Safety and security are the most important things be it in home, school, business or work place. Studies show that majority of frauds and thefts in businesses have been possible due to lack of a proper security system. Be it a bank, a locker house or any other business institution, robbery and money laundering has happened in the absence of a fool proof security service. It is essential to select the services of a security system with intelligence and research for the safety of your business.
Simply installing alarms and locks cannot prevent frauds. You must find a security firm that checks the background and foreground of the employees, and also takes steps to identify attempts to illegal activities. The security services should be hands on in forewarning the authorities the moment they identify a mole in the institution or a snap in the security system.
The following tips are useful while selecting the services of a security firm.
• Research about the security firm whose services you want to hire for the safety of your company. Your research should tell you the security services that this firm offers. You must have a fair idea about the security systems that they will install in your office premises and also about the backend activities that will ensure your safety.
• Look closely at the annual turnover of the security firm. A big turnover is suggestive of its efficiency and popularity. If a firm has a substantial turnover it means various firms have availed of its services. Also check to see the clientele of the security services. This will give you an idea about the precision and the professionalism of the firm.
Go through the crew members of the security services. A good security firm should have quite a few names from the law enforcement department and also from the military.
• Well known security systems offer demonstrations of the services they offer. Attend these demonstrations with attention and try to understand if they suit what you are looking for.
Interview the personnel with specific questions. If you have a particular service in mind that these firms are not mentioning, ask them. For example, if you want them to run a thorough search of the backgrounds of all your employees, tell them what you are looking for. At times, people work under cover and they take every protection possible to maintain cover. You must specify how thoroughly you want your employees records to be checked.
• Check the licenses of the security services. Contact the bureau that is responsible for maintaining the licensing records for such firms. This will give you genuine information and also save you time and effort while reviewing the firms.
Ask about security cameras and their positions so that the workspace is left without blind spots. You might also consider placing cameras where people are unable to see them to enable you to detect unusual action when their guards are down. Install surveillance in the most sensitive spots so that no suspicious action gets unnoticed. Following these points can help you to find an effective security service.
A business's network assets are critical to its success. Despite their overwhelming importance, however, too many businesses leave those assets to chance. A managed security services provider can design a unique set of solutions to protect network assets from the relentless threats and attacks that occur on a daily basis.
Left unmanaged, these security risks, which can come from both internal and external sources, can wreak havoc on a business's ability to operate. They pose a very serious and real threat to corporate performance and continuity.
A recent ZdNet commentary titled "IT security and new regulations needed to protect critical infrastructures" shed light on the importance of having a managed security services partner. Pointing out that 2011 is the year that many have dubbed "the year of the hack," the site's commentator suggested business owners may never again think the same way "about the security of networks and systems."
Although he recommended "the deployment of typical preventative technologies (e.g., firewalls, IPS, anti-virus, etc.)," he stressed that such technology in and of itself is not enough. What is required is proper design, implementation and maintenance of a process that allows a business to respond to any network threat in a "timely and effective manner." Of course, most companies don't have the resources to devote to that task, which is a 24/7 job. That's where "a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) [can] help them fill organizational capability gaps."
A managed security services provider can offer the following solutions:
Risk mitigation, so that any threat is stopped before it can turn into a full-blown emergency
Improved network visibility with 24/7 monitoring for round-the-clock peace of mind
Enhanced network performance, uptime, and utilization so businesses can maximize their effectiveness
Flexibility to extend IT resources to strategic projects
Simplicity in network management so business owners can devote their attention to more pressing matters
Reduced network maintenance expenses for better bottom line
A proactive approach to system issue resolutions
With all these benefits, it's hard to argue that a partnership with a managed security services provider isn't worth the investment, but for those CEOs who are still on the fence, "PC Magazine" echoes ZdNet's glowing recommendation of such a partnership. Several years back in an article on the topic of Managed Security Services, the publication said, "If your small business doesn't have full-time IT support staff, and you'd feel safer asking a specialist to handle security than tackling it on your own, consider outsourcing security to a managed security service provider (MSSP). MSSPs can the security services provide a variety of services, such as firewall and VPN, content filtering, spam filtering, virus protection, and intrusion detection/ prevention services."
Today, a managed security services provider can provide all of that and a whole lot more, including (according to Wikipedia) "round-the-clock monitoring and management of intrusion detection systems and firewalls, overseeing patch management and upgrades, performing security assessments and security audits, and responding to emergencies." And in a day and age when network security threats are lurking around every corner, no business owner can afford to be without such protection.