Security should be at the forefront of any business methodologies. Technology increases in its advances with each passing day and the amount of cyber-crimes that are all too often means that even the smallest of businesses need to think about improving their all-round security methods, from online security to the staff knowledge on what to look out for, and everything in between. With all the focus that goes onto online and cyber security, we can overlook the common methods of protecting our businesses, such as the physical level. The fundamental method of protecting any organization begins with the physical framework, and even the importance of network security begins at the physical level. Here are some of the fundamental physical methods of protection to think about.
The server is the brain to your office’s body. The server is many things to your business, namely the lifeline to your business network. If someone was to gain unauthorized access to the server they could cause some real damage. So, having it protected, by having locks to the server room, and implementing policies for the usage of that room will give it the security it needs. Having a lock with a key code as well as the standard locks, and by implementing a rule to have the doors to the server room locked whenever it is not in use, are some ideas to keep it protected.
To make your servers impossible to steal, you can use rack mounted servers. There are benefits to having these over the standard servers. Namely, they are smaller and lighter than the tower systems. By using rack servers, you can securely bolt them to the floor, making them impossible to move.
If you are using a secure room to store your servers, you should make sure that any devices that are particularly vulnerable to hacking are stored here too. A hacker is able to use sniffer software to seek out data that is going through the network, so keep your data devices somewhere that is impossible to penetrate.
Surveillance is the name of the game when it comes to protecting your equipment, especially if you have untrustworthy employees that could potentially take advantage of their authorized access to the server room. By installing security cameras in key positions, you are able to have a definitive record of who is entering and leaving the building. Security systems can record continuously, or they can be operated by motion sensors to only record when there are people moving around. They can also be set up to send notifications via email or mobile phone if there are unsolicited movements, such as after the close of business when there is nobody in the office.
Another surveillance method that works wonders is using an electronic logbook system, where people use keycards to open doors, so a record is made of every time a door was opened during the course of the day and the identity of the card owner.
Security gates are a good method at the frontline to enable or deny access to people. Many security gates are now operated by keycards. Members of staff can use the same key card to open doors in the building, and as the cards can be activated or deactivated when needed, it provides a very useful way to secure the front door of the company. There are companies that make ID cards for individual use, so you can put your company’s logo on the card, which will make it easier to track if a card was stolen and you had to do a search. You can also personalize your cards for each staff member, which is a staple in modern security measurements. Look at the quality at Lanyards USA online to see what personalized ID’s can do to benefit your business from a security angle.
Portable computers like laptops and smartphones are a very high-security risk. It is too easy to steal the item if it contains important data, such as passwords for networks and unencrypted information. If you have employees use laptops at work, they can take the portable computers home with them, lock them away in a secure location, or have cable locks attached to the computers to secure them at their desks. For smartphones, there are motion sensor alarms available to alert you if the device is moved from its secured location (such as a lockable drawer, or you can take the phone away with you).
This is not just making sure that the computers are secured with passwords and are locked whenever not in use, but the practice of knowing what to do with delicate information is something that needs to be cascaded to all staff members. It can be surprising as to the amount of people that do not know how best to keep information secure. By schooling your employees in the best working methods to store information, and also how to dispose of information when it is not needed anymore, it will work in your favor to keep the whole organization protected. Small but effective methods to keeping sensitive information secure, such as customer details, includes having dedicated places to dispose of information, for example, bins where the contents go for shredding at the end of each working day.
Security begins and ends in the workplace with a common sense approach to keeping every aspect as safe as humanly possible. Technology, like servers, need to be kept secure under lock and key, but by implementing a good surveillance strategy, like cameras and key cards, this will add another layer to your protection bubble. Every employee should know the value of keeping an organization secure, and from locking the server room, to installing security gates, as well as keeping good working practices, it is helping the company to keep a handle on how a company operates safely, and within the fundamentals of a physical framework.