Business Security Information

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.

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  This tool lets you determine which of the computer plug-ins you are currently using are outdated.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.

A couple of months ago I was having a discussion with a contractor who had thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment stolen.   I was discussing with him different ways to make improvements to security so that he would be less likely to experience some of the large security losses he had suffered.  One of his comments was that he had a $1000 deductible with his insurance company so he would never spend any more than that to improve security.   I realized then that a lot of businesses really feel that security is just a waste of time and money.  In this short article, I am going to share some of the reasons security should be thought of as an investment and not a waste.

On a recent trip, I stopped for gasoline and a snack at a convenience store along the highway.  When I entered the store, I noticed a bulletproof enclosure (also called bandit barriers) had been installed at the cashier’s counter.  It was different from other ones I had seen used in check-cashing businesses and banks in that it moved horizontally. The cashier could simply press a switch, and the bulletproof cashier window would open or close.  During the day when the risk of robbery may be less, the window could be left open.  In this way, interaction with customers could occur more easily, and it did not appear as intimidating to those visiting the convenience store.

Despite its complicated pronunciation, the word obfuscate merely means is to change, alter, modify, or obscure.  In business, you probably use this more than you think.  On the web, businesses often use URL shortening services which take a long URL (website address) and make it a short one.  These shorter URL’s are then used in an e-mail or instant message, on a blog, or on social media sites such as Facebook.  Twitter is probably one of the most popular places URL shortening (obfuscated URL’s) services are used since you are limited on the number of characters you can put in each tweet.  I have also seen it used in e-books and other informational products that are downloaded off the web.  URL shortening services hide the original and often long URL.

A security friend of mine recently sent me a link to this video. It is something to be aware of when you are traveling and staying in a hotel room. Although this method of bypassing door security has been around for quite some time and is known well in the locksmith and security community, I am not sure how much the business traveler is aware of it. Watch the video and then read the rest of this article for a couple of comments on what is shown in the video.

As I travel around and see a variety of businesses I always find security solutions that businesses have developed and implemented themselves.  The pictures in this article show one security solution a business implemented after someone broke into their warehouse.  The pictures show the interior view of one of the doors in the warehouse.  If you look closely, you will see that the business basically took some strips of steel and a cabinet handle and made an interior bar-type lock that they engage during non-business hours.  The steel bars are bolted to the door, and when the handle is turned, the steel bars move into openings that someone cut into the door frame.  This secures the door to the door frame.