Every spring and summer, customers want ways to reduce energy bills—which, by the way, is a great opportunity for security companies to pitch home automation services such as remote light and thermostat control that sync with a homeowner’s wireless alarm system. Companies can also go green too by using electronic contracts as part of their sales completion process. Monitronics International...

Earlier this week, the Pentagon issued a report accusing the Chinese government and military of conducting cyber attacks against the U.S. in an effort to gather intelligence on diplomatic, economic and defense programs. This follows a report released earlier this year by cybersecurity firm Mandiant , which also accused the Chinese military of carrying out cyber attacks against more than 140...

The vibrant and super-trendy city of Chicago plays host to ASIS in September and I had a sneak peek at the fun and flavor expected at the upcoming conference during a recent media tour of the soon-to-be “ASIS kind of town.” Expecting some 20,000 visitors to the event, which is slated for Sept. 24 to 27 at McCormick Place, the ASIS 59 th annual seminar and exhibits will operate under the...

When analyzing an emergency mass notification plan, unfortunately it tends to take an actual emergency to see how it works in action. Such was the case in Boston last week, when jammed phone and SMS lines created snarled and ineffective communications. The Boston Police, however, seemed as prepared for the communications breakdown as they were for the actual emergency response. Using social...

What began decades ago in the UK as a way to control soccer hooliganism has come full circle as a result of the senseless bombings this week during the Boston Marathon. The use of video surveillance by law enforcement, with the cooperation of the private sector, not only captured the bombing events, but has been a key to identifying the bombers themselves. Urban video surveillance deployment...

In my nature of not being a gloom and doom person and always looking for an optimistic side of any problem, I have been closely evaluating the current preparations for significant layoffs, especially within the defense and government sectors which could be as high as 20 percent, according to recent published reports. This magnitude of cuts in government spending doesn’t mean that innovation...

Date/Time of Incident: 10/23/2012 1:44 a.m. Location: Indianapolis, Ind. Incident Type: Break in at TC Electric, 205 W. Morris Street, Indianapolis Offender: White male; Michael A. Scott, 43 years old Charges filed: Subject arrested on site and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; one count of burglary; one count of criminal mischief; and one count of criminal trespass...

Editor's note: Edward Dunham, an attorney with Kleinbard, Bell & Brecker, co-authored this blog entry. If your company recently suffered a power outage or other hurricane-related damage you may be tempted to put any potential insurance claim to the side and focus on getting your operations up and running again. First things first, but you may have rights under the insurance you’ve purchased...

Recently there was a civil lawsuit in New Jersey settled in favor of the plaintiff while the case was in trial. The case was about an unannounced mock robbery training exercise conducted in a hospital pharmacy setting on Christmas Eve 2007 by senior hospital staff members. The hospital claimed the action taken was a "safety drill." The pharmacy staff had no idea of what was about to happen to them...