Stickups and Burglaries are on the Rise at Work
Some blame the poor economy and others point to the fact that traditional targets have hardened their security in a post 9/11 environment, but whatever the reasons burglaries in office buildings are on the rise according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as reported by Sarah Needleman.
See the article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704431804574539754148537802.html
The Journal reports that robberies in 2008 are up over ten percent and that burglaries are up over three and a half percent over 2004 levels. Multiple anecdotes are related in the article. One public relations firm in Washington D.C. that was robbed three different times reported that, "All of these people had on ties and were wearing dress pants."
Several businesses that were targeted suffered from poor security practices such as leaving ground floor doors unlocked and poorly trained employees who failed to challenge unknown persons seen in the office. Some employees involved in these incidents suffered from sever emotional trauma and feelings of insecurity for weeks afterward.
If a people ever finds themselves the victims of a robbery or burglary they are advised to cooperate, avoid eye contact and maintain as much distance as possible from the perpetrator.
Reliant Security provides security guards to companies and banks often after they have been robbed or burglarized in order to prevent future occurrences and re-assure their employees that their workplace is safe. Reliant Security is able to provide security audits and training for employees on "domain security awareness" in order for companies to increase the security at their workplace.
Sincerely, Matt Cooper VP Reliant Security
90% of American Companies Fail to Screen Contractors
Earlier this year Devon Wijesinghe, Chief Strategy Officer for e-Verifile.com, wrote an interesting article for SecurityPark.net in which he posited that ninety percent (90%) of American companies fail to perform background and criminal history checks on the contractors that they hire. See the article here: http://www.securitypark.co.uk/security_article262790.html
Mr. Wijesinghe asserts that recent US court decisions have found companies liable for the actions of contractors and vendors. He believes this trend will continue into the future.
Reliant Security understands the importance of performing background checks which is why all of our officers undergo a rigorous background check by the FBI.
Protect you company from financial loss and embarrassment by screening your contractors and by hiring contractors who screen their employees.
Sincerely, Matt CooperVP Reliant Security
www.reliantsecurity.net
Selecting the Right Private Security Contractor
Selecting_the_Right_Private_Security_Contractor_WP
Those who follow the security industry will undoubtedly be aware of the recent scandal involving hazing practices at ArmorGroup North America, a security contractor in Afghanistan owned by Wackenhut. See the article here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/01/eveningnews/main5280465.shtml
The attached White Paper recently released by Gardaworld details the questions that companies should ask when evaluating a security contract firm. The focus of the paper is government security contracting however the evaluation principles fully apply to the private market.
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Please click on the link at the top to download a complete copy of the White Pager.
Sincerely, Matt CooperVP Reliant Security
www.reliantsecurity.net
Integration in Access Control Systems
Greetings!
At Reliant Security, we are constantly scouring the various security sites, blogs, etc. for the latest information.
RS2 Technologies published a great White Paper on Integration in Access Control Systems. Here is an excerp:
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Integration_in_Access_Control_Systems
Executive Summary
In the first two papers of the RS2 White Paper series, we examined the
subjects of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Open Architecture as they
relate to access control systems. We concluded that an important element
of TCO was the use of Open Architecture and that, in turn, Open Architecture
was the “cornerstone of integration.” We stated that this integration
allowed end users to build completely integrated security systems incorporating
access control, badging, CCTV, digital or network video recording
and analytics, intercom, intrusion detection, wireless/IP locksets and other
functions such as visitor management.
This White Paper endeavors to provide a useful definition of integration
(as it pertains to access control systems), provides several examples
(including diagrams) of discrete integrated systems, and discusses what
the next step(s) might be along the road to even higher levels of integration.
It also lists some of the questions that end users should ask the vendors
of access control systems and the systems integrators who install these
systems. Readers are then encouraged to apply these conclusions to their
own evaluations of access control systems.
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Please click on the link at the top to download a complete copy of the White Pager.
Sincerely, Matt CooperVP Reliant Security
www.reliantsecurity.net
Mini E-course on Business Security
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Sign-up and enjoy this fantastic resource.
Sincerely,
Matthew Cooper
503.452.1050