ASG's Security Solutions Blog

Improve Security & Safety by Putting Yourself in the Director's Chair

 

When was the last time you agonized over a new security policy launch? You’ve just implemented a new solution, or changed a policy, or have developed new guidelines to improve the security of your organization or the safety of your employees and customers. Now you have to put out a memo or schedule a training class or get the word out about what you’re doing and how things are changing. Do you find your memos being ignored, or maybe people don’t quite understand the instructions? How can you get better adoption of your policies or training programs? Try video. It’s not just for surveillance anymore.

If YouTube is any indication, people are obsessed with making and watching amateur videos on the Internet. Video is an extremely easy and effective way to capture interest and convey information. And with technology that’s easily available today, it’s pretty simple to do. You can make a video with a hand-held camcorder, a webcam, even a smart phone. If you plan to use screenshots, try a screencast instead. There’s plenty of free or low-cost software if you need to cut, clip, splice or rearrange your footage, too.

There are plenty of benefits to using video in your security training program such as:

• Keep the attention of your audience longer
• Create real-world examples of proper procedure
• Appeal to visual learners
• Quickly train a large number of individuals
• Provide a unique way to deliver your information

If you’re interested in letting loose your creative side, here are a few tips to help you put together an effective training, orientation or instructional video.

#1: Don’t Get Too Fancy
Oh sure, you can spend thousands of dollars on a professionally made video and even win an Emmy like Denver Public Schools did with their Getting to School Safely instructional video. But what’s important is not how much you spend, but the relevance of your information to your audience. Even a simple video made with a screen capture tool or webcam can be effective if you focus on telling your viewers what they need to know as simply as possible – and them show them how it’s done.

#2: Prepare Your Script – Don’t Just Wing It
If you think you can just sit down in front of the camera and “wing it” to create your video, you might want to think again. Take the time to write out what you want to say and what order you’re going to say it in. This will help keep you on track and keep things simple and easy to understand. Plus, if you’re afraid of how you’ll look in the video, working from a script will make you appear much more relaxed, prepared and knowledgeable.

#3: Lights, Camera, Action!
While sitting down and talking to your audience is good, nothing is better than a little show and tell. Video is the perfect opportunity to show your viewers how to act and what to do, not just talk about it.

#4: Keep it Short
3-7 minutes is the perfect length of time to get the maximum impact from a video without losing your viewer’s attention. If you need more time, consider recording the video in multiple parts or episodes that work together.

#5: Don’t Forget To Wrap It Up
Start your video by telling the viewers what they are about to learn, then demonstrate the tutorial and finally, summarize what you’ve just told them to wrap it all up. Not only does this summary help future recall of the information, but it cues the viewer that the video is ending and creates a smooth transition that feels complete.

Now that you know a little about making a good video, start brainstorming about how video could help you. What could you do with video to improve your security measures? What about recording emergency drill procedures, or how to follow correct access control measures? You could even record an instructional video for your security technicians on how to use the new Video Monitoring System. As well, if you would like help, please feel free to call us at 800-547-9988 to discuss how to create, store and distribute your security documentation and optimize your user experience. This is part of our Security Process Optimization practice. The possibilities for video are endless.

Share some of your ideas with us. In what ways have you used or would like to use video? We will attempt to publish your ideas and share them in future posts!

Lenel's July Microsoft Security Patch Updates

 

The following Microsoft Patches have been evaluated and approved by Lenel for computers running Lenel OnGuard Software:

Approved

• MS10-032 Vulnerability in Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (979559) – Important

• MS10-033 Vulnerabilities in Media Decompression Could Allow Remote Code Execution (979902) – Critical

• MS10-034 Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits (980195)– Critical

• MS10-035 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (982381)– Critical

• MS10-037 Vulnerability in the OpenType Compact Font Format (CFF) Driver Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (980218)

Important

• MS10-040 Vulnerability in Internet Information Services Could Allow Remote Code Execution (982666)– Important

• MS10-041 Vulnerability in Microsoft .NET Framework Could Allow Tampering (981343)– Important

Not Applicable

• MS10-036 Vulnerability in COM Validation in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (983235)– Important

• MS10-038 Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2027452)– Important

• MS10-039 Vulnerabilities in Microsoft SharePoint Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2028554)– Important

For past updates, go to Lenel's Website. 

