Technology has changed the way we do business. The average company spends $15 million per year battling cyber-crime1, and by 2020, organizations are expected to spend $101.6 billion on cybersecurity software, services, and hardware, a 38 percent increase from 20162. We hear about the latest breaches all the time, but how do criminals gain access to a company’s most private and confidential data? Online, of course, but sometimes the breach happens in the place where we least expect it, right in our own office. So if you aren’t sure who is keeping watch over your property and assets, and how they reduce preventable loss, it might be time for a security check.
More than 400,000 businesses in the United States experience theft, robbery, vandalism, and criminal acts each year. So the reality is, you may be impacted by crime at some point. Some types of industries– such as banks, convenience stores, and high-end retailers – are a natural target for theft.
That’s why it is critical to choose the right security partner.
By partnering with the right security partner and using the right technology, your employees, guests, and assets can be protected. So how do you know if what you have in place is working, or not working? Here are four tips to check your office security:
- Data Security Starts at the Front Door. Many companies will spend thousands of dollars on software and cybersecurity firms but overlook the obvious; protecting the physical office space. For example, locks (with a pushdown bar system) on doorways are outdated and an unmonitored entrance could provide direct access to company equipment, electronics, and files. Modern lock systems are magnetic and require a scanner so that each employee uses a card reader or key fob with a timestamp. This tracks traffic in and out of the building while generating reports so you know who was where, when. These devices can also be instantly deactivated in the event of a security breach or if you have to terminate an employee quickly.
- Confidential Information Lives in Many Places. Not all data breaches happen online. Take a walk around the office floor or retail space and see what type of sensitive data is left out in the open. Do you see customer files, tax records, logged-in computers left unattended, smartphones, laptops, iPads, while associates are at lunch? Do you allow company data to be shared on personal devices? If you have surveillance cameras are they are placed in the right areas? And how good are the camera picture quality? Could you identify a suspect’s face if footage was played back from the cameras you have in place? A good camera system should do more than just record, it should include motion detection, have a high-quality resolution picture and be placed in restricted areas to help avoid criminals stealing sensitive material. Add night vision for outdoor areas, and crimes can be further prohibited.
- Determining if it’s an Inside Job. The National Retail Federation reported that retailers lost nearly $44 billion from theft in 2014, with 34 percent of these crimes committed by employees. Further research by Secure Guard reports that 75 percent of employees steal from their employers at least once. When an employee either quits or is fired, employers also need to take note of what confidential, proprietary data or trade secrets went with them when they left and what they might use at their new job. A study released from Symantec revealed that half of employees worldwide who left or lost their jobs in the last 12 months kept confidential corporate data, and 40 percent of those planned to use that same information with their new employer. Some employees may not fully understand that this is not acceptable. Make sure that all new hires sign a non-disclosure agreement and that they fully understand what constitutes intellectual property at the company. A trained guard or surveillance camera can help monitor suspect situations and monitor what critical files, products and information enter and exit your facility, create a deterrent for would-be thieves, and help catch criminals in the act.
- Analytics and Technology in Real-time can Change Your Security Game. Technology can take you where no man can or dares to go, physically. Virtual guards can conduct a walk-through of a store or site at night where there has been a reported disturbance or monitor the halls of a nursing home where residents might have wandered off so nothing dangerous happens – all with technology. Even the most remote locations can be set up and patrolled using drive-throughs and geo-tracking so that assets are protected, and you can watch progress all from a computer screen or smartphone device. And if criminals try to disturb the premises; your security partner can engage with them on the spot through voice interaction, disrupting the crime and alerting the police. Even the most remote locations can be monitored with the addition of a mini-cell tower.
Once you have found the right cyber security specialist to protect your business online, physically securing your business just makes sense. Many companies have found that investing in on-site security was one of the best choices they ever made.
1Source: Statistic Brain
2Source: International Data Corporation.
About the author: Robert F. Copeland, CEO of GuardOne Security, has been successfully leading, operating and growing security companies for nearly two decades. Since helping merge S&S Management Group with GuardOne Security in April 2015, Copeland has improved efficiency and grown GuardOne acquisitions and revenue. Before GuardOne, Copeland owned C H Security Services, in Atlanta, managing all aspects of the business that increased revenue 300 percent and enhanced customer relations. Copeland has also served as President and CEO of Global Chemical Solutions and Rite Industries.
Copeland held Executive and Board level positions at Sybron Chemicals with responsibility for $70 million in global sales in North and South America and the Far East. While managing Sybron's Tanatex division Copeland, Copeland helped establish manufacturing and sales operations in Canada and Mexico and grew global sales and earnings 10% per year. Copeland’s background also includes 11 years of sales within the chemical industry throughout the Southeast and Pennsylvania.
Contact Robert Copeland at [email protected] and linkedin.com/in/robert-copeland-a69033170.
