With Thanksgiving weekend behind us, it is back to business as usual as we get ever-closer to the hustle and bustle of December. Before it gets too busy, this is the perfect time to review your company’s office security.

In fact, now is the time of year to determine whether there are any vulnerabilities you need to be aware of during the holiday season when employees are away and you have closed up shop for some well-deserved time with friends and family.

At Sonitrol Western Canada we're dedicated to the safety and security of all of our clients.

Preventing illness, injury, violence, and security threats in the workplace is the most important job there is. As a business owner or manager, a huge part of your job is maintaining the safety and security of your employees so they can stay productive and healthy in their work environment. Office security keeps everyone safe.

There are a few things you can do to ensure your workers are in a safe and secure environment. We’ve outlined the major points here to make it easier for you.

No two businesses are alike. A school will have entirely different security needs from a construction site. By purchasing a generic conventional off-the-shelf alarm system for your business, you’re putting your business, assets, and employees at risk. Having a customized solution to fit your needs is important to staying secure.

 

Many places of worship in Canada have no formal safety and security measures in place. There are inherent safety and security risks to take into account, and for some locations there are greater levels of risk that will need to be properly assessed and managed. But usually there’s no security system in place, no safety committee, no partnership with first responders, no training and no emergency plans.

Access control to a site or installation is one of the most essential components of a good quality security system.  

It determines who enters the area, how the access is controlled, and what technology or equipment is used to make the access happen. An access control system can range from something simple, such a fob access to a larger and more sophisticated security solution using biometrics.

You wouldn’t think twice about locking up your company’s most valuable physical assets.  But what about assets like your intellectual property? Or even valuable office equipment and PC workstations are all vulnerable to vandalism?

A managed access control system can add an extra layer of protection over and above conventional lock and key systems, with the additional benefit of varied authorization levels to protect key areas in your business.  

And with the Sonitrol Managed Access System, you’ll be able to take advantage of supervising your staff, managing security access levels, and reducing employee-triggered false alarms, with the help of our expert Central Monitoring Station operators.  

 

No matter what type of business you're in, an integrated CCTV surveillance security system is one of the best ways to protect your property, building, compound, construction site, office, warehouse, school, retail store or church. 

Investing in a modern closed-circuit television (CCTV) system that is integrated with security technologies such as audio detection, managed access and 24/7 verified video monitoring can save you money and time, while reducing insurance premiums and potential losses.

Using CCTV cameras is also one of the best ways to help keep your employees and customers honest and safe, providing a watchful eye to deter crime and keep you informed. 

But where are the best places to position your CCTV system to make sure you minimize your risks? 

 

Distribution Centres and Warehouses are more liable to employee theft than any other business.  While you may focus on keeping criminals out of your warehouse, internal theft by company employees and contractors should also be considered.

I've seen many different types of warehouse and distribution centre theft, and one of the most common methods of theft in a warehouse environment involves a partnership between two employees, often a warehouse employee working with a delivery truck driver.  

Sometimes, theft is committed by an employee you would never suspect, as it can be common place for inventory to go missing if employees feel under-appreciated or underpaid, or perhaps just feel that the occasional product is a fringe benefit of working in your Distribution Centre.

As you know some distribution centres are massive, and can be very challenging to monitor, therefore properly protecting your facility from internal theft by implementing the following preventative measures is a good start to reducing your internal theft risk.

 

March is fraud prevention month in Canada and I thought we should end our series of fraud blogs talking about consumer fraud and how it can impact a business and some of the basic security measures you can take to prevent this type of fraud.

Consumer fraud is a well-known practice that typically results in financial losses for consumers.  But did you know there are also types of fraudulent practices committed by consumers that can have a devastating affect on your business?  

  

In my last blog I spoke about occupational fraud protection, what it is and some key motivations behind it. In this blog I'll look at 5 strategies for preventing occupational fraud.

Occupational fraud is a real threat to Canadian businesses, unfortunately more than half of small businesses and mid-sizes enterprises that are vulnerable to occupational fraud do not believe they're at risk, yet 1 in 4 businesses experienced incidents of occupational fraud in the past fiscal year. That's a real threat and a risk you have to prepare for.