Can You Compete With the Next Generation of Security Leadership?

 

For its July issue, Security Magazine interviewed two individuals who head the security operations of very large corporations as well as their supervisors on the executive management team. These two security leaders were Mike Howard, General Manager of Microsoft Global Security and Brad Brekke, Target’s Vice President of Assets Protection.

The gist of the article, titled “Leading Up,” was to find out how a close relationship with the executive management team affects the success of these security leaders and how that type of relationship can be developed by others. One of the interesting things they found during the interview is that the executive level qualification for leadership in security has shifted from a security industry background to a business background. From the article:

Both the supervisors we spoke to view security as one of many business functions, noting that while it is a unique discipline, its leaders should be held to the same standards as all other business leaders.

“I look for the same leadership skills in all of my senior managers or leaders,” says [Frank Brod, Corporate Vice President of Finance and Administration for Microsoft]. “I look for the ability to articulate a clear strategy, to provide motivational leadership, mentoring and coaching of employees, to drive towards impeccable execution of their work tasks and to motivate their group and provide the right rewards, recognition and feedback to help them grow in those roles.”

Tim Baer [Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Target Corporation] ties the work of all Target’s leaders, including security, to corporate goals and strategy. “At Target, we expect our executives to be creative in their respective disciplines, connect their strategies to the broader organization, and to be confident and self-reliant,” he says. …

These executives expect all their direct reports to be leaders first, then experts in their fields. They view security leaders as business leaders. One of the reasons the security leaders in these two organizations have been successful is that they have viewed themselves the same way.

This isn’t a new trend in the security industry. In fact, this exact topic was brought up during the panel at our ASG Security Summit & Expo in March this year. According to our panel experts, organizations are shifting focus from the traditional approach of filling security leadership positions with those individuals who have the most industry experience to focusing on business leadership experience first and industry experience second. Organizations are realizing that security must be managed like any other critical business unit and that requires a specific subset of experience and knowledge.

As these priorities shift, it means that the next generation of security leaders will be business leaders first and security experts second. This leads to the question: if you plan to remain in or obtain a leadership position in security in the future, how will you compete with those individuals who better align to this vision? Can you speak the language of the executive management team? Are you familiar with running a business unit? Or will you need help or training to bridge that gap between security and executive management?

Tell us your experience by commenting. Have you seen your organization shifting focus toward business leadership over security industry experience? If so, what have you done to ensure you keep up with this shifting focus?

Are You Ignoring the Potential of Your Video Surveillance System?

 

Security Products Magazine published a number of case studies in the July issue that focus on using video surveillance to support business operations, not just security. We’ve long been an advocate of using security technology to support the business in other areas and frequently design systems with unique uses of their technology to provide value to the organization.

Here are some ideas about how you could get more out of your video surveillance system from two of our favorite articles:

“Animal Kingdom” examines the Pitsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. Their use of video surveillance helps support not only the security of the Zoo and Aquarium, but also scientific research and marketing. From the article:

“The higher-quality images provided from the cameras in our birthing dens allow us to feel confident that we can assess the well-being of mother and baby, without interrupting the bonding process,” George said. “The video is of such quality that we also can use it as a marketing tool. For instance, we can send video of a brand new cub to our local television stations to be used on the air.”

“By Land or By Sea” examines the difficulties of Port security. One of the recommendations made in this article is to use video surveillance to protect workers in dangerous areas. From the article:

"Because much of the operation is not automated, workers still dodge their way through lumbering yard equipment to manually capture container identification numbers, cargo bay location numbers and other information used to track shipments through the port. With the marriage of optical character recognition and high-resolution PTZ video cameras, however, port operators can remotely capture that information without leaving the operations center, thus minimizing their exposure to dangerous areas of the yard."

Inspired by these articles, we now have a question for you: How are you using your video surveillance technology to support non-security aspects of your organization? Let us know what you think and leave your comments below.

5 Tips to Minimizing the Impact of a Critical Security Systems Failure

 

Let’s face it, nothing lasts forever and eventually that super-state-of-the-art security system that you implemented will fail. Your access control system might stop working and lock your employees out of the building. Or maybe your intrusion detection system develops a bug and starts spamming the monitoring company or police with false alarms. Or maybe the camera system that your guards use to remotely patrol your facilities stops broadcasting. No matter how good the system is when you installed it, eventually it’s going to develop a problem. So how do you prepare for this inevitable critical systems failure to minimize the impact it will have on your organization? We will start with the first three of 5 simple tips that you can put into place now to help minimize the damage when the worst happens.  Check back on Thursday to see the last two.

