If physical access to a computer system can be obtained, then gaining access to the information on that computer system can also be obtained. With new U.S. laws pertaining to the security of information—including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act—data in both physical and electronic forms must not only be protected by adequate access control mechanisms but also be audited if compliance with the various regulations is to be maintained.

Recommendations on physical and logical security integration can be found at this TechTarget Website: http://www.searchSecurity.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1046324,00.html? track+NL-358&ad=502258.

See Also: Accountability; Fiber-Optic Cable; Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (Financial Services Modernization Act); Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).