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Master the CompTIA Server+ exam with PrepCast—your audio companion for server hardware, administration, security, and troubleshooting. Every episode simplifies exam objectives into practical insights you can apply in real-world IT environments. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more prepcasts, books, and resources to power your certification success.
Domain three of the Server Plus certification covers the essential topics of server security and disaster recovery. This domain focuses on how to protect critical systems, detect threats, and recover after failures. It includes both physical and digital safeguards, with coverage of access controls, environmental monitoring, backup systems, and restoration plans. The Server Plus exam expects candidates to understand how to build secure systems and how to bring them back online after a loss or disruption.
Security and disaster recovery are foundational to all other server management domains. Servers host business-critical data and applications. If they are compromised or fail unexpectedly, productivity and compliance are immediately impacted. Strong security reduces the chance of incidents, while recovery planning ensures that services can be restored quickly when something goes wrong. This domain links preventive controls with reactive strategies for holistic protection.
The Server Plus exam divides Domain Three into categories that include encryption, account control, disaster recovery plans, physical protection, and environmental controls. It addresses how to detect problems with monitoring tools, how to store backup data securely, and how to respond to both digital and physical threats. From fire suppression systems to user credential management, this domain equips administrators to defend against disruption and minimize downtime.
Security and disaster recovery are not separate concepts. A secure system is designed to withstand attacks, but without backup or recovery procedures, even minor damage can cause extended outages. Conversely, a system that can be restored after failure but lacks preventive controls is likely to suffer repeated losses. Together, security and recovery define a system’s ability to resist, absorb, and bounce back from incidents.
At the core of server protection is the security triad. Confidentiality ensures that data is accessible only to authorized users. Integrity guarantees that information has not been altered or tampered with. Availability means that systems are accessible when needed. Every security control, policy, and procedure in this domain relates to one or more of these three objectives. The security triad provides the foundation for understanding risk and designing countermeasures.
The threats covered in this domain extend beyond malware and hacking attempts. Physical threats such as theft, fire, or power loss are included. Insider threats such as unauthorized privilege use are part of the risk model. Environmental hazards like overheating, flooding, or poor ventilation can be just as destructive as software flaws. Server Plus trains candidates to assess these risks and prepare defenses and recovery strategies to address each type.
Controls fall into two major categories—proactive and reactive. Proactive controls include firewalls, patch management, account restriction, and monitoring. Reactive controls include backups, failover systems, and incident response procedures. Proactive measures reduce the likelihood of incidents, while reactive measures reduce the impact. A complete security plan includes both, and administrators must be familiar with how to design, implement, and monitor each.
Security policies establish the rules that users and systems must follow. They define password requirements, acceptable use guidelines, permission levels, and more. These policies must be enforced and audited regularly to remain effective. Compliance may be driven by internal governance or external frameworks such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, or ISO standards. Administrators are expected to implement these controls and ensure systems align with the required standards.
Disaster recovery planning defines how systems will be restored after an event. Recovery plans include assigned roles, response procedures, recovery timelines, and communication methods. Plans must identify which systems are critical, how they will be restored, and what the acceptable downtime is. The Server Plus exam includes documenting, testing, and refining recovery plans based on real scenarios and technical priorities.
A complete backup strategy includes multiple methods of data capture. Full backups copy everything. Differential and incremental backups track changes since the last full or partial copy. Snapshot tools preserve system states for faster recovery. Backup design must align with recovery point objectives and recovery time objectives. Storage media, retention schedules, and rotation methods vary depending on the system’s role and data classification.
Security monitoring helps detect threats and gather data for incident response. Security Information and Event Management systems collect logs from servers, firewalls, and applications. Intrusion detection systems monitor for suspicious patterns. Alerts must be generated in real time, and logs must be retained for forensic analysis. A successful monitoring system includes not just detection but response playbooks that define what happens when a threat is confirmed.
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Physical security plays a critical role in overall server protection. Unauthorized access to server rooms can lead to theft, tampering, or complete system shutdown. Physical controls include locks on racks and doors, badge access systems, and surveillance cameras. Entry logs should be reviewed, and access should be granted only to personnel with a legitimate need. Server Plus includes understanding how to implement and audit these physical access safeguards.
Environmental threats such as overheating, smoke, flooding, or power surges can damage hardware and interrupt service. Environmental controls include fire suppression systems, temperature and humidity sensors, and proper ventilation through HVAC systems. These systems must be regularly inspected and integrated with monitoring platforms. Failure to control environmental risks can result in the same level of disruption as a successful cyberattack.
Server hardening reduces the number of ways an attacker can compromise a system. Hardening involves disabling unused services, closing unnecessary ports, and enforcing configuration baselines. Operating systems should be patched regularly and monitored for unauthorized changes. Administrators can use benchmarks such as the Center for Internet Security guidelines or vendor-provided templates. Server Plus includes hardening as a first step in every deployment.
Credential and access control policies ensure that only the right people have the right access at the right time. Strong passwords, least-privilege assignments, and multi-factor authentication are all required practices. Role-based access control allows permissions to be assigned based on job function rather than to individual users. Administrators must track who has access to which systems and adjust permissions as responsibilities change.
Security documentation supports accountability, audits, and incident response. Logs, configuration diagrams, change records, and compliance reports must be accurate and current. Documentation should include system roles, access policies, and recovery procedures. During an incident, this information speeds up containment and supports forensic analysis. Server Plus includes using reporting tools and applying retention policies that comply with regulatory requirements.
Disaster recovery testing validates whether backup and response procedures actually work. This includes restoring services from backup, triggering failover, and coordinating team responses. Regular drills help uncover gaps in procedures, communication breakdowns, or missing resources. Recovery tests must be documented, and findings should be reviewed to improve future responses. Testing turns theory into operational readiness.
When servers reach end of life, secure decommissioning is required. Hard drives must be securely wiped or destroyed. Physical equipment should be removed from the facility and logged as decommissioned. Configuration data, credentials, and licenses must be tracked and retired. Sensitive information often remains on unused systems, so disposal must follow strict policy. Server Plus includes maintaining accurate hardware inventories and destruction records.
Domain three prepares administrators to design secure, resilient, and recoverable server environments. It ties together account control, environmental safety, physical protection, encryption, backups, and operational planning. These topics directly influence system uptime and organizational trust. In the next episode, we begin the detailed content of this domain with a focus on encryption paradigms and how they protect data at rest and in transit.