Security

For many people, the first question that comes to mind when considering a SaaS solution is “how secure is it?” Organizations are rightly concerned about exposing themselves to potentially disastrous data loss through security breaches. Other important concerns are availability, At Xyea, we understand these concerns, and that is why we have taken every possible step to ensure the security of our solution. We have taken potential security concerns into account throughout the design and development process, and in the way the solution is deployed.

Application and server security

The Xyea application conforms to best practices for the development of secure database-driven Web applications, including:

Strong passwords, including complexity and expiration criteria, are used everywhere. All data is encrypted when transmitted over the network.

Passwords are managed only by direct contact with Xyea staff. For security reasons, features such as changing passwords online and requesting a password reminder by e-mail are not implemented
Only essential services and protocols are enabled on the servers – anything that is not essential to the running of the application is disabled.

Network security

All data communication between customer and the Xyea server is over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), the cryptographic protocols that ensure security of data transmitted over the Internet. SSL is the industry standard for secure communication, and it is used for all secure data transmission, such as banking, eGovernment, online tax returns, and online shopping.

Perimeter firewalls and intrusion detection systems are deployed to prevent unauthorized access to the front-end web server.

The hosting facility has four layers of redundancy in its Internet backbone connectivity to ensure there is no single point of failure between the Xyea solution and the Internet.

Physical Security

The Xyea solution is hosted in a 25,000 square feet, state-of-the-art hosting facility managed by Ireland’s leading infrastructure provider. It has fully duplicated mains power connections, redundant uninterruptible power supply systems, and standby generators supported by fuel tanks capable of storing enough fuel to power the entire data center for 72 hours.

The hosting facility is protected by video cameras, security alarms, and round-the-clock on-site security personnel. Physical access to the facility is strictly controlled, with mandatory pre-approved client lists and sign-in/sign-out procedures.

Xyea has a dedicated individual space in the data center, access to which is controlled by a swipe card. Detailed records are kept of all accesses to this area.

The data center has fully redundant individual close-control air-conditioning units that maintain a constant 22°C (± 2°) and relative humidity of 50% (± 10%).

A combination of detection and suppression systems gives the highest possible of fire protection. A Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus (VESDA) system and a range of ionization, optical, rate-of-rise, heat, and smoke detectors are in place and constantly monitored by the hosting facility staff. A waterless FM-200 fire suppression system is in place that reaches extinguishing levels in 10 seconds and can stop combustible, electrical, and flammable liquid fires.