INF.5 Room and Cabinet for Technical Infrastructure

Description

Introduction

A room for technical infrastructure contains technical components that rarely need to be operated directly on-site. However, they are indispensable for the building infrastructure and thus also for the IT infrastructure. These may include, for example, distribution panels for the power supply, circuit breaker boxes, ventilation systems, telephone system components, patch panels, switches, or routers. This room is not a permanent workplace and is generally only entered or opened for maintenance purposes.

If the technical infrastructure to be protected cannot be accommodated in a separate room, or if the room cannot be set up in accordance with the requirements described, the technical infrastructure can also be housed in a specially equipped cabinet. This may also make sense if a cabinet represents the most economical alternative for housing the technical infrastructure. The requirements for the room are then to be applied to the cabinet and its enclosure with as close an equivalent effect as possible.

Objective

The objective of this building block is to protect a room or cabinet for technical infrastructure from a structural, mechanical, and electronic standpoint in the interest of information security. While a room generally means a room or cabinet within a building, it may also analogously refer to a container outside a building or a tent housing technical infrastructure. The protection should be designed such that the technical components housed therein can be impaired in their functions as little as possible.

In the remainder of this document, only the term “room” for technical infrastructure is used. The requirements of this building block are, however, also applicable to cabinets.

Scope and Modeling

The building block INF.5 Room and Cabinet for Technical Infrastructure is to be applied to rooms in which technical infrastructure is operated. The building block is also to be applied when stationary containers, in the sense of a large cabinet, are operated.

As a rule, rooms for technical infrastructure contain exclusively technical components that are typically not housed in the data center itself (see building block INF.2 Data Center and Server Room). In contrast to server rooms, they contain IT systems providing IT services only in justified exceptional cases. One such exception is small information domains with, for example, only one or very few servers or IT systems. An example is a small medium-sized company with few IT workstations and a server operated in a separate room. In such cases, it is often sufficient to meet the requirements of this building block instead of those of the building block INF.2 Data Center and Server Room. Requirements regarding cabling are addressed in the building block INF.12 Cabling.

Threat Landscape

Since IT-Grundschutz building blocks cannot address individual information domains, typical scenarios are used to illustrate the threat landscape. The following specific threats and vulnerabilities are of particular relevance for the building block INF.5 Room and Cabinet for Technical Infrastructure.

Faulty Planning

If a room for technical infrastructure is poorly planned, several problems can arise. For instance, water can enter or IT components can overheat due to sunlight exposure if the location of the room is chosen inappropriately. An unsuitable location may also increase the likelihood of break-ins. Bottlenecks can occur if the power supply is inadequately dimensioned. If substandard materials have been used, IT components are often more susceptible to failures and malfunctions. Not least, regulations and requirements may fail to be observed and complied with already at the planning stage. If impermissible deviations must be remedied retroactively, unnecessarily high costs can arise.

Unauthorized Access

If there is no access control or intrusion protection, or if these are too weak, unauthorized persons may possibly enter the room for technical infrastructure. They could cause damage there unintentionally — for example due to lack of specialist knowledge — or deliberately, for example by stealing, swapping, manipulating, or destroying equipment.

Insufficient Ventilation

If a room for technical infrastructure is inadequately ventilated, the permitted temperature range for the installed equipment may not be maintained. As a result, this equipment could fail or be permanently damaged.

Fire

A room for technical infrastructure can be severely damaged or completely destroyed by fire, causing the business processes or specialist functions dependent on it to fail. In a room with power cables and electrical consumers, there is on the one hand a risk of fires — for example when circuit breakers or equipment fuses fail to trip at excessive currents. On the other hand, negligence can also cause fires — for example if smoking occurs in the room and cables and equipment made of combustible material catch fire. Furthermore, sparks can form through overvoltage or overheating, leading to a fire. A fire in the room for technical infrastructure can also spread to other parts of the building. Conversely, a fire elsewhere in the building can spread to the room for technical infrastructure.

Water

Flooding within the room for technical infrastructure can cause water damage to both the components operated there and the room itself. In addition to damage to the room, such water damage can also cause short circuits in electrical devices. Mold and corrosion can occur as a result. A leak in a water pipe could also flood the room. Rainwater that enters the building through overloaded stormwater drains during heavy rainfall can also cause the room to flood.