1) Have a Service Contract in Place
You probably won’t think about it until something goes horribly awry, but having a service contract in place with a trustworthy, experienced integrator or service provider can go a long way to alleviating headaches and panic when the worst happens. Most service providers will allow you to pre-negotiate emergency service rates and response times so that when an emergency occurs you don’t have to call around looking for the best rate or quickest response– you’ll already know who to call. Additionally, many service companies will allow you to pre-purchase a block of service hours, so if you have a lengthy or complicated purchasing process you don’t have to worry about getting a check cut, or authorizing a credit card, or acquiring a PO before the problem can be corrected.

Bonus Tip: Try negotiating priority service response. Many service companies will allow you to pay for a higher level of service response, meaning that they’ll bump you up the list of people waiting for appointments in front of people with a lower level of response.

2) Post Emergency Service Contact Information and Procedures
You may have a service contract in place to prepare for the worst, or at least know who installed your system, but does everyone else you work with? What happens if you’re away on vacation or out sick when the worst happens? Do your coworkers know what to do? Help alleviate confusion by documenting what steps to take during a critical systems failure, who to call, when to call, and what reference information they may need (the facility address, a service contract number, or the type of system that went down may be needed when you or your coworker calls the service provider). And make sure that you store the documentation in a conspicuous place where everyone knows where it is and can access it.

Bonus Tip: Make sure that you always have access to updated system schematics or designs to help you or your service provider identify exactly where system components are and which ones are affected. Allowing your service provider to keep a copy of these records can allow them come prepared with the right spare parts or other equipment.

3) Have a Back-Up Plan in Place
You have the time now to plan back-up procedures in case your critical systems should fail, so don’t wait until the worst happens to come up with a plan off the hip. If you’re creating a back-up plan in case access control fails, you need to address both the scenario in which your critical access doors cannot be unlocked by the electronic system and the scenario in which all your doors remain unsecured.

Bonus Tip: When planning for an access control failure, you may want to consider hiring temporary guards to physically monitor critical entrances. Many guard companies will rent guards on a daily or even hourly basis for temporary emergencies. Find one service you like and keep their number handy, just in case.

4) Keep Spare Parts On Hand
While most service providers will keep a stock of common repair parts on hand, it’s by no means assured that they’ll have the part you need when you have a major break down. The best option is to keep an inventory of spare parts for your most critical systems on-site. Ask your integrator which parts are mostly like to break and which critical components are mostly likely to cause a major delay in repair through scarcity or long back order/shipping times. These are the two parts you want to keep in stock.

Bonus Tip: Keep an inventory of your spare parts and make sure you replace them when you use them. There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you have an inventory of critical parts, but not having that one part your really need on-hand because you forgot to order a new one the last time one broke down.

5) Don’t Have a System Failure In the First Place
Obviously the best way to react to a critical system failure is to not have one at all. Work with your service provider or integrator to create an ongoing maintenance program to ensure that you keep your system working, identify any possible problems before they occur, and swap out buggy or failing parts before they go down completely. Some people think preventative maintenance is more costly than service, but when you consider how proper maintenance will prolong the life of your system as well as avoid costly risk and litigation liability, it’s easy to see that not performing preventative maintenance is like gambling in Vegas. In the long run, the casino always wins.

Bonus Tip: Build equipment replacement into your maintenance plan. Based on failure rates and product life expectancy, you can estimate the amount of money need to replace failing equipment such as cameras or card readers and plan that into your monthly budget. By replacing parts before they begin to fail with newer, better technology, you’re system will always be in working order and will experience continuous quality improvement as your old technology is replaced with newer, better technology over time.

Critical system failures are always stressful, but with a little forethought and a strong service partner whom you trust, you can mitigate their impact on your organization. Eventually it’s going to happen, but with the proper maintenance and planning, it can seem like a small dip in the road rather than plunging off the edge of the Grand Canyon.

Now tell us about your last critical system failure. How could you have been better prepared for that failure? What do you wish you had known then that you know now? Comment below and join the Great Conversation.