Get an inside look at a secure data center

A friend of mine is a system administrator for an East Coast company with a secondary (DR) data center at a colocation in a western state. We chatted recently about some of the features of his secondary data center, which is dedicated to maintaining security and uptime for its clients. With his insights fresh in mind (and with his permission), I thought it might be interesting to outline the processes used by the hosting organization -- which I'll leave nameless for confidentiality purposes -- by discussing what you might expect to encounter were you to visit it.

You pull up to the steel gate, which completely encloses the facility from the outside world, and buzz the security guard at the colocation. The facility operates 24x7x365 with security staff on premises at all times -- yes, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day too. The guard asks you to identify yourself and you do so into the intercom, showing your company badge to the camera as well. He doesn't ask, but you remove your sunglasses to make it clear your face matches your ID. He checks to confirm your identity is legitimate and that you're on the approved list to enter the colocation. You pass the test, so he opens the gate. You drive in and the gate is immediately closed behind you.