Power Failure

If the power supply to the room for technical infrastructure fails, multiple electrically operated components are usually affected. This can cause all associated operating processes to stop. If the power supply is suddenly interrupted, this can also damage the electrotechnical components, effects that may persist even after the power supply has been restored. Finally, consequential damage can occur when an important component such as ventilation becomes inoperative. If the room warms up, further devices may be damaged or even fail.

Lightning and Overvoltage

In addition to the effects of a direct lightning strike, the inductive effect of indirect lightning can also cause overvoltage spikes several hundred meters from the point of impact. Induction also occurs in the vicinity of the conductors of the lightning protection system. These inductive overvoltage spikes can under certain circumstances cause overvoltages on cable trays and on electrotechnical equipment within the room for technical infrastructure, which can disrupt functions or cause complete equipment failure.

Electromagnetic Interference

Electromagnetic fields can be emitted by an interference source such as elevator motors, transmitter systems, or conductors of lightning protection systems. These may potentially disrupt switches, controllers, or IT systems. Such interference voltages can cause electrotechnical components to stop functioning correctly or even fail completely. The devices within the room for technical infrastructure may also interfere with one another.

Electrostatic Discharge

Uncontrolled electrostatic discharges can damage or destroy devices with sensitive electronic components in the room for technical infrastructure. This can cause the devices to no longer function reliably or to fail completely.

Requirements

The following are the specific requirements of the building block INF.5 Room and Cabinet for Technical Infrastructure. The Information Security Officer (ISO) is responsible for ensuring that all requirements are met and verified in accordance with the established security concept. The ISO must always be involved in strategic decisions.

Additional roles are defined in the IT-Grundschutz Compendium. They should be filled where meaningful and appropriate.

Exactly one role should be Primarily responsible. There may also be Additional responsibilities. If one of these additional roles is primarily responsible for fulfilling a specific requirement, that role is listed in square brackets after the requirement heading. The use of singular or plural does not imply anything about the number of persons filling these roles.

Basic Requirements

The following requirements MUST be met as a priority for this building block.

INF.5.A1 Planning of Room Security (B) [Planners]

Appropriate technical and organizational requirements MUST be defined and implemented for a room for technical infrastructure. The protection level to be achieved for the room MUST be taken into account. When planning, both legal regulations and provisions as well as potential hazards from environmental influences, break-ins, and sabotage MUST be considered.

INF.5.A2 Location and Size of the Room for Technical Infrastructure (B) [Planners]

The room for technical infrastructure MUST NOT be a thoroughfare. It MUST be ensured that there is sufficient space for escape routes and work areas.

INF.5.A3 Access Control and Monitoring (B) [Facility Management, IT Operations]

The room for technical infrastructure MUST be protected against unauthorized access. It MUST be regulated which persons are permitted to enter the room, for what period, for which areas, and for what purpose. It MUST be ensured that no unnecessary or overly extensive access rights are granted. All accesses to the room for technical infrastructure SHOULD be individually recorded by the access control system.

INF.5.A4 Protection Against Break-In (B) [Planners, Facility Management]

The room MUST be protected against break-ins. Depending on the required security level of the room for technical infrastructure, appropriate room-forming elements such as walls, ceilings, floors, and windows and doors with corresponding resistance classes in accordance with DIN EN 1627 SHOULD be selected.

INF.5.A5 Avoidance of and Protection Against Electromagnetic Interference (B) [Planners]

Electromagnetic fields MUST be avoided in the immediate vicinity of the room for technical infrastructure. A sufficient distance from large machines such as elevator motors MUST be maintained.

INF.5.A6 Minimization of Fire Loads (B) [Employees, Planners]

Fire loads inside and in the immediate vicinity of the room for technical infrastructure MUST be reduced to a minimum. Combustible materials for room-forming elements MUST be avoided.

INF.5.A7 Prevention of Misuse (B) [Employees, Planners]

The room for technical infrastructure MUST NOT be used for purposes other than its intended use, e.g., as a storage room or cleaning supply storage area.

