My Opportunity and Challenge...and yours

I get a great opportunity and with it comes its challenges. Let me explain.

In my role as CEO of Watson Security, most of my interaction is with business owners, CEOs, government officials, building managers and a host of others "in charge" of their organization. This is great and I wouldn't change it for anything. We have some absolutely AWESOME CUSTOMERS and I personally look forward to going to work every day because of them.

The Opportunity. Because I generally speak to the "person in charge" I learn more about their overall goals and strategies and as such can work with my team to design the right security to help them achieve these goals. This is the best part of my day-to-day job - coming up with solutions to help them achieve their business goals.

The Challenge. Many times what is going on in the "field" of these companies isn't communicated up to the "person in charge" and as such we sometimes don't get the "whole story" to what is really needed and going on. The challenge is to make sure we have a long stream of communication from everyone that is involved in planning and implementing security solutions.

I share this with you to help you save you and your company both time and money. Make sure that what you, at the top of the organization, are planning and thinking about accomplishing is completely and thoroughly communicated to the implementation levels within the organization. This is where you find out what can be done and the best way to accomplish it. The more in sync, the less time spent and better the solution.

Hello - I'm going away, please rob me...

I wanted to share some views with you about a topic that baffles me sometimes but other times I can understand - sort of...

There is a massive new revolution in business going on in front of us right now - Social Media. I know because I am in it. You reading my blog is an example of how it is reaching people you never thought it would reach. I will share more about my "journey" in this area in future posts but for now, just accept that this is clearly a revolution and it is going to impact all of us. If you want to know more, check with Blaine Millet at WOM10 - they are experts in this area.

But for now I wanted to talk about the issue of "being security smart" when you are using some of these new social media tools - such as facebook and twitter and linkedin. People love to tell others how they are doing and what they are doing. This is fun and exciting and builds great relationships. But did you realize when you take it too far, like saying, "I can't wait to get out of town tomorrow for a week" you are leaving yourself open to potential intruders? There is a great article, "Hello Internet, I'm on Vacation - Please rob me" that is worth the read.

So think about your physical security next time you decide to tell the whole world you are on vacation and won't be at home so nobody will bother you while you are robbing my house. By the way, please help yourself to a ham sandwich, it will have gone bad by the time I get home anyway.

Security goes beyond your doors and windows...

Security has been a hot topic over the past few years with the downturn in the economy (I really hate to use the "R" word). With millions of people losing their jobs and companies going out of business left and right, both individual and company security has become an even larger issue.

But one thing that comes to mind and I wanted to share some thoughts on with you today is that security is not just "keeping intruders out", it is about not sharing information with people that could use it against you. So many times I hear of someone putting in a new security system with all the new "bells and whistles" only to come to realize that they have given the information and/or keys to people that shouldn't have them.

Just because we put up some great systems doesn't mean they can't be broken into or should I say "let into" because of the carelessness of the staff or management. My recommendation is to still solidify your security for physical intrusion, but don't forget about developing the plan and approach to who should have access, why and how are you going to manage and maintain who has access to "the keys" that are out there. Think through the whole situation and you will find there are loopholes that need to be plugged.