Google's Data Center Security

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A look at the inside of a Google data center in South Carolina, showing tape storage modules.

Google today released a video showcasing the security and data protection practices in its data centers, which includes some interesting footage from the company's data center in South Carolina. Most of the tour focuses on physical security and access control, including the security gates and biometric tools (iris scanners, in this case). It also showcases Google's methodology for wiping and destroying hard disk drives when they fail or are taken out of service, including an on-site disk shredder. At about the 4 minute mark there's the briefest of glimpses of the data center area, which shows tape libraries.

Near the end of the video there's a reference to Google's use of additional security measures not shown in the video - which can only be a reference to the sharks with friggin' laser beams on their heads. Here's a look at some of the coverage from Google's previous disclosures about its data centers at the 2009 Data Center Efficiency Summit: