Editor’s note: “Mitigating Mistakes” is a monthly SecurityInfoWatch.com column series from security consultant and author Paul Timm featuring photos of security vulnerabilities discovered in the field followed by a discussion on the problems they present to a facility’s security posture and how they can be addressed.
Finding: While conducting security assessments, I increasingly encounter interior digital signage. These electronic displays/monitors come in all shapes and sizes. Whether centrally managed or standalone units, digital signs utilize everything from looping PowerPoint presentations to animated messages to reach people with information.
Problem: Targeted information, by itself, misses a strategic opportunity to educate people about safety and emergency preparedness. Employees and visitors are not typically thinking about the possibility of suspicious activity or how to report that kind of behavior. Further, entities might not be able to effectively share detailed evacuation, shelter-in-place or lockdown protocols without digital signage.
Lesson: Utilize digital signage technology to promote a safe and secure environment. Attempt to permeate your workplace with safety awareness. Give people every opportunity to make a personal investment in your security program.
Remedy: Develop “See Something, Say Something” messages that scroll across or periodically appear on digital signage. In those messages, give people a way to report suspicious activity. Additionally, pursue options to display critical information and applicable procedures during an emergency. Employ this technology to raise safety awareness and improve emergency preparedness.
About the Author:
Paul Timm, Vice President of Facility Engineering Associates, is a board-certified Physical Security Professional (PSP), the author of School Security: How to Build and Strengthen a School Safety Program, and a nationally acclaimed expert in physical security. In addition to conducting numerous vulnerability assessments and his frequent keynote addresses, Paul is an experienced Crisis Assistance Team volunteer through the National Organization for Victims Assistance (NOVA). He is certified in Vulnerability Assessment Methodology (VAM) through Sandia National Laboratories and the ALPHA vulnerability assessment methodology. He is also a member of ASIS International’s School Safety & Security Council and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials’ Risk Management Committee. Paul recently earned his Master’s degree from Moody Theological Seminary.
