Taking the time to review your physical security system once a year is one of the best ways to ensure it’s running smoothly and efficiently. And actually, other than an ongoing managed services relationship, it’s the best way.
So while everyone’s already thinking about spring cleaning, make sure you get this one on your organization’s annual calendar. Here are a few ways to make sure your system is running lean and healthy all year long.
Purge unnecessary data
This is critical not only for the health of your system, but for compliance regulations, as well. Federal U.S. regulations require that you keep an employee’s personnel and employment information for one year after they leave your company, and that includes data and access records. But once that year is up—and dependent on your internal processes—it’s safe to let it go and create some breathing room in your system.
The same goes for access you might have given to contract workers or employees who’ve moved on to different positions within your company. Ideally, your system automatically pares down privileges as roles shift or are removed, but now’s a good time to make sure your access is lean and mean.
Check your patches
Again, this is something you should be monitoring and staying on top of regularly—and automatically. But if you’ve overlooked an old server or neglected to run updates, now is the time. And we mean now.
Then, once your system is shored up, it’s time to automate the process so you don’t fall behind again. The security world moves fast—from personnel and client shifts to premises changes, software upgrades and a long list of everything in between. If you’re patching your system only once a year, you’re doing it wrong. So let’s make spring the season you get on track and tighten up the ship.
Go for a walk
Really! When it comes to physical security, physically being in your space is a big part of buttoning up all the smaller, often-overlooked aspects of your system. Like doors that are regularly propped open, branches or bushes that block lines of sight, dirty or unkempt access points, or areas that have been reconfigured to accommodate personnel changes.
The things that catch your eye might surprise you, and they’re often a pretty easy fix. Consider this one literally spring cleaning. Not only will it clean up your physical security, it’ll be a sight for sore eyes the next time you walk by the space.
Of course, this is only a partial list of all the ways your physical security setup needs your attention throughout the year. If you’re monitoring updates and changes all year long, great! You’re ahead of the game, and that’s a powerful place to be. But if it feels overwhelming or just isn’t on your list of to-dos, that’s where a managed services partner comes in to lift the burden off your team and keep your system a step ahead. Contact us to learn more about all of Octeum’s security solutions.
