Blog Archives
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'Undercover Boss' appearance a triumph for ADT
By Paul Rothman - Thursday May 23, 2013
It isn’t a hard and fast rule, but when a company appears on a show like CBS’ Undercover Boss , you can probably expect to see some fireworks — there was the Boston Market cashier who hated customers; the Hooters manager who humiliated the employees; the surf shop employee who tried to sell his boss some dope — and the list goes on. Fortunately for ADT Security Services, its Undercover Boss experience merely revealed a group of dedicated, caring employees and a green executive just trying to understand them, along with the ins and outs of the business. Sure, the show revealed a few areas for the company to improve, but overall, the appearance should be viewed as a tremendous positive for the organization. For the show... -
The Bird is the Word
By Paul Rothman - Wednesday April 24, 2013
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 media — mainly Twitter — Boston Police was able to spread its emergency notification messages literally across the globe in a matter of minutes; and, thanks to the help of the media and concerned citizens from all points on the compass, that message was multiplied at an exponential rate. I count 30 Tweets concerning the bombing — everything... -
Keeping up with Innovation
By Paul Rothman - Friday March 22, 2013
It seems like someone pressed the fast-forward button on technology a few years ago, and the breakneck pace has put the security industry on a virtual speedway — with many end-users, integrators and even vendors desperately trying to avoid being left behind the video surveillance curve. Of course, the “gateway drug” to this massive technology shift is IP technology, as it has opened the door to what seems like thousands of other technology breakthroughs. Thought you had a grip on high definition? Well, can you really explain the difference between HDTV and megapixel cameras to your client or company executives? Have you heard of Ultra HD yet, because chances are, you might hear about it in the future. How about video compression... -
Keeping secrets safe on the road
By Paul Rothman - Thursday January 31, 2013
Planning to visit China soon? Whether it’s for business or pleasure, American executives must keep their guard up and their corporate secrets secure. Here’s what the U.S. State Department warns: “Security personnel carefully watch foreign visitors and may place you under surveillance. Hotel rooms (including meeting rooms), offices, cars, taxis, telephones, Internet usage, and fax machines may be monitored onsite or remotely, and personal possessions in hotel rooms, including computers, may be searched without your consent or knowledge. Business travelers should be particularly mindful that trade secrets, negotiating positions, and other business-sensitive information may be taken and shared with local interests.” For many... -
Government waste exposed
By Paul Rothman - Friday December 14, 2012
Wasteful spending by our government — especially in the name of security — is nothing new. Entire presidential campaigns have been built on eliminating it. As our leadership drives us closer to a mythical “fiscal cliff,” and when the general public is increasingly participating in a growing argument over what is an “entitlement” and what isn’t, it becomes high time to expose areas where government spending can and should be cut. That brings us to Senator Tom Coburn, a republican representing Oklahoma, who has spearheaded a quest to expose egregious government spending in the name of — you guessed it — homeland security. Coburn earlier this month released a report detailing “questionable” spending as part of the... -
Black Friday 2012 security lowlights
By Paul Rothman - Monday November 26, 2012
Many times, video of Black Friday bedlam can at least be entertaining for the "rest of us" -- after all, people put themselves in these situations so we can rubberneck, right? But before I recap the more entertaining stuff, let's start with the deadly serious and tragic, as Black Friday and weekend sales claimed at least one victim (albeit a shoplifter) in a suburb of Atlanta. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , DeKalb police say a man, whose identity hadn’t been released, took two DVD players and exited through the front door of a Walmart but was caught by two workers and a security officer in the parking lot, where a “physical altercation” took place. When police arrived, the AJC reports they found the trio on top... -
Government IT security by the numbers
By Paul Rothman - Friday November 9, 2012
The same technology questions that drive private-sector IT security efforts are also driving government IT security. Just as it is in the private sector, it appears that government IT security is moving closer to understanding and embracing the benefits of the cloud; while the latest up-and-coming term – “big data” – largely remains an enigma to just about everyone. According to a survey released this week by the Lockheed Martin Cyber Security Alliance, as you might expect, cyber security dominates the priorities of government IT professionals, as 85% of government technology decision makers in federal, defense/military and intelligence agencies see cyber security as a high priority, followed to a lesser degree by mobile... -
The top 25 worst passwords of 2012
By Paul Rothman - Monday November 5, 2012
While the old favorites remained the same, new words such as "welcome", "ninja", "jesus" and "mustang" highlight SplashData's annual list of the most common passwords used on the Internet and posted by hackers. Users of any of these passwords are the most likely to be victims in future breaches. The top three passwords, "password," "123456," and "12345678," remain unchanged from last year's list. "Those who have been through it can tell you how terrifying it is to have your identity stolen because of a hacked password,” Morgan Slain, SplashData CEO, said in a press release. “We're hoping that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will start using stronger passwords and using different... -
Cyber terror rages in the banking sector
By Paul Rothman - Friday September 28, 2012
Yesterday, CNN called it the biggest cyber-attack in history. And chances are, your bank’s website has been affected. In fact, since Sept. 19, coordinated Denial of Service (DoS) attacks have shut down the websites of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, while Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank and PNC Bank were crippled just this week. Rest easy, your financial information is safe. These DoS attacks are designed to cripple the websites themselves — criminal hackers use their multitude of computers and malware to flood the targeted site with massive amounts of traffic until it is overwhelmed and thus shut down. The resulting downtime is damaging in countless ways. The Islamist group Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters, a military wing of... -
Cameras watching...more cameras?
By Paul Rothman - Wednesday September 19, 2012
In a move sure to make George Orwell look like Nostradamus, officials in Prince George's County, Maryland, announced last week that they would be using video cameras to monitor....you guessed it, other video cameras! In this case, the cameras will be monitoring the continued vandalism of the county's "speed cameras" -- those designed for traffic enforcement. According to an article by Ari Ashe of Maryland's WTOP FM , residents are definitely getting sick of receving traffic tickets in the mail. Since April, the article says, six people have damaged speed cameras -- and the methods of vandalism are as interesting as the idea of "cameras watching cameras." Ashe's article reports that someone pulled a gun out and shot a...
