A company is building a new datacenter next to a busy parking lot. Which of the following is the BEST strategy to ensure wayward vehicle traffic does not interfere with datacenter operations?

The primary threat described is "wayward vehicle traffic" from a busy parking lot, which poses a physical impact risk to the datacenter. Bollards are short, robust vertical posts designed specifically as a physical and preventive security control to stop vehicles from entering a designated area or colliding with a building. Installing bollards creates a protective perimeter that directly mitigates this specific risk, making it the most effective strategy among the choices.

A. Install security cameras: Security cameras are a detective control. They can record an incident but will not physically prevent a vehicle from impacting the datacenter.
B. Utilize security guards: Security guards act as a deterrent and can respond to incidents, but they cannot physically stop a moving vehicle, especially one that is out of control.
D. Install a mantrap: A mantrap is an interior physical access control system for personnel, consisting of interlocking doors. It has no function in protecting the building's exterior from vehicle traffic. ---

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53, Revision 5, "Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations." The Physical and Environmental Protection (PE) control family, specifically PE-3 "Physical Access Control," outlines the necessity of controlling physical access to facilities. The implementation guidance for this control includes using physical barriers to prevent unauthorized access, which encompasses vehicle barriers like bollards for site protection.

2. Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), a program of the National Institute of Building Sciences, "Secure/Safe for Data Centers." In the section on "Implement Site, District, and Building Security," the guide discusses establishing a secure perimeter. It states, "Control vehicle and pedestrian access to the site, and if a threat/vulnerability assessment indicates the need, design for vehicle standoff distances using active or passive barriers such as bollards, concrete planters, or decorative boulders." This directly supports bollards as a best practice for mitigating vehicle threats to a datacenter.

3. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Bollard Attack Resistance," October 2020. This document, while focused on attack resistance, details the function of bollards as vehicle barriers. It states, "Bollards are a common type of protective device used to prevent vehicle-into-building crashes and to protect people and property from errant drivers and vehicle-ramming attacks." (Page 1, Introduction). This confirms their primary purpose aligns with the scenario's needs.