Blog | Sonitrol Security

Business Security Resources For The Holiday Season

November 8, 2018 By sonitrol Leave a Comment

The holiday season is approaching and with it comes many festivities in and outside of the office. The additional commotion, office parties, and other distractions are potential breeding grounds for suspicious activity. To stay safe this holiday season, be sure all of your security procedures and systems are updated and that all employees know what to do in the event of an emergency.

Office Party Safety Tips

The first step to creating a safe and fun holiday season for your employees is to update safety procedures and send them out to everyone. Safety policies are crucial but can be completely meaningless if employees aren’t aware of what to do in certain situations. We have several previous blogs that discuss in detail how to create a safe workplace. Catch up on them:

This time last year, we wrote 6 Holiday Office Party Safety Tips to discuss safety best practices at events where alcohol may be served. We know that safety threats don’t always come from outsiders. Make sure you know how to handle all HR situations from drinking responsibly to sexual harassment.

The above resources will have you well on your way to ensuring your company has a safe and happy holiday season.

Practice Makes Perfect

Safety procedures are necessary for every place of employment as recent threats and break-ins remind us that even remote office locations aren’t innately safer. Earlier this year we wrote a series about what to do if you get broken into where we shared a story about a small, remote office break-in. Catch up on Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 to see how break-ins aren’t always obvious and how to protect your office against them.

This series reinforces the fact that business security systems should be installed in every place of work to record and hopefully prevent any and all suspicious activity. In the event that something happens during work hours or at a company-wide event, safety procedures can make all the difference.

Once you have solid procedures in place, it is our recommendation that they are updated and sent to employees on a yearly basis at a minimum. Safety drills are also helpful in reinforcing the procedures for all employees.

Discover more resources like the ones above on our blog and business security services page.

How Access Control Enhances Your Data Security

October 30, 2018 By Sonitrol Leave a Comment

We’re breaking away from featuring different aspects of our business security camera system to update you on the importance of physically securing your server room with access control. This is a growing topic in the field as the importance of secure data increases. A server room houses all of your company’s data, which is likely the largest asset. If you aren’t rigidly restricting access to the room, you’re potentially putting your entire company at risk.

How you protect your data affects every single aspect of your business. If you aren’t protecting it well, you can quickly lose trust from employees to customers and will have to go into crisis mode if there’s a breach. We exist to help companies protect their people and property so management can focus on growing business. Here’s how we do that through access control.

Server Room Security And Access Control

The first step in server room security is to organize and document where all data is stored and knowing who manages it. Creating a narrow list of who can have access to the room is also essential to data security. Click the following link to read how you can create a controlled access policy for your server room.

There have been many required changes regarding data security with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that went into effect on May 25th, 2018. The GDPR brings the entire European Union (EU) up to speed in the digital age and gives citizens more control over their personal data and holds organizations responsible for the correct and safe use and storage of the data they store. While the GDPR was created for the EU, all organizations that offer good or services to customers or businesses in the EU are also required to comply.

We are hopeful that these regulation changes will safeguard businesses and consumers on the digital front, but these changes don’t take into account physical server room security. When it comes to the physical safety of data storage, the best solution is access control which spares you the hassle and expense of locks. Access control also allows you to track movement throughout your facility and customize restriction access by location and/or time of day.

We’ve thought of everything regarding access control and we’ve even created a checklist to equip you with all the necessary information you need to protect your data security. Download our Secure Server Room Access Control checklist and catch up on additional server room security resources on our blog.

A Brief Explanation Of Our Business Security Camera Storage Options

October 23, 2018 By sonitrol Leave a Comment

The video surveillance industry is seeing a rapid increase in demand as video surveillance is being used for more than just security. Companies are finding the value of video data to improve their operational efficiencies, situational awareness, risk mitigation, and more.

The way video surveillance footage is stored has always been important, but with the increased ways companies are utilizing the footage, storage is vitally important as is the availability of affordable high-resolution cameras. These factors have created a high demand for reliable, cost-effective video surveillance systems.

Not only does Sonitrol offer all of the above, we also provide 24/7 monitoring to verify all threats. This means that police time is faster for Sonitrol customers and apprehensions are higher.

We provide two different types of storage for our business security cameras: Internet-based and closed-circuit television. Below, we discuss the differences between the two to help you chose the best storage system for your business security needs.

Internet-Based Digital Video Versus Closed-Circuit Television

As mentioned in our blog last week, The Impact Of Business Security Systems, there’s no better solution than pairing our audio detection services with Internet-based digital video. When these systems are integrated, the camera activates when the burglary system is activated and video is automatically recorded. With Internet-based digital video, we can program the system to give you access to tune in anytime, anywhere.

