Remember Physical Security During National Cyber Security Awareness Month!
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, however the same safeguards employed for cybersecurity can also be applied to physical security. Remember, no amount of network security or data encryption will matter if an attacker just walks in the door and gains access to your physical facilities. To help you protect your business, here are a few basic tips:
Securing the grounds of your facility begins with controlling vehicle access to your site
If you have a large, campus-type setting for your business or own a high-security facility such as a healthcare facility, consider deploying sophisticated high-speed barrier gates and bollards to prevent unauthorized vehicle access. When combined with guards, access control and video cameras, you can rest assured that only authorized vehicles gain access to your location and a history of those admitted is recorded
Keep your private building areas private
For businesses that don’t require barrier gates but still want to control who gets into their facilities, consider deploying an access control system to make sure only your employees and the people you want to see get into your building. There are a number of high-security access solutions available such as those provided by Security Specialists which can secure your entire facility. Security Specialists provides access control as basic as one door for a mom & pop shop up to a possible 99,000 entry points for a multi-national corporate environment.
Invest in a quality video surveillance system
It’s a really good idea to invest in a system that surveys and monitors all critical access points into your facility 24 x 7 x 365, especially the front lobby location as well as any side or rear entrances. By installing video cameras for the inside of your office, you can also keep an eye out on your employees to make sure they are working with safe practices in mind. Overall, today’s technologically-advanced systems represent a relatively small price to pay for peace of mind.
Physically lock the actual servers in the server room
To protect your servers, invest in lockable, wall-mount server cabinets or floor-mount racks or cages that can be bolted directly to the floor or wall. This will help ensure that your servers are nearly impossible to steal.
Create a lockable, secondary office or space to house unused tablets, smartphones and computers
If your server room is compromised for space, it’s a good idea to create or designate an unused office or closet area for storage of valuable electronic devices that aren’t being utilized due to employee absence or excess inventory. The unused devises will be out of sight and out of mind for potential thieves or unauthorized personnel.
Keep valuable documents in lockable file cabinets and offices
Don’t forget that much of your company’s most sensitive information ends up being printed on paper. In addition to securing the network and electronic memory of your printers, it’s equally important to establish policies and procedures that ensure unused or damaged copies of documents that you don’t want publicly distributed are immediately shredded. Make sure to invest in robust shredding devices and keep them close to your printers.
Deploy proper exit procedures for employees with secured access
Make sure procedures are in place to change and remove access codes and credentials when an employee leaves your company. Also, make sure these procedures are known and shared with external providers, if appropriate.
We at Security Specialists Want Your Business and Employees Protected!
