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November 22, 2007

A Chicago-based data center facility belonging to Web host provider C.I. Host was allegedly burglarized, leaving customers shocked to discover that it was the fourth such break-in at the facility in the last few years.

In a letter to its customers, C I Host said at least two masked intruders entered its co-location facility after cutting into reinforced walls with a power saw. The company says a night manager was repeatedly beaten and that the intruders took at least twenty Web hosting servers that are owned by customers.

Various posts on the Webhostingtalk.com forum claim that the company was very slow to inform customers of the real reason for their downtime, at first citing some router failures.

Then several forum users met to discuss the launch of a class-action suit against the company, citing gross negligence in protecting their servers as the cause.

Like many Web hosting providers, C I Host uses the physical security of its buildings and data centers as one of the selling points of its co-location services in its marketing materials.

C I Host's website describes security features that include "24/7 armed guards" and "24/7 Secured access with key swipe entry, biometric thumb print verifier and a double-locking man-trap at every door within the data center and on the exterior."

C I Host's Chicago facility targeted in the robbery has been the target of four additional burglaries or robberies since August 2005.

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Source: The WHIR