There are perks to closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras as well. Our modern CCTV cameras provide high-resolution feedback and access to footage is limited by design to ensure only those who should have access can view the footage. These cameras are popular in law enforcement and are often used to monitor traffic as well as building and grounds security.

In addition to the above, we also provide Network and Hosted video recorders. All of our options for data storage future-proofs your investment since additional storage can easily be added and other solutions can be efficiently integrated.

We are a leading provider of video security surveillance solutions and we’re a one-stop shop for all of your security needs. We design, install, and maintain all security systems. As security experts, we aim to provide comprehensive care. Click here to learn more about our business security camera system.

The Impact Of Business Security Cameras

October 18, 2018 By Sonitrol Leave a Comment

Do you worry about your business when you’re away? The toll stress takes on our bodies affects nearly every one of our biological functions. Your business’s security shouldn’t be a stressor and you can be at ease knowing that we offer tailored and verified business security solutions.

At Sonitrol, we think it’s crucial to have both eyes and ears in your organization. This combination allows our trained security monitors to verify all threats 24/7. While audio detection is a cornerstone of securing your business, continue reading to understand the impact of business security cameras.

Secure Your Office With Business Security Cameras

We know that all business owners worry about the safety of their building and property, but oftentimes neglect to prioritize investing in a comprehensive security system upfront. While employees might not worry about the safety of the building after they leave work, we can guarantee that they’re thinking about their safety at work. Installing a business security system might just be one of the easiest solutions to reduce workplace stress.

Security cameras are not just for the use of emergencies and threats. You can streamline every operation when you gain a real-time look into different departments or locations of your business. You can resolve any potential internal conflicts, boost productivity, and save money by reducing theft.

In the event of an emergency though, having a security system that captures video and audio evidence can aid significantly in catching the criminal. We offer a wide variety of camera types (domes, internet-enabled etc) and we provide the camera, installation, and maintenance.

There isn’t a better solution than our verified audio detection paired with our internet-based digital video. We have a solution for every need and every budget. Sign up for our free business security assessment to get started.

Schools Are Changing The Way They Secure Their Vicinities

October 15, 2018 By sonitrol Leave a Comment

Now that schools have been in session for a few weeks and everyone is settling into a new normal, it’s vitally important that those in charge of school security don’t become too settled and comfortable in their roles. Dangers don’t take a break and neither do our school security solutions.

Sonitrol protects over 11,000 schools across America, which is more than any other security company. We take pride in knowing that our solutions are used to protect so many children who deserve a quality education in a safe place that is conducive to their entire well-being.

Day to day School Security Has Changed

The days of practicing drills for earthquakes and tornadoes are gone. Now, schools are practicing what to do in the event of an active shooter.

Back in August, we wrote about Back To School Safety Best-Practices. It takes everyone in a school to work together to maintain a safe environment and we’re encouraged to see that the government is also becoming involved to make American schools safer through the Federal Commision on School Safety whose mission is “quickly providing meaningful and actionable recommendations to keep students safe at school.”

The Commission has been meeting since March 2018. Highlights since then include a meeting with survivors of mass shootings in May, discussed issues of mental health in July, and discussed new tools to secure schools inside and out in August. In addition to these meetings, they have also been holding public listening sessions and conducting field visits. You can read more about these meetings on their website.

While this commission is very new, we are looking forward to seeing how they begin to implement better security solutions in schools nationwide.

California School Districts Adapt To New Security Threats

Schools across the nation are taking a look at how they manage the safety of their campus. Locally, many districts in California are enhancing their security with cameras at all entrances, panic buttons at the front desk that are tied to the intercom system, installing access control and more.

To begin to understand how you can increase your school’s safety, you can ask your students and staff their perceptions on the safety measures currently in place. The California School Board Association has many resources to help school administrations begin to understand how students perceive the overall culture and climate at the school regarding their safety.

If you find gaps in your school’s security, there are many solutions. Numerous schools have some presence of security personnel on campus, but they can’t be everywhere at once. Security cameras can be installed to ensure that every hallway and open space is covered.

Access control ensures that only people with a key card can obtain access inside the building and can be customized inside the building as well. One charter school in LA only opens their doors for a limited window in the morning to let students in and locks all doors the entire day until they’re opened again for dismissal.

Some solutions might sound grating, but school boards and administrations are doing everything they deem necessary to keep their students, our children, safe while they’re at school. Read more about our integrated security system and contact us to learn how it can be applied in your school.