INF.5.A9 Power Supply (B) [Facility Management]

The power supply network through which the room for technical infrastructure and the end devices connected to it are supplied MUST be established as a TN-S system.

Standard Requirements

Together with the basic requirements, the following requirements represent the state of the art for this building block. They SHOULD generally be met.

INF.5.A8 Prevention of Uncontrolled Electrostatic Discharge (S) [Planners]

In the room for technical infrastructure, a conductive floor covering in accordance with DIN EN 14041 SHOULD be installed.

INF.5.A10 Compliance with Air Temperature and Humidity (S) [Facility Management]

It SHOULD be ensured that the air temperature and humidity in the room for technical infrastructure remain within the limits specified in the data sheets of the equipment operated therein. An appropriate HVAC system SHOULD be used for this purpose. It SHOULD be adequately dimensioned.

INF.5.A11 Avoidance of Pipes Carrying Hazardous Liquids and Gases (S) [Planners, Facility Management]

In the room for technical infrastructure, there SHOULD only be pipes that are absolutely necessary for the operation of the technology in the room. Pipes such as wastewater pipes, fresh water pipes, gas and heating pipes, and pipes for fuel or district steam SHOULD NOT be routed through the room.

INF.5.A12 Protection Against Accidental Damage to Supply Lines (S) [Planners]

Supply lines outside the room for technical infrastructure SHOULD be protected against accidental damage.

INF.5.A13 Protection Against Damage from Fire and Smoke (S) [Planners, Facility Management]

Regardless of the fire protection requirements under building law applicable to the room, all room-forming elements as well as doors and windows SHOULD be equivalently smoke-tight. They SHOULD withstand fire and smoke for at least 30 minutes. Fire loads in the area of cable trays SHOULD be avoided.

INF.5.A14 Minimization of Fire Hazards from Neighboring Areas (S) [Planners, Facility Management]

The room SHOULD NOT be located in close proximity to other premises containing combustible materials in quantities exceeding typical office use.

INF.5.A15 Lightning and Surge Protection (S) [Planners, Facility Management]

A lightning and surge protection concept SHOULD be developed and implemented in accordance with the principle of energy coordination (see DIN EN 62305). The room for technical infrastructure SHOULD be assigned at minimum to lightning protection zone 2 (LPZ 2). Lightning and surge protection equipment SHOULD be regularly and on an event-driven basis checked for functionality and, if necessary, replaced.

INF.5.A16 Use of an Uninterruptible Power Supply (S) [Facility Management]

It SHOULD be examined which devices are to be connected to a UPS. If a UPS is required, the bridging time of the UPS SHOULD be designed so that all supplied components can shut down safely. It SHOULD be taken into account that the batteries of UPS systems age.

In the event of relevant changes, it SHOULD be verified whether the existing UPS systems are still adequately dimensioned. The battery of the UPS SHOULD be kept within the required temperature range.

The UPS SHOULD be regularly maintained and tested for functionality. The maintenance intervals specified by the manufacturer SHOULD be adhered to for this purpose.

INF.5.A17 Inspection and Maintenance of Infrastructure (S) [Facility Management, IT Operations, Maintenance personnel]

For all components of the structural-technical infrastructure, at minimum the inspection and maintenance intervals and requirements recommended by the manufacturer or stipulated by standards SHOULD be adhered to. Cable and pipe penetrations through fire and smoke-section-delimiting walls SHOULD be checked to determine whether the barriers have the required certification for their respective application and are intact. Inspections and maintenance work MUST be appropriately logged.

Requirements for High Protection Needs

The following are exemplary proposals for requirements for this building block that go beyond the level of protection representing the state of the art. The proposals SHOULD be considered when protection needs are elevated. The specific determination is made within an individual risk analysis.

INF.5.A18 Location of the Room for Technical Infrastructure (H) [Planners]

The room for technical infrastructure SHOULD be positioned within the building such that it is not exposed to internal or external hazards such as rain, water, or wastewater. In above-ground floors, care SHOULD be taken that the room does not heat up due to sunlight. If the room is housed on the top floor of the building, it SHOULD be ensured that no water can enter through the roof.

