14.3. Placing the ProLiant Server

There are two kinds of security to consider when deciding where to place your ProLiant server:

• Physical Locks, codes, and location

• Virtual Passwords, permissions, and access control lists

The two types of security relate to where a customer wants to locate the server and how will it be configured.

Deciding to place a server in an interior room with a locked door sufficiently addresses most physical security needs. Because the temperature and humidity in a windowless interior room remain relatively constant, there should be no need to keep the door open to enhance airflow. Keeping the door closed and locked ensures that only those individuals with authority and access can get in.

It is a good idea to be alert for physical and virtual security holes. When an employee leaves an organization, it is important to recover any keys and access cards. It might also be necessary to change locks and codes. Disabling the employee's user account and changing high-level passwords that the employee had access to is also good practice.

Setting up users, groups, and permissions addresses virtual security needs. Each user needs a password to gain access to project files stored on the server, and being a member of a particular group allows or denies access to other network resources. A good rule is to grant each user only as much access as he or she typically needs. In addition, all passwords should also be changed regularly; be a minimum length (as defined by the operating system); and contain a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.

User-level security should not be confused with share-level security. User-level security allows or denies access to a particular resource based on who the user is and which group the user is a member of. Share-level security is decided at the resource level; that is, if a directory or printer is shared, anyone who knows the password can access it. Share-level security is most often used in peer-to-peer networks that lack an authentication server.

All of these procedures fit together to form an IT security policy. Procedures regulating physical access, virtual access, staffing changes, password changes, and user-level security must be integrated to form a policy that allows access without compromising security. A good policy is also scalable, so that as a business grows the policy can incorporate new procedures and security products.

HP partners with many industry-leading security providers to bring effective, appropriate, and affordable solutions to the workplace. HP also offers many of its own security products and services to enterprise-class customers.