VISA’s incredible effort to protect your data

When one thinks of data security companies like VISA don’t generally show up near the top of the list but the fact is they have a global security system that would probably equal some government agencies. At least this is what Michael Fitzgerald from Fast Company found out recently when he was allowed a behind the scenes look at the company’s “NASA-like command center”.

While he wasn’t allowed to disclose the exact location he was able to get a really good look at the company’s newest, and most modern U.S. data centers, otherwise known as Operations Center East (OCE). VISA acknowledges that the data that flows through their networks is probably some of the most wanted information by black market hackers and as a result their operations centers could be compared to modern day fortified castles.

Some of the efforts taken to keep the data, and the data center safe include:

• Four conduits bring electricity into the building so that if, for whatever reason, one of the conduits gets destroyed there is backup power at all times.
• Each pod within the complex has two rooms with UPS in order to condition the power coming in and make sure there are no system threatening surges.
• Also in those two rooms there are 1,000 heavy duty batteries
• Additionally each pod has two massive diesel generators that are capable of generating 4 megawatts of power

This is also one of the first of VISA’s operational centers that has been built to not only withstand California-style earthquakes but also Midwest-type super tornadoes.

According to Fitzgerald the only thing that could take down one of these centers is us:

The only thing that might take down the OCE, it seems, is us. Transaction growth has averaged 7% to 17% annually. Visa expects the OCE to handle growth into the 2020s, but at some point, of course, something will give.

image courtesy of Fast Company