With the Internet of Things on the rise and malware, as well as hacking becoming an every day news item, your security devices may be at risk. The idea of physical security is to protect your premises by means of securing access, alerting in case of an intruder and visually monitoring your building and the perimeter. As with everything all security servers and control panels are attached to the internet. If not properly secured your devices run a security risk of being disabled and even used against your organization.
Why I.T. and Physical Security go hand in hand
Unfortunately many small businesses run the risk of being attacked by either a malware, ransomware or hacking attack. Oftentimes small businesses, because of savings will buy their own networking gear and create their own network. This can result in misconfigured security and network settings, as well as default passwords being used without the end user being aware of it.
Many security companies will sell you on a security solution and will get it installed for you, but they will never check your network and its security. Having state of the art security equipment does not help you much if hackers can get into the system because a default password was left on the unit. This can lead to the security system being used against your company, with people having access to your device whenever they wish. It can also allow intruders to disable all your security devices before they enter the premises, so all you will be left with is a blank video screen.
When designing a surveillance or access control system, we will walk through your building and not only see where cameras should be mounted, but also investigate the infrastructure you have in your building. This allows us to paint a bigger picture and consider your network security options. It can be as easy as re-configuring the router, or we will recommend certain network upgrades to ensure the maximum network security. Oftentimes these upgrades are more than just security upgrades, helping you increase your network speed and improve wireless access to the network. Since your network is the backbone to any devices that we will be installing, it is important to have the right network speed and the best network security possible. With our approach we eliminate issues, such as laggy video, slow network speeds and security leaks before the solution is implemented, instead of having to troubleshoot your issues, possibly even with yet another contractor, and finding out you have to invest more in your network infrastructure to actually be able to accommodate the solution you have on site.
Common Installation Mistakes
As we touched on, the security of your network is crucial, but it does not end there. There is a logical(software) layer to your network, but there is also a hardware component, that allows the software to actually run. Common issues arise from exposed wiring, not using a proper enclosure for all the devices and not having a power backup solution in place.
If your network is secure on the logical layer, that does not mean it is completely safe from being disabled by an intruder. As we touch on in the article about server rack (Click here to read it), it is important to house and protect your devices from harm. Nothing is stopping an intruder from walking up to your devices and unplugging or even destroying them, if they are stored on a desk or not mounted anywhere. That’s why there is more to security than just installing the actual system. Many more aspects have to be considered to make a security solution a great solution for your business. That’s why we take pride in what we do, and consider all the options when designing your system.
Get in Touch
Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments. You can call us at any time at (403) 477-4800 or email us at info@authorizedsecurity.ca.