Never Mind Sea-Bed Cable-Cutting – it’s Dust That’s The Real Problem

Data, as you may have noticed, has become something of an issue. Where to store it, how to access it and most recently, as highlighted in a series of warnings by government officials and military top brass all over the world, how to keep it safe: these are the questions that are increasingly occupying our minds. From back-bedroom teenage hackers to social media manipulators and Russian submarines snipping through trans-Atlantic cables, the headline writers are seemingly obsessed with the thought of the world suddenly not being able to access the data it’s come to rely upon so heavily.

But here at Technivo we think the headline-writers are missing the point – there’s another, more common and much more serious threat to data security, and it’s right under our noses – or to be more accurate, it’s right up our noses. You can’t see it, you can’t hear it, but it’s everywhere – and if it’s not properly dealt with, it can, and will, cause catastrophic failures. It’s dust.

Dust in homes, offices, and other inhabited environments comprises tiny amounts of plant pollen, human and animal hairs, textile fibres, paper fibres, human skin cells, and a whole host of other materials which may be found in the local environment. Oh and dust mites too of course, and their faeces… It’s a pain at home, but in a critical environment such as a commercial server room or data centre, dust can be a very big problem indeed: sensitive computer and telecommunications equipment needs to be dust-free to operate effectively, and can even malfunction completely if there’s enough dust. Running a vacuum around isn’t enough: maintaining your critical environment is a job for the professionals, and it’s one we’ve been doing for an increasing number of satisfied clients for years.

So the next time you read about the danger posed by North Korean hackers, think instead about the humble dust mite and the damage they’re almost certainly doing, right now, to your company’s critical systems.

And then call Technivo!