# Is a Cage Really the Safest Physical Environment for Your Data? Source: https://expedient.com/knowledgebase/blog/2015-05-25-is-a-cage-really-the-safest-physical-environment-for-your-data/ [](#) # Is a Cage Really the Safest Physical Environment for Your Data? May 25, 2015 2 min Read ## Data Center Security Those seeking a dedicated cage environment with a hosting provider are sometimes under the false impression that caged floor space is more secure than other physical options. A common perception is that a dedicated cage environment provides an unparalleled level of security as well as the ability to meet auditing requirements; both viewpoints are not necessarily accurate. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of the features and benefits of all available physical security options before assuming a cage is the best and only option. Use cases for dedicated cage spaces can be difficult to define. #### Shared racks - Ideal for customers with minimal compute and storage needs. - Secure and locked rack environment. - Space is shared with another customer. #### Half racks/full racks - Half and full racks have the same features, except for space. - Physically autonomous and segmented from other customers. - Secure and accessible only by the customer. - As an additional security feature, two-factor authentication is available for half and full racks, in addition to dedicated cages. - Cameras can be installed in each cabinet to capture the image of the person opening the cabinet to record activity within the environment. - Full racks may be a better choice for customers anticipating consistent growth. #### Colocation Compliance Requirements A common misconception, particularly among organizations with significant compliance requirements, is that housing an environment in a cage is a requisite. In reality, while audit requirements do entail physical security stipulations for securing data and hardware, nowhere within the audit mandates for HIPAA or PCI-DSS, for example, is there a specified requirement for a cage space. The requirement is actually for “strong access control.” Read our latest white paper, [Data Center Security and the Cage: What Really Keeps Your Data Safe?](http://bit.ly/1Ep6Ncq) to learn more about assessing the physical environment that will work best for your business. #### #### #### #### [ ![Ed Dzurko](https://res.cloudinary.com/dvlpy3tua/image/upload/fl_sanitize/uploads/EdDzurko.jpg) Ed DzurkoDirector, Facility Engineering ](/knowledgebase/blog/authors/ed-dzurko) [Colocation](/knowledgebase/blog/tag/colocation)[Disaster Recovery](/knowledgebase/blog/tag/disaster%20recovery)[Data Centers](/knowledgebase/blog/tag/data%20centers) ### Related Posts [ #### The VMware Wait Tax: Why Every Quarter of Delay... Inaction on a VMware migration is widely treated as a neutral position, a de... Learn More ](/knowledgebase/blog/2026-08-04-the-vmware-wait-tax-why-every-quarter-of-delay-has-a-price-tag/)[ #### The Great Inversion What was easy is now hard. What was hard is now easy. {% include blog-key-... Learn More ](/knowledgebase/blog/2026-07-29-the-great-inversion/)[ #### Your New Cloud Strategy: Rebalancing for Cost a... {% include blog-key-takeaways.html items=page.key\_takeaways %} A few years a... Learn More ](/knowledgebase/blog/2026-07-15-your-new-cloud-strategy-rebalancing-for-cost-and-performance/) ## Subscribe to Our Blog VMware September 29th, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET ## It’s Time to Decide Your VMware Path [Join us →](https://go.expedient.com/VMWarePath) ### VMware September 29th, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET ## It’s Time to Decide Your VMware Path [Join us →](https://go.expedient.com/VMWarePath)