(no subject)

[camwyn]

I think I'm in love and it's with an IT disaster recovery company. I swear, the facility I toured on Friday felt like it was designed by gamers- gamers with names like Van Hoose. That's how redundant their security, power, and fire prevention systems were. They even keep a team of white-hat hackers paid to attempt intrusions and discover weaknesses on a regular basis. They take N+1 redundancy to extremes- I mean, they've got enough generators there to light up bloody Albany, they've got the security system rigged so that if you get into an area you aren't authorised to be in (and several areas of the building are only available to three people's badges) you can only follow the path to the outside world, which is quite naturally ringed with security cameras and motion sensors... oh, did I mention that if the sensors indicate that more than one person has gone through a door that calls for both your badge and your matching fingerprint ID, the nearest other doors will refuse to open, except to let you out in case of fire?

Even the fire suppression system is localised and redundant. Unfortunately it uses water, but I think the power is cut out to any machines that catch on fire when two separate sensors pick up on any combination of smoke and 160-degree temperatures. Foam was written out of the equation because once a foam system discharges you have to call the company to come and reload it, whereas on New Year's Even with six inches of snow on the ground and evil temperatures outside, the local utility companies still run water, so if a fire breaks out and is suppressed, another one can start an hour later and be suppressed even if the fire department has already left.

SO. PRETTY. From a purely technologically sensible point of view, of course.

Comments

[vivian-shaw.livejournal.com]

Good God. They didn't have retinal scans or anything, did they?

*always rather liked the concept of retinal scan identification locks*

[camwyn]

No, the only biometrics they had were thumbprints. But the thumbprints had to be accompanied by a card of appropriate clearance level- specifically, the card of appropriate clearance level that was coded as belonging to the thumbprint holder. No borrowing the facility manager's card if you left yours in the car.

[vivian-shaw.livejournal.com]

Heh. Admirable.
The security we have here is pitiful. I could walk in off the street with a raving lunatic beside me and they'd look sleepily up from their desks and wave us through.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Heck, in some jobs I've had the raving lunatic would have been greeted as 'Hello, Boss'

So...

[firestrike.livejournal.com]

...It's the type of place that requires either high level misdirection (long con or vapourwork) or the precision use of energetically applied entropy to get access to?

-M

Re: So...

[camwyn]

Right, and if you're going to use energetically applied entropy you'd better do it really fast, because there are at least two different alarm systems set to ring the local law enforcement authorities (two town-level offices and one barracks of the State Police) and the security monitoring company. Should be noted that the troopers' barracks is less than two miles away and the fire department is 3/4 of a mile away. If you want in, you'll get company very fast.

Myself, I was tempted to ask about TEMPEST hardening and EMP shielding, but that would've carried things a bit far.

Re: So...

[firestrike.livejournal.com]

If you care enough to do it, you do it right, meaning at shift change. Night is better, since you've got the initiative and better gear.* Shift change means twice the numbers to deal with, but you know where the majority of them are and their probable approach routes.

A less messy approach is distraction. A HazMat situation will draw both fire and law enforcement as first responders and the excess attention that it brings to the area won't hurt you for at least an hour while they're still getting organized. You'd want to ensure that it was obviously accidental, to avoid the automatic terrorist act response escalations.

-M

*It's an assumption, but a valid one, since it's the type of job you don't nickel and dime on. It's not like you put it up for competitive bid.

Re: So...

[camwyn]

I will also admit that I did not ask about security measures for the roof. It is entirely possible that one can chew one's way through from above if one eludes the security cameras that ring the building, both from the ground and on the building itself. Of course, if there are cameras up there too, our hypotheticals are screwed.

[condotierre.livejournal.com]

The way you describe it I'm in love too. Purr. Can you just -imagine- Chulong and Miss Thunder having fun with those babies?

[camwyn]

Generators the size of the ISLAND NATION OF GUAM. Well, okay, not QUITE that big but they are frelling ENORMOUS, and did I mention the ENTIRE ROOM OF COMPRESSORS to keep the cooling system's water chilled to an appropriately low temperature- a room in a physically separate building with extra thick concrete walls, mind you- or the other entire room of truck batteries that switch on immediately during the twelve entire seconds it takes the generators to power up...

[condotierre.livejournal.com]

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[ahmeemee.livejournal.com]

Dude. That sounds sweet. Next time I need to +jnote a business or a residence...

[camwyn]

Power feeds from two separate substations with lines coming in to two opposite sides of the building. And phone/data connectivity from three separate providers, whose lines into the building do not, at any point, physically cross or otherwise use the same space.

Such. A gamer. Building.

[thekit.livejournal.com]

Don't listen to anything she says, shes a holographic representation of the Red Queen, modled after the headprogrammers daughter, she'll try to decieve us, confuse us, she'll say anything to us to stop us from shutting her down.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Is it cool or sad I recognize that quote?

[skalja.livejournal.com]

That's sexy.

[ymfaery]

Wow. *_*

[vaspider]

Buh!

[kyrielle]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice. REALLY nice.

[kyrielle]

...though I'm surprised, thinking about it, that they didn't deploy foam fire supression as a first response with a detection system to unleash the water if the foam was unavailable or failed to completely suppress the fire.... :)

[thekit.livejournal.com]

I was surprised that they didn't have the whole machine room under argon gas, so no fires would start in the first place. If you want to go in to change a patch lead, you could wear a respirator... or a bright yellow hazard suit... and carry a crowbar... mmm crowbar.