INF.5.A19 Redundancy of the Room for Technical Infrastructure (H) [Planners]

The room SHOULD be designed redundantly. Both rooms SHOULD each have their own electrical sub-distribution panel supplied directly from the low-voltage main distribution (LVMD). Both rooms SHOULD be assigned to different fire sections and, where required, each have their own HVAC system.

INF.5.A20 Enhanced Protection Against Break-In and Sabotage (H) [Planners]

The room SHOULD be windowless. If windows are nevertheless present, they SHOULD be appropriately secured against entry from outside depending on the floor height. If there are operational openings other than windows and doors, such as ventilation ducts, these SHOULD be protected to an equivalent standard to the room envelope.

Intrusion detection systems in accordance with VdS class C (in accordance with VdS guideline 2311) SHOULD be used. All required doors, windows, and other protected openings SHOULD be monitored via the intrusion detection system for locking, latching, and breakthrough. Any windows present SHOULD always be kept closed.

The resistance class of room-forming elements, windows, and doors SHOULD be adapted to the security needs of the room. The quality of locks, locking cylinders, and protective fittings SHOULD correspond to the resistance class of the door.

INF.5.A21 DISCONTINUED (H)

This requirement has been discontinued.

INF.5.A22 Redundant Design of Power Supply (H) [Planners]

The power supply SHOULD be continuously dual-circuit from the low-voltage main distributor (LVMD) to the consumer in the room for technical infrastructure. These power supplies SHOULD be located in separate fire sections. The LVMD SHOULD be designed with operational redundancy.

INF.5.A23 Standby Generator (H) [Planners, Facility Management, Maintenance personnel]

The institution’s energy supply SHOULD be supplemented by a standby generator (SG). The fuel reserves of an SG SHOULD be regularly checked. The SG SHOULD also be regularly maintained. During these maintenance activities, load and functional tests as well as test runs under load SHOULD also be carried out.

INF.5.A24 Ventilation and Cooling (H) [Planners, Facility Management, Maintenance personnel]

Ventilation and cooling technology SHOULD be designed with operational redundancy. It SHOULD be ensured that these systems are regularly maintained.

For very high protection needs, maintenance redundancy SHOULD also be in place.

INF.5.A25 Enhanced Protection Against Damage from Fire and Smoke (H) [Planners]

Room-forming elements as well as doors, windows, and ventilation flaps SHOULD withstand fire and smoke for at least 90 minutes. Supply lines SHOULD ensure functional integrity for at least 90 minutes.

For very high protection needs, the room envelope SHOULD be designed as its own fire section. In existing ventilation ducts, fire dampers SHOULD be installed that are controlled via smoke detectors. Cable trays SHOULD be routed in separate fire sections up to the point of entry into the room.

For very high protection needs, an early fire detection system and an automatic suppression system SHOULD be in place. Fire and smoke detectors SHOULD be connected to the fire alarm control panel. The early fire detection system and the automatic suppression system SHOULD be connected to the dual-circuit power supply with UPS and SG.

INF.5.A26 Monitoring of Power Supply (H) [Planners, Facility Management]

Appropriate monitoring devices SHOULD be installed and operated that can detect impermissibly high currents on the protective conductor system and thus on cable shielding, as well as potentially disruptive harmonics, and display them at an appropriate location for follow-up and remediation.

Additional Information

Good to Know

The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) provides requirements for the correct handling of operating equipment in its regulation “DGUV Regulation 4, Accident Prevention Regulation, Electrical Systems and Operating Equipment.”

The German Institute for Standardization provides requirements for floor coverings in its standard “DIN EN 14041:2018-05.”

The German Institute for Standardization provides requirements for the physical security of buildings and rooms in its standard “DIN EN 1627:2021-11.”

The German Institute for Standardization provides requirements for the fire behavior of building materials and components in its standard “DIN EN 4102:2016-05.”

The International Electrotechnical Commission makes comments on lightning protection standards in its “Merkblatt 62305.”

VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH provides requirements for the use of intrusion detection systems in its “Guideline VdS 2311:2021-10.”