Our interconnected world has business owners paranoid about cyber threats. Some 70% of small businesses will experience a cyber attack, after all. But, are these same business owners considering the physical security threats? Maybe not.
From human error and theft to natural disasters, physical threats impact business security. This article aims to tighten the physical security of your operations.
The Real Dangers of Physical Security Threats and How They’re Mitigated
Physical attacks involve hardware damage, theft, accidental errors, or intentional disruption. Often, this attack happens in-house via employees or external through third-party services. Natural disasters pose threats, too.
Mitigating physical security threats involve security systems and intrusion detection. Modern operations integrate threat intelligence and biometric authentication.
Here, now, is how your business may adopt homogenized IT physical security:
Employee Education
Employees are the likely point of attack through phishing attempts. They are often the weak link in data handling and hardware access, too. Yet, employees become the physical firewall given they’re trained in handling these situations.
Create a policy including:
- Identifying and reporting phishing attempts
- Hardware and software security best practices
- Natural disaster and violent event response
- Password/credential policies and device handling
Owners should provide reporting tools to alert management. And, create a culture where peers provide workplace safety through awareness.
Personal and Workplace Security
Introduce several security layers to the business via:
- Use of keycards and multi-factor authentication
- Video surveillance and security checkpoints
- Lock and key access with secure storage
- Document shredding and secure waste removal
Install these features through reputable hardware providers. Else, contact professional security firms for their services. Do mind the security threats posed by third-parties — so do your due diligence during hiring.
Also:
Create a routine in reviewing the security protocol each year. Use this opportunity to review threats and vulnerabilities. Then, patch problematic security faults using the appropriate security solution.
Advanced Network Security
AI and machine learning are introducing a slew of new security features. We’re close to reaching precognitive threat detection.
At the forefront is behavioral authentication like:
- Facial recognition
- Gait analysis
- Real-time video analytics
Video-based systems integrate advanced AI facial recognition processing. These systems identify and report workers and visitors through physical features. Facial features are difficult to mimic thus providing an added security layer.
Gait analysis is an impressive, emerging security feature. People have a set pattern and form as they move (their ‘gait’). AI matches gait and reports if the individual doesn’t display their usual composure.
Real-time analytics, delivered via video, crunches physical metadata. This tech references the security database. Security receives alerts if the system doesn’t recognize what it has one file.
Securing Business through Intelligent Security
Your business security is only as good as its weakest link. Physical security attacks pose an equally damaging event as cyber attacks. It’s your duty to create an intelligent security system to prevent all forms of attacks.
Do you need help in advancing your business security systems?
Get in touch if you have any questions about real-time monitoring and authentication. And, request a demo of our end-to-end risk-based Cognitive Continuous Authentication eGuardian platform.
