Security departments within an organization often tend to underestimate how much productivity is lost to manual tasks that could easily be accomplished with automated systems. Technology solutions are readily available to help security management free up employee time so they can focus on more valuable tasks that help ensure safety and security. In considering these options, ROI is often a determining factor.

With the year drawing to a close, the busy season is in full swing for many organizations including retailers, travel agencies and schools. Additionally listed among this group are property management companies who often have the added seasonal duties of home/rental management for “snowbirds.” Tasks range from prevention services such as checking the vacant home for unwanted pests to arranging cleaning/repair services for winter residences.

A number of recent articles have put forth the proposition that the password as a security measure is dead. The reasons listed are many, including how easily they are forgotten, the password is weak or easily guessed and how quickly cyber criminals can get around them. Not mentioned in these articles but posing a similar challenge is the use of PINs or smart cards as security measures.

The role of the security professional has changed considerably over the past decade, with more focus on both mitigating threats and attacks as well as on the business needs of the organization. An added wrinkle to this expanded role is the threat from inside the organization from rogue/former employees, unscrupulous contractors who have authorized access and even unintentional security breaches by well-meaning or careless staff. These threats from within are often the most costly and dangerous.

According to Cisco, 39 percent of IT professionals report encountering an employee accessing unauthorized areas of a company network or facility. These and other disturbing statistics regarding physical and logical security are having an impact on how organizations are protecting valuable data.