Case file 01 · The closet nobody checks
Physical security checks for server rooms, network closets and devices
Your network lives in a room. The door, the lock, the racks, the cables, the battery backup and the machines themselves are all part of your security, and they are the part most people never check. We walk the room and look at every piece with three questions: is it operating, is it safe, and is it unaltered?
Every piece of equipment, three questions
- Operating?Power, cooling and backups that hold.
- Safe?Only the right people get in. Protected from heat, water and fire.
- Unaltered?Nothing added, opened or moved since it was installed.
Open rackUnaltered?
Can you name everything in it?
Rack doors should close and lock, and every device inside should be one somebody can name. Anything nobody recognizes gets looked at first.
The floorSafe?
Water is the quiet threat
A leak, a sprinkler or a mop bucket can take down everything in the room. Equipment belongs off the floor and away from pipes, and a water sensor can warn you before it spreads.
The doorSafe?
Does it lock behind you?
A server room door should close and lock on its own. A door propped open for one delivery is an open door all afternoon.
Open the case fileAirflow
Keep it cool
Heat wears hardware out slowly. Vents clear, fans spinning, nothing stacked on top, and a room that stays cool on the hottest afternoon.
The windowSafe?
Who can see in?
Screens, labels and sticky notes that can be read from the street tell a stranger exactly what is inside. Windows near equipment let in heat, and sometimes water.
Status lights
Read the lights
Green and aqua usually mean healthy. Amber or red often means a failing drive, fan or power supply. Somebody should be reading them, not just walking past.
Battery backup
Will the battery hold?
A battery backup keeps the network up through a flicker and gives servers time to shut down safely. Its battery wears out quietly, and most people find out during the outage. Test it before the storm does.
Signed in laptopSafe?
Signed in and walked away
A computer left signed in, in a room people walk through, hands over the keys. Screens should lock on their own after a few minutes, and nobody should share a login.
Open the case fileExtinguisherSafe?
The right extinguisher
Electrical fires need an extinguisher rated for them, kept in reach and inspected on schedule. Water and live electronics do not mix.
Patch panelUnaltered?
Every cable accounted for
Cables labeled at both ends, and unused network ports switched off. A cable nobody can explain is a question worth asking.
Camera
Is it recording?
A camera only helps if it works, sees the door, and saves its recordings somewhere a thief cannot carry out along with the server.
Sealed caseUnaltered?
Has anything been opened?
A tamper seal or a sticker over a screw shows when a case was opened or a drive pulled. A broken seal means ask who, and why.
Mystery boxUnaltered?
The box nobody plugged in
A small device plugged into a spare port can quietly listen to a whole network. If nobody can say what it is or who put it there, that is the first thing we look at.
KeypadSafe?
Who knows the code?
Codes and keys should change when someone leaves, and a lock that keeps a log of who opened it beats a guess. A code written on the wall is not a lock.
Explore the scene
Choose an object to open its case card.
Walk the room
0 of 14 checked
Operating?0/4
Is it running the way it should, with power, cooling and backups that hold?
Safe?0/6
Can only the right people reach it, and is it protected from heat, water and fire?
Unaltered?0/4
Is it exactly what was installed, with nothing added, opened or moved?
Want this walk done on your own server room, closet or back office?
Sound familiar?
- The server closet doubles as the storage closet
- Nobody is sure who has a key or the door code
- There is a box or a cable in the rack nobody can explain
- The battery backup beeps now and then and everybody ignores it
- The room runs hot, or the fans are louder than they used to be
- A computer in that room stays signed in all the time
How the Dude handles it
Walk the room
Doors, locks, keypads, cameras and windows. Who can get in, and would you know if they did?
Check every machine
Servers, switches, routers, battery backups and the computers around them. Is each one running, healthy and doing its job?
Look for changes
Devices and cables nobody can account for, opened cases, broken seals, and settings that drifted from how they were set up.
Plain English findings
You hear what we found, what matters most and what it costs to fix, before any work starts.
Before you call
- Where the network equipment lives: a closet, a back office, a cabinet or a shelf
- Who has keys, codes or badges to get in, including anyone who has left
- Who installed the equipment, if you know
- Anything that has seemed off lately, like a new device, a door left open or a beeping box
Straight answers
What is a physical security check?
A walk through the room where your network and computers live: the doors and locks, the racks and cables, the battery backups and cooling, and every device and machine in the room. We check that each one is operating, safe and unaltered, then tell you in plain English what we found.
Do I need a big server room for this?
No. Most small businesses have a closet, a shelf in the back office or a cabinet under the counter. Wherever your network lives, that is the room we check.
Will you change anything without asking?
No. You hear what we found and what it costs to fix before any work starts. Your stuff stays yours.
What about the computers themselves?
The two go together. A cyber security checkup covers the accounts, passwords, updates and network settings on the same machines we look at in the room.
Case 01 is open