Security Features - August 2009

Even IT Security Professionals can’t be bothered with Passwords, says survey!
IT Security professionals admit that they are suffering from password fatigue when it comes to using their mobile devices, which leaves their data exposed to personal and corporate identity theft if these devices were to fall into the wrong hands. That’s according to a survey released today by endpoint data protection specialists CREDANT Technologies, who conducted the “mobile usage survey” amongst 227 IT professionals with the majority drawn from companies that employ more than 1000 people.
Thirty five percent revealed they just don’t get around to using a password on their business phones and smartphones, even though they know they should as they contain sensitive and confidential information! Surprisingly, IT professionals are only marginally better at using passwords than the general population, as a survey conducted earlier in the year by CREDANT found that 40% of all users don’t bother with passwords on their mobile phones.
The sorts of information that IT professionals are storing on their smartphones and mobiles, many of which are totally unprotected with a password, include:
80% Business names and addresses
66% Personal names and addresses
23% Business emails
16% Personal emails
12% Bank account details
12% Business diary with details of all their appointments and meetings
7% Personal diary
5% Credit card information
4% photos
1% Passwords and Pin numbers
Andrew Kahl, Sr. VP of Operations & Co-Founder from CREDANT Technologies explains “It is alarming to note that the very people who are responsible for IT security are not much better at protecting the information on their business phones than most of their co-workers, who don’t necessarily know any better. If a mobile or smartphone goes missing and isn’t protected with a password, and contains business names and addresses and other corporate data such as business emails, then the company is immediately in breach of the data protection act by failing to meet some of its principals on electronic data.”
“Of even greater concern is the damage that can be done to a company, and the individual who is responsible for the phone, if it falls into the wrong hands, which could expose them to personal or corporate identity theft. It is therefore imperative that all mobile phone users who hold sensitive data, either personal or corporate, should always password protect it at a minimum - and encrypt it if the data is really sensitive,” added Kahl.
According to the IT professionals surveyed, the worst culprits at addressing mobile security within their companies are typically the sales teams, followed by the board of directors and senior management. HR comes out as the best at keeping their mobiles aligned to the corporate mobile security policy.
The survey also found that a third of IT professionals use their own personal mobile phone for work purposes even though the company specifically bans them for business use with almost a fifth spending more than an hour or more per day on their own personal phone for business purposes.

Security - Cut costs not corners
By VSG
In the present tough economic climate, it’s natural for businesses to look at every possible way of reducing expenditure and, sooner or later, the spotlight will fall on security costs. This is no time, however, to be thinking of scaling down security; threat levels remain as high as ever. As Leon Barwell, Commercial Director of security provider, VSG, points out, that doesn’t mean that savings can’t be made.
The key is a detailed and dispassionate assessment of security risks. There is little point in paying for a high level of security throughout a site if the risks are actually concentrated in just a few areas. It might be comforting to think of guards patrolling every inch of a building throughout the night – especially if that’s the way it’s always been done – but this costly option is, today, rarely necessary.
That’s not to say that manned guarding has no role to play – it has and it always will have – but it’s undeniably costly. It is essential, therefore, to make sure that manned guarding really is the best solution and, if it is, to ensure that expensive guarding resources are deployed effectively and efficiently.
The best way to accomplish this is to enlist the aid of an expert guarding company that can draw on its experience to set realistic benchmarks against which the requirements, and ultimately the results, relating to the current project can be measured.
Another crucial step in achieving cost-effective security is to use security technology to the full. Modern CCTV systems, for example, provide sharp detailed pictures even in difficult lighting conditions and at night. They are also capable of automatically analysing the content of the pictures they capture, and alerting the operator to anything that seems untoward or unusual.
These advances make possible remote monitoring, where the CCTV images from many sites are monitored at a central location by a specialist company. When a security problem is noted, this company can respond in many ways. One option is to warn miscreants, via an audio link to the site, that they are being watched and recorded. This is a very effective deterrent but, for more serious situations, the monitoring company can also despatch private guards to the site and/or alert the local police.
In many cases, a remotely monitored CCTV installation means that there is no need for a staffed security presence on the site being protected, especially outside normal working hours. This can make possible very large savings. And there are, of course, other measures worth considering, including access control systems, and even simple physical measures such as barriers and window grills.
Whatever the situation, however, there’s only one sure route to achieving the most effective and most economical combination of security measures. Start by assessing the real risks involved, and then enlist the support of an expert provider of security services. Remember, however to choose a provider that offers a wide range of manned and technology-based services and is, therefore, in a position to give advice that is free from commercially motivated bias.

Easyprox nano
Paxton Access, the leading designer and manufacturer of innovative, high quality access control solutions introduce Easyprox nano. Easyprox nano is a Net2 networked entry system in a door handle that will revolutionise the world of access control.
The unit has all the capabilities of Net2, Paxton Access’ groundbreaking networked access control system, without any need for any wiring. Easyprox nano is battery powered so no mains wiring is required. It uses low power, secure wireless technology to communicate to the Net2 PC via a Net2Air bridge.
Easyprox nano can be installed in places that were just not possible before and it cuts labour time dramatically. Easyprox nanos can be added to existing Net2 systems with the utmost ease. Easyprox nano now makes it possible to expand a two door system to a 10 door system in a flash and for a fraction of the cost. Plus, the wireless capability of the unit makes installation completely hassle free.
Ever adept at creating smart solutions to make installation easy, Paxton Access have even designed the Net2Air site surveyor kit; the essential tool for faultless Easyprox nano installation. The site surveyor checks signal strength between the Easyprox nano and a Net2Air bridge prior to installation which means installers are guaranteed total accuracy when fitting Easyprox nano.
Easyprox nano is a single door access control unit that can be mixed on site with Paxton Access’ other breakthrough Net2 products; Net2 nano, Net2 plus and Net2 classic.
For more information tel: 01273 811011 or outside UK +44 1273 811011

The Keyholding Company launches nationwide security solutions for FM’s
The Keyholding Company has established itself as one of the leading keyholding and alarm response service providers in the UK offering a range of security solutions for Facilities Managers.
They work alongside their clients to reduce activations and ensure minimum disruption to their day-to-day business, which invariably leads to longer term reductions in their overall annual fees.
Now, with a network of over 125 strategically placed Service Providers (SP’s) covering 98% of the UK they can offer a centrally operated solution. Unlike other keyholding companies, they are not bound by the often restrictive response boundaries of a regional office. They’re able to pick and choose the geographically closest, and therefore quickest, SP to sites.
The Keyholding Company helps companies risk manage lone working in accordance with Health & Safety legislation, as well as remove the more devastating effects of a potential Corporate Manslaughter case.
Their 24/7 emergency response, protects businesses and staff from outside risk at vulnerable times and avoids staff making potentially dangerous out-of-hours journeys to the premises. They also provide Unlocks and Lock-ups to similar effect, reducing the same risks for those who arrive or leave at more unsociable times of the day or night and weekends, ensuring total security.
According to Charlie Gordon Lennox, CEO, The Keyholding Company: “We believe this approach to customer service is a first within the keyholding arena and we’re delighted to roll-out our commercial security services to businesses throughout the UK.
Our aim is to provide a cost-effective solution to full-time security which allows companies to maintain a level of security at their premises during vulnerable times, including evenings and weekends, at a fraction of the cost.”
For more information, please visit www.keyholding.com or call 0800 064 4357.