Business Security Information

This summer, I helped a friend install a DVR (digital video recorder) for his business security camera system.  I also helped him configure the DVR and his network to allow remote viewing of the security cameras for him and a few key employees.  While helping him with this project, I realized how much physical security systems have changed over the past few years.  More and more of them are being manufactured with network capabilities with many of them being installed on the business network.

Businesses just like yours spend time, money and energy every day trying to protect their assets from a variety of security issues.  How do you know if you are expending that time, money and energy covering the right security issues?

This month I came across a survey of security directors from a variety of companies that covered the major security issues they face and the cost of security incidents when they did occur.  I will highlight some of that information in this article so you can see the type and cost of a variety of security issues.  You can use this information to evaluate if you are addressing the right security issues in your own business.  Here is the list of security issues based on the highest annual dollar losses to the lowest dollar losses:

Since about 2002, most office copying machines have been equipped with hard drives. This is the digital revolution. The problem is that the office copier’s hard drives also store a copy of all documents that you copy. Also, since some office copiers also function as scanners, faxes and printers, copies of those documents are also kept by the copier. If a criminal steals the hard drive or copies a copier’s contents, a wealth of information related to your business, employees, and clients are at their finger tips, especially since most of the information is unencrypted.

Watch this short (less than a minute) video on how simple it is to gain access to a building through a garage door. While there are other methods of breaking into a home or business, this is one that is often overlooked or forgotten even by seasoned security professionals. It is also one that is low-tech and very easy to do.

Garage Door – I Am In!

When most companies think about disaster planning, a variety of thoughts come to mind.  Some businesses I have dealt with think about preparing for a natural disaster or a fire while others think about nothing but planning for an IT or network outage.  For the purpose of this article, I am referring to the planning for and recovery from a disaster.  This definition encompasses more than just the planning and recovery of IT services, infrastructure, data (information) and other technology resources of a company.  Disaster planning must include preparing for and recovering from the loss of human resources, such as key employees of a business, and other essential resources that allow a business to function.

Since Facebook privacy issues have been a hot topic in security, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the add-ons or plug-ins you can get for the Firefox web browser that will help  protect your privacy when on-line.  While a lot of businesses and users still use Internet Explorer, many people and businesses are switching to Firefox which has a ton of plug-ins available.  When I wrote this article, there were 221 add-ons or plug-ins available for Firefox that touched on some element of privacy.  If you search for security-related add-ons, the list gets even bigger.  While I cannot address all of them in this article, I want to highlight a few that can help protect your privacy.

New internet attack methods or new variations of old ones seem to be developing on a regular basis.  This makes it hard to keep up with all the ways your business’ computer system can be attacked as well as adequately protecting your most vital business asset–information.

If you are like most businesses, you have more on your plate than you have time to deal with.  Keeping up with all the security issues that face your business can be a daunting task.  One resource that can help you is the new Mozilla Plug-in Checker.  This tool lets you determine which of the computer plug-ins you are currently using are outdated.  While this may not have concerned you before, there is good reason to pay attention to your plug-ins.

If you are one of many types of businesses that sell or service vehicles, you should look at how you are storing keys for the vehicles you are servicing or selling.  Over the years, I have seen numerous dealerships and service centers that store keys like the company noted in the pictures.  As you can see from the pictures, the keys are just stored on a board-type key holder.  While I do not usually recommend the use of such a board because keys are easily accessible to anyone in the area, I want to focus on the more pressing security issue of the proximity of the keys to the entrance to the business.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article called “Bulletproof Enclosures” where I discussed movable bandit barriers or bulletproof enclosures.  Just today I read about a different but very similar type of robbery security measure called a security screen.  The concept is very similar to the movable bulletproof enclosure, but different in that it is a bullet-resistant metal wall.