Active

Server Room Protection

The organization shall implement protection controls for server rooms and computing facilities, including environmental controls, fire protection, and physical security measures. Server room protection shall include temperature and humidity controls, fire detection and suppression, access controls, and surveillance monitoring, adequate for the equipment and data housed in server rooms.

Requirement ID
PHY-003-R003
Parent Control
PHY-003
Domain Code
PHY

Requirement Details & Guidance

PHY-003-R003 · PHY-003
Why This Requirement Exists

This requirement exists to secure data centers and critical facilities through restricted access, environmental protection, monitoring, inspection, logging, compliance review, and continuous improvement, with specific focus on server room protection, so that physical security controls are proportionate to risk and remain effective.

Implementation Guidance

Establish and document the process for server room protection. Define accountable owners, required inputs and outputs, authorization or validation criteria, review frequency, monitoring, reporting, exception handling, and evidence requirements. Apply controls according to facility, asset, media, personnel, and environmental risk, and integrate with asset management, incident response, business continuity, and facilities processes where applicable.

Practical Application & Audit Readiness

PHY-003-R003 · Field Guidance

Business Examples

    Common Audit Findings

      Common Mistakes

        Best Practices & Ownership

        PHY-003 · Recommended Approach

        Recommended Practices

          Typical Owner

          Cross-Mapped Regulatory Frameworks

          Harmonized Control Mappings
          FRAMEWORK CODE FRAMEWORK NAME & DETAILS FAMILY / CATEGORY VERSION ACTION
          IRDAI IRDAI Information & Cyber Security Guidelines IRDAI information and cyber-security requirements... Clause: §2.15-3.2 – Physical Access Standards for Information Processing Facilities
          India
          Guideline
          		 vLatest View →
          RBI-CSF RBI Cyber Security Framework / Master Directions RBI cyber-security requirements and directions set... Clause: 3) Environmental Controls – 3.1 Environmental controls protecting critical-asset locations from natural/man-made threats; 3) Environmental Controls – 3.2 Monitoring environmental-control breaches and physical security
          India
          Regulation
          		 vLatest View →
          SEBI-CSCRF SEBI Cyber Security & Cyber Resilience Framework SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framewor... Clause: 3.1 PR.AA: Identity Management, Authentication, and Access Control
          India
          Regulation
          		 vLatest View →
          DORA Digital Operational Resilience Act The EU Digital Operational Resilience Act establis... Clause: Article 6(2) – Protection of information assets, ICT assets and physical components/infrastructure
          EU
          Regulation
          		 vCurrent View →
          ISO27002 ISO/IEC 27002 ISO/IEC 27002 is a guidance standard containing a... Clause: 7.4 – Physical security monitoring; 7.5 – Protecting against physical and environmental threats
          ISO
          Standard
          		 v2022 View →
          NIS2 NIS2 Directive The NIS2 Directive establishes EU-wide cybersecuri... Clause: Article 21(1) – Cybersecurity risk-management measures – general obligation
          EU
          Directive
          		 vCurrent View →
          PCI-DSS PCI DSS PCI DSS is an industry security standard maintaine... Clause: 9.2.1 – Appropriate facility entry controls are in place; 9.2.1.1 – Individual physical access to sensitive areas; 9.2.2 – Physical and/or logical controls are; 9.2.3 – Physical access to wireless access points,; 9.2.4 – Access to consoles in sensitive areas is; 9.3.1 – Procedures are implemented for authorizing; 9.3.1.1 – Physical access to sensitive areas within the; 9.3.2 – Procedures are implemented for authorizing
          PCI
          Standard
          		 v4 View →
          COBIT2019 COBIT COBIT is an enterprise governance and management f... Clause: 4.4 – Deliver, Service and Support (DSS) > DSS05 – Managed Security Services > DSS05.05 – Manage physical access to I&T assets. 4.4 – Deliver, Service and Support (DSS) > DSS01 – Managed Operations > DSS01.05 – Manage facilities.
          COBIT
          Governance Framework
          		 v2019 View →
          NIST-CSF NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) The NIST Cybersecurity Framework provides high-lev... Clause: PR.AA – Identity Management, Authentication, and Access Control | PR.AA-06 – Physical access to assets is managed, monitored, and enforced commensurate with risk PR.IR – Technology Infrastructure Resilience | PR.IR-02 – The organization’s technology assets are protected from environmental threats DE.CM – Continuous Monitoring | DE.CM-02 – The physical environment is monitored to find potentially adverse events
          NIST
          Framework
          		 v2 View →
          NIST80053 NIST SP 800-53 NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 presents control families, i... Clause: 3.11 – PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION; PE-3 – PHYSICAL ACCESS CONTROL, PE-18 – LOCATION OF SYSTEM COMPONENTS
          NIST
          Control Catalog
          		 vRev. 5 View →
          GDPR General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The General Data Protection Regulation is a bindin... Clause: Article 32(1)(b) – Confidentiality, integrity, availability and access resilience
          EU
          Regulation
          		 vCurrent View →
          SOC2 SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria SOC 2 is an independent examination and reporting... Clause: CC6.4 – Logical and Physical Access Controls – The entity restricts physical access to facilities and protected information assets (for example, data center facilities, backup media storage, and other sensitive locations) to authorized personnel to meet the entity’s objectives. A1.2 – Availability – The entity authorizes, designs, develops or acquires, implements, operates, approves, maintains, and monitors environmental protections, software, data backup processes, and recovery infrastructure to meet its objectives.
          AICPA
          Audit Framework
          		 vLatest View →

          Parent Domain Context

          Governance Domain Baseline
          Domain Name:
          Physical & Environmental Security (PHY)
          Purpose:
          To protect the organization's physical assets, personnel, and facilities.
          Scope:
          Enterprise
          View

          Parent Control Context

          Control Baseline
          Control Name:
          Data Center & Critical Facility Security (PHY-003)
          Summary:
          Establishes critical facility security including restricted access, server room protection, communication room security, facility monitoring, physical inspection, review, security logging, compliance review, and continuous improvement.
          Business Description:
          Establish and maintain physical security controls for data centers, server rooms, communication rooms, and other critical facilities supporting business operations.
          View