Seven questions to ask about your security system

1. Do you have a written security policy?

There are three key elements to your policy:

• An assessment of the risks and vulnerabilities
• Identification of the minimum standards of security required
• The measures you will be putting place to mitigate those risks

2. Does everyone know how to use the systems?

With a flexible labour force, and job roles changing more frequently, it is important to introduce processes that make sure key people within your organisation know how to operate these critical systems, especially in the event of an incident.

3. Do you have a maintenance contract?

If insurance companies are insisting on a security system, they always ask for it to be maintained by an accredited company, so you need to know that your supplier can provide ongoing maintenance and support.

4. Is it compliant?

Organisations need to consider three levels of compliance:

• Regulatory, such as the Financial Conduct Authority
• GDPR, which is coming into force in May
• Insurance

5. What reports are useful?

Are the reports the system generates meaningful and helping you do your job better? What you need are reports that alert you of unusual activity without bombarding you with irrelevant data.

6. How can you use this to improve the business?

Property is one of the most expensive costs. One way to understand how well an office is used is by looking at data from the security systems. This can show usage patterns, trends, and can help you to optimise space.

7. Have you got all the latest updates?

As today’s systems are more connected and online, it increases the risk of hackers. Therefore, you need to update your systems regularly so that any vulnerabilities are regularly addressed.

Written by Jason Choy

This article also appears in Qube Magazine: https://www.qubeonline.co.uk/qubenews/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/QDMAR18.pdf