Regardless of its size or the number of employees, every business, even those conducted from a private residence, should consider the institution of security policies. Whether your business is located in a crime-prone area such as Greater San Francisco or smalltown USA, there are overall security measures to consider for the health and welfare of all concerned.
Once a business security plan has been formulated and adopted, according to data available at ECrimeWales, every business should provide each employee with a handbook detailing security policy guidelines in a clearly written, concise format that will be signed by every employee regardless of his length of service time.
“Your security policy is excellent”. Security guys by Tymtoi, on Flickr. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Computer Usage
According to statistics compiled by the Computer Crime Security Institute, case studies show that 41.1 percent of businesses surveyed experience at least one incident of personal usage of computers on a daily basis. Computer usage guidelines should clearly address on-company-time rules. If personal usage is permitted during lunch or other work-break times, the guidelines should clearly define when, where and how this activity is allowed. Software download authority is paramount. This sector of computer usage policy should clearly designate who may assume this responsibility and under what circumstances.
The computer policy should clearly address Instant Messenger usage, to include regulations for job-related usage versus personal usage on company time and password dissemination.
Email and Social Network Sites
As regards email usage, all employees should be admonished to bear in mind that company image perception in the public eye can be enhanced or greatly compromised by this most popular and most frequently used cyberspace vehicle. Depending on the nature of the company and its business transactions, many security experts advise that all emails be forwarded to a designated person in the company or a particular sector for content approval prior to being sent out.
Businesses that use social networking sites for advertising and sales promotion should establish an easy-to-understand ruling on who may post to these sites and under what circumstances. Social networking guidelines should clearly define when, where and the amount of time these sites may be used during off-duty time and especially the maximum amount of time allowed. Many businesses have on-staff or consult with a qualified database administrator relative to professional and personal social networking usage.
Business Premises Access
Whether key or keycard entry in involved, access to all areas should be clearly established. Every business owner should know the number of entry mechanisms that exist and to whom each is issued. For maximum security of sensitive files and to avoid the misappropriation of general office supplies, access control is strongly advised.
In addition to entry mechanisms used, businesses and educational sites such as schools must weigh the installation of double or single-bolt locks. While double-bolt locks are designed to prevent entry following adjacent glass window breakage, these locks interfere with rapid evacuation in the event of an emergency. Whichever bolt-lock system is used and whether security alarms and cameras are included, all installation and maintenance should be done by professionals.
It is extremely important that strict regulations relative to business premises access be restricted and controlled. The security policy must address how non-employees may enter the premises. If a reception area is used, policy should be formulated to address who may enter alone, who must be escorted and whether or not an on-site visitor card is to be issued after sign-in. It is strongly advised that these badges be returned to the reception area prior to departure.
Mobile Device Usage
The security policy must clearly state under what circumstances company employees are allowed to possess and use personally-owned devices on the premises. Mobile devices owned by the business and used on the job should, in so far as possible, be highly encrypted to include password access control.
Crime studies reveal that a wealth of personal and business information can be inadvertently revealed during simple game play sessions.
Those desiring more information on security policy measures will find a plethora of information and services available at First Security Service Oakland. Established in 1966, Oakland Private Security Guards & Service is California’s sole, certified industry provider.
