Small Business Security - protecting your business against fraud and theft

When I co-founded a business many years ago, we did not spend much time thinking about security. We were too busy trying to get everything done. The situation changed when we raised money from venture capitalists who have insisted that our security be increased to protect their investments.

In general, some tips to reduce the threats:

Discover the employees before hiring, check references and do background checks. As preventive measures, is less expensive than dealing with the consequences, but it takes time.

Restrict access to data that employees have and your server. If your server room is locked, but the person responsible for backup keeps the key in his desk in his cubicle - the server is not secure! If your HR person has access to all digital files of employees, but it keeps your password attached to the side of the computer, the data are not safe.

Request that your employees use strong passwords and changed regularly. This will cause very grumpy, but it is business and their work, so they will have to live with it.

Back up your data regularly. You should back up your data every day. Each week you should have a backup copy of the weekend which is taken off site and stored. Annually, the data backup and keep it in a safe deposit box or with your lawyer.

Having virus protection and intrusion detection software installed digital and revised regularly. If outsourcing, the company providing these services should be able to provide this for you.

Lock your doors, even during activities hours.This is why Home Depot sells these wireless doorbells. They are cheap. I am always amazed when I can get into a business without a receptionist and roam the halls freely.

Get security cameras. This is all the security for your company and your employees.

Assign one of your senior management as a security officer. This person must understand the possible threats and determine the best prevention. He or she should also receive training in what to do in case of intrusion, digital or otherwise.

Security is another area of ​​internal fraud, particularly employees stealing from you. As the security officer of a previous company, I was asked to take a class of internal fraud. The characteristics of the offender tended to be (a) male, (2) in his 20s (3), university education, and (4) he had never committed a crime before. Not to say that a female of 50 years, high school drop criminal does not commit the crime, but statistically these were the characteristics that came up most often.

What usually happens is that the author is at an impasse, can not make a car payment, rent, doctor's bill, and he starts with only the money "borrowed" or objects in pledge by the company. He has full intentions of "It repaying." But the reason that it got stuck in the first place still exists, so you have to steal more to cover the first crime, and so on it goes.

To avoid this type of fraud, have strong policies and procedures of accounting. Revenue controls have come to a mailbox. I am a different person to sign the checks of the person who creates them. Allow one person to make the order for the company and maintain an inventory of what each employee has. For example, memory sticks very easily disappear. Yes, an occasional one is lost, but someone who is constantly losing them to have a problem.

Ask your accountant for assistance is the creation of such policies and procedures and have your books audited or reviewed at least annually.

Although it is possible to go overboard on security, I know very few companies actually do and most do not even come close to the basic security. Make sure your company is not one that is caught saying "but she seemed so trustworthy, I can not believe she stole from us." ......