Obama calls for federal cybersecurity standards in response to breach fears

Responding to the President Obama's call for bipartisan action on cybersecurity issues during his State of the Union address, it seems that Congress is getting into action to better protect the individuals whose data is put at risk when businesses and government agencies are breached by unknown intruders. The fact that Obama spoke specifically to this issue reflects just how serious the breach problem has become for data centers - taking more steps to protect your facility from invasive activity is a smart IT investment. The right precautions could help your company avoid a nasty bout of data loss or privacy violations.

Business and national security threats drive bipartisan action
Datacenter Dynamics pointed out that both the President and the leaders of the Republican-controlled congress were looking for common ground with regards to cybersecurity. Obama's comments at the State of the Union coincided with an ongoing dialog between the president and House Speaker John Boehner to push the cybersecurity reform into law - one of the key proposals is a federal law that would require private and public sector organization let their customers know when their private information may have been compromised because of a data center breach.

It's no surprise that lawmakers across the aisle were quick to cooperate on cybersecurity concerns. After all, eWeek noted that 67 percent of government IT heads have reservations about their facility's ability to keep pace with the evolving complexities of modern data center security. With IT decision makers at the federal level on alert, this legislation has as good a chance as any of uniting Congress and spurring Capitol Hill into action.

The best defense is a multi-layered approach
While Congress drafts federal new cybersecurity laws, you and your IT team can do their part to make your facility better prepared for a breach. Manufacturing Business Technology recommended that IT teams invest in an intrusion detection system, which can be connected to your system easily with the help of a serial-to-Ethernet accessory. Detection and prevention are vital parts of any breach defense strategy, so don't settle for less when it comes to dealing with your contingency strategy.

Perle's serial to Ethernet converters connect serial based equipment across an Ethernet network. The Perle IOLAN range of Console Servers, Device Servers and Terminal Servers feature built-in support for IPv6 along with a broad range of authentication methods and encryption technologies.