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The Cost of Adding Security Too Late in Data Center Design
A Security Design Criteria (SDC) is more than a checklist. It is the blueprint for a resilient security posture across every discipline involved in a project. Every decision ultimately shapes how secure and functional the facility will be.
A SDC is a comprehensive document that outlines the security requirements for a project across all disciplines. To ensure a comprehensive security posture, we must consider every threat vector and its impact on virtually every aspect working in design and construction. For a data center, the document provides requirements for everything from civil and site landscaping to architectural, mechanical, and electrical requirements that contribute to the overall security posture.
When a security consultant is brought in too late—for example, anywhere after Master Planning or Schematic Design stages—it can have significant and costly impacts on the project. At this late stage, designs are largely finalized, and changes are difficult and expensive. I’ve personally seen several projects reel from the magnitude of changes required when security is considered too late. Simple decisions like the location of a loading dock or potential for vehicle intrusion can drastically impact and change structural and site elements. The result is redesigns, delays, friction between trades, and ballooning budgets.
The truth is simple. The later security is introduced, the more expensive and disruptive it becomes. Late involvement means site plans are already approved and permitted. The security consultant’s recommendations for features like perimeter setbacks, berms, or reinforced fencing will clash with existing landscaping and civil engineering drawings. Reworking these plans can lead to significant construction delays and budget overruns. The architectural design—including the placement of walls, doors, windows, and security control rooms—is typically set as the project moves to Design Development. A late-stage Security Design Criteria driven by threat and vulnerability assessment will demand changes to the building’s layout, potentially requiring the structural integrity to be reassessed. This can lead to costly redesigns and a domino effect of delays as architectural plans must be re-approved.
The solution is to involve the security consultant from the start, ideally during the initial concept and programming phases. It ensures that security is seamlessly integrated, that civil and architectural choices support resilience from the start, and that every discipline is aligned to the same protective strategy.
This is why involving a security consultant early is not just a best practice, but an essential risk management tool. At Guidepost, we have seen both sides of this equation: the costly fallout of late engagement and the efficiency and resilience that comes when security is built in from day one. For developers and architects, the choice is clear. Build security into the foundation, not as a retrofit. The investment made early saves far more than it costs later.
John Bekisz PE, PSP
Vice President, Data Center & Critical Infrastructure Practice
John Bekisz, brings a wealth of expertise in security design, engineering, and project management. His approach to security consulting is comprehensive, integrating operational, physical, electronic, and cyber vectors to guide and support clients through mitigation selection, development, and implementation of their security programs and projects.
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