. Today, AI solutions can automate this process, significantly increasing the efficiency of the security force.
Q: How can thermal cameras play an effective role in data center perimeter security? What advantages do thermal cameras offer compared to other types of cameras/sensors?
Shir: Because thermal imaging measures heat differences, it enables cameras to “see” in adverse weather conditions, bright sunlight, or darkness for hundreds of meters. Thermal technology is sensitive to body heat, which enables accurate and reliable detection of humans.
Advanced image processing at the edge, which analyzes raw thermal video at the source, enhances security performance by preserving critical image details and offers two key benefits – reliable detection over vast distances of hundreds of meters, while also detecting intruders walking directly toward the camera – one of the toughest yet least published scenarios.
Q: Should thermal cameras work with other security solutions (sensors, visible light cameras, etc.) to make data center perimeter security more effective?
Shir: While thermal AI excels in low-light and adverse conditions, visible AI remains an effective tool for areas of the perimeter that have sufficient lighting. This is where dual-spectrum systems offer a versatile solution. Dual-spectrum cameras integrate thermal sensors and visible color imagers into a single device, intelligently analyzing data from both to optimize detection and classification.
Thermal AI ensures reliable operation in darkness and challenging weather, while visible AI provides additional detail and context when lighting conditions permit. This synergy enhances detection accuracy across various site conditions, from distant perimeters to well-lit areas near assets. By integrating thermal and visible AI into a single perimeter camera, security teams can gain a more robust and cost-effective solution.
Q: What factors should the integrator consider when deploying a successful data center perimeter security project?
Shir: Integrators should prioritize solutions that meet compliance requirements like ISO 27001 and SOC 2, deliver reliable detection performance over vast areas with low false alarm rates, and integrate seamlessly with existing VMS and access control systems. Equally important are remote diagnostics to reduce site visits, responsive technical support, and vendor partnerships that offer joint sales engagement and scalable solutions across multiple locations. These factors help ensure operational efficiency, client satisfaction, and long-term success.
Q: Please introduce your data center perimeter security solutions. Is AI used to make detection more accurate?
Shir: SightLogix offers smart thermal camera solutions purpose-built for critical environments like data centers. Our flagship products, including the SightSensor TC, are bi-spectral systems that combine long-range thermal detection with AI verification in a single device. This dual-sensor approach ensures accurate intrusion detection, even in complete darkness or challenging weather, while providing visual details to verify events in real time.
All SightSensors integrate with our SightTracker PTZ, a precision pan-tilt-zoom camera system that uses geo-enabled detection coordinates from the SightSensor to automatically follow intruders in real time. As soon as a target is detected, the SightTracker zeroes in and maintains visual contact, delivering clear, close-up video of the intrusion as it unfolds. This seamless handoff between detection and tracking provides critical situational awareness, enabling security teams to assess and respond to threats with speed and confidence – without manual intervention or delay.
To maximize detection accuracy, our cameras combine thermal-based geospatial analytics with onboard AI analytics running at the edge. This layered approach enables precise detection and location of intrusions across wide areas, while intelligently distinguishing real threats – such as people or vehicles – from environmental noise like wildlife, shadows, or blowing debris. The result is a highly reliable perimeter detection system that reduces false alarms by over 95 percent, enabling faster, more accurate threat response and improving overall security effectiveness.