November 5, 2007 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — According to a report by The Register, a Chicago-based facility belonging to Web host C I Host (cihost.com) was broken into in October, leaving some customers shocked to discover that it was the fourth such break-in at the facility in the last several years.
In a letter to customers, C I Host said at least two masked intruders entered the facility after cutting into reinforced walls with a power saw. The company says a night manager was repeatedly tazered and that the intruders took at least 20 data servers.
Posts on Web hosting forum Webhostingtalk.com, claim the company was slow to inform customers of the real reason for their downtime, at first citing router failures. Last week several forum users met to discuss the launch of a class-action suit against the company, citing negligence in protecting their servers as the cause.
Like many Web hosting companies, C I Host uses the physical security of its sites as one of the selling points of its services in its marketing materials. The company’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.”
According to police reports, the Chicago facility targeted in the robbery has been the target of four burglaries or robberies since August 2005.
UPDATE: Comments on the incident from a C I Host representative have since been published here.
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