Hardware security system 

Computer hardware is the electromechanical equipments which make computer systems. Computer system includes the physical parts such as keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, hard disk, memories, CPU, Motherboard, Sound card, speaker, graphics card etc. Computer cannot work without computer hardware. Hardware security is necessary for preventing hardware parts from physical damage, theft and misuse. Hardware security protects the machine and peripheral devices from theft, electronic intrusion (disturbance) and damage. 

The term hardware security refers to the protection of physical devices from harm, theft, and equipment destruction attacks. 

There are various measures that can be adopted for proper secure of computer hardware system. Some of them are discussed below: 

Use of Identity card 

The use of ID card in the computer room is necessary for authorized users. the provision of identity card restricts the entry of unauthorized persons and prevents hardware parts from being stolen or replaced. It is very important hardware security measures which is verified by gate keeper or security guard before the computer users enter in the computer room. 

Regular maintenance of computer 

The regular maintenance is very important and necessary hardware security measures to increase the working life of computer. We can use dust cleaner or vacuum cleaner for cleaning the internal and external hardware parts. 

While maintaining the hardware, it is necessary to check cable connections, motherboard situation with RAMs, Expansion slots, CPU, SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply), DVD ROM etc. The advantage of regular maintenance of computer is to find out the problems in peripheral devices and repair them in time before they are damaged. It also helps to find the proper cause of any type of harm in computer system. 

Insurance system 

The computer and its equipments are valuable and expensive to any organizations and individuals. It may be great economic loss when hardware parts are lost or damaged. So insurance of hardware is needed to get financial support from insured company. The insurance company provides compensation or economic recovery when a computer or its parts are theft by unauthorized person or damaged by any types of sudden disasters. 

Free from dust and dirt 

The computer hardware are very much sensitive to dust and dust which can damage them and cause problems in proper functioning. The computer monitor and electric system attracts and observes the dust particles in the room. These dust particles may generate over heat to the devices and cause harms like burning or failure of chips etc. Therefore it is suggested that the computer room must be free, floor must be well carpeting and dust must be removed by using dust Bloor. The computers should always be covered by plastic or cloths. 

Protection from fire

The protection from fire is one of the important hardware security measures. Computer hardware is also sensible to fire as dust and dirt. The fire cause due to the various reasons such as short electric circuits, wrong wiring systems, voltage fluctuation, loose connections, overload on power sockets etc. Computer room should be equipped with fire extinguishers and fire alarm systems to reduce the damage caused by fire any time. 

Protection from theft 

As the computer is very much valuable and expensive device, it needs to kept in very secure and safe room. The thieves may steal computers with related hardware parts which may cause not only hardware lose but software lose too. Therefore the computer room must be with strong gate, well grilled windows and proper locking systems. The security guard should monitor the room 24 hours physically and their should be the provision of CCTV ( Closed  Circuit Television). Beside this the burglar alarm is also necessary to equip in the computer room for observing the suspicious activities. 

Use of air conditioning system 

The controlling of room temperature is also one of the major factors of hardware security because the suitable room temperature for computer is about 20-24 degree centigrade. Generally the external environment and weather also affects to increase or decrease the room temperature. In the other hand, the regular use of computers produce the heat and increases the temperature. The overheat may result the working problems of hardware parts such as disk failure, breaking down the chips, short life etc. So that we need to keep air condition system in the computer room to maintain the room temperature required for computers. 

Use of power protection devices 

Computer is an electronic device which is designed with delicate electric and electromechanical systems. Computer needs steady voltage to start and operate systematically. Usually computer uses 220 to 240 voltages to function. Sometimes the sudden power interruption and voltage fluctuation may cause several damages. So, Power protection devices to supply proper electricity to the computer are necessary to overcome these problems. 

The following are the common power protection devices. 

i. Uninterruptable Power Supply 

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is one of the common and widely used power protection devices these days. The UPS stores (charges) electricity and provides battery backup power automatically to the computer when required. It allows the user to save important data and information and prevents them from being lost or damaged. 

ii. Spike guard: 

Spike guard is also a power protection device which is used to prevent computer from sudden high voltage (spikes) because of lightning in rainy season and control such high voltage. Spike guard also known as buster is used to protect electronic devices from spikes in the AC voltage. Any voltage surge may damage our computer and that's why a Spike guard is actually used. Whenever there is a surge in voltage the fuse in the spike guard blows and our PC is protected. 

iii. Volt guard 

Volt guard is one of the simple and ordinary power protection devices which provides the constant output voltage to the computer, if input voltage is also high. The volt guard supplies required 220 to 240 voltage to the computer and prevents the computer and its accessories from being damaged to high voltage. 

iv. Voltage stabilizer 

A voltage stabilizer is an electrical appliance used to feed constant voltage current to electrical devices like Air conditioners, computers etc. When there is a drop in incoming voltage, it activates electromagnetic relays which ad to more number of turns in the secondary winding, thus giving higher voltage which compensates for loss in output voltage. When there is rise in the incoming voltage, the reverse happens and thus, the voltage at the output side remains almost unchanged. 

v. Constant Voltage Transformer 

The CVT is simply a magnetic transformer of a special construction that has a capacitor connected across the secondary winding of the transformer. It is the most preferred transformer over conventional stabilizers. This is due to the fact that the stabilizers have relays that are when switched leads to interruption in output voltage for a short time. This can cause damage to the electric equipments like computers and others. CVT ensures complete protection against spikes and also provide controlled output voltage.