 

Understanding Occupational Fraud and Its Motivation

 

We’ve all heard stories of executives embezzling client money, employees selling intellectual data, and even management accepting bribes from contractors and vendors.  These are all forms of occupational fraud and they could easily become a very costly problem if you have not taken the necessary steps to protect your business.

Occupational fraud affects businesses around the world and can cause huge losses in revenues.  Small businesses and mid-sized enterprises are particularly vulnerable to occupational fraud, often due to a lack of anti-fraud controls, high employee turnover and ineffective employee monitoring mechanisms.

 

“The majority of Small Businesses and Mid-Sized Enterprises are not prepared to respond to occupational fraud, and more than half do not undertake period assessments of risks of fraud.” – CGA Canada

In honour of Fraud Prevention Month this March, I will be sharing some strategies that will help reduce your risks, beginning with defining occupational fraud, identifying fraud motivations and describing strategies to reduce your risk.

Do you need to protect your business from internal and external threats? Are you afraid of criminals attacking your staff, robbing you or stealing your inventory?

 

I've worked in the security business for many years and I've found that asking a few simple security questions about your business can help build an accurate picture about your security risks. 

 

Answering yes to any of these questions indicates that your business may be at risk and vulnerable to a threat, and that you should take immediate action to do something about it.

You walk into your workplace, use your security card to swipe in, and then open the door for the person entering behind you.  This simple, courteous action can have serious consequences.

One of the easiest ways for a criminal to gain entry into your business is by “tailgating” your employees as they enter or exit their workplace. 

As criminals become bolder, tailgating is becoming a common security breach that refers to a situation where an unauthorized person tags along with an authorized person to gain entry into a restricted area or pass a certain checkpoint, without the consent of the authorized person.

So the main question comes down to, how to prevent tailgating in your office?

 

Not all break-ins occur at night. 

There are many instances reported by the Police of break-ins during daytime, by audacious criminals who pretend to be employees, an IT worker, or a repairman. They just casually walk into an office (usually larger offices with lots of staff), and steal valuables from the desk of employees.

These businesses are incredibly lucky.  While it is extremely unfortunate that valuable items owned by employees are stolen, the situation could be much worse.  

There are hundreds security companies out there who will sell you low end, inadequate consumer monitored security products; such as surveillance CCTV cameras, listening devices, motion detectors, and various alarms that look cool and some working off smart devices - but will they properly protect your business?

The so called security companies that sell you these "low-end' security alarms, may impress you with the latest technology, but it's very likely they don't have the security experience and expertise to recommend a fully integrated central station monitored security system that will really work to protect your premises, assets and employees. They primarily want to sell you any security device, maybe install it for you, and then the relationship is over.

When looking at a security system, you have to consider your responsibility as it relates to business risk, your insurance policy and your employee safety, and going cheap with a self monitored systems is not recommended and will cost you when a crime is committed.

Sonitrol Western Canada Is A Different Type Of Security Firm

 

Workplace violence is ranked as the number one concern for employees. With more than 356,000 violent workplace incidents reported by Statistics Canada in 2004 with associated costs of up to $36 billion annually, workplace safety is becoming a growing concern for business owners.  

 

Understanding workplace violence, identifying your risk factors, and implementing professional office security solutions are significant steps to take to protect your workplace from violence.  

 

What is Workplace Violence?

 

Many businesses are at risk from employee theft, criminal break-ins and intellectual property theft. As a business owner or professional office manager, what can you do to make sure your office workplace security is working effectively?  

 

10 Workplace Security Tips To Improve Your Office Security

 

Follow these 10 workplace security tips to secure your office from internal and external threats and you could save on huge losses.

 

 

  

If you manage a professional office-based business, an accounting practice, law firm, dentist office, or general business operation located in an office building you’re likely to be vulnerable to not only employee theft, but also to break-ins and unauthorized access from criminals looking for client documents, computer equipment, electronics, confidential records, personal belongings, valuables and cash.

 

 

Professional offices and commercial office buildings are at risk for more than just a break-in in the middle of the night.  Theft of intellectual property is an internal and external threat that puts your business at risk.

In his article Forget cybercriminals: How to protect data from disgruntled employees, Ben Ross discusses how corporate offices often fail to terminate office access for former employees.  This clearly highlights that outdated accounts, privileged account passwords, office keys and customer account access, can all present potential risks to your intellectual property and reputation.  

How can you protect your Intellectual Property?