Sunday, December 23, 2007

Small Business Security - Protecting Your Business Against Fraud and Theft

When I first co-founded a concern many old age ago, we did not pass much clip thought about security. We were too busy trying to acquire everything else done. This changed when we raised money from venture rugged individualists who insisted that our security be increased to protect their investment.

In general, a few tips for reducing threats:

Check out your employees before you engage them, bank bank check mentions and make a background check. Like most preventive measures, it is less expensive than dealing with the consequences, but it makes take time.

Limit entree that employees have got to information and to your server. If your waiter room is locked, but the individual in complaint of the stands-in maintains the cardinal in his desk in his cell - your waiter is not secure! If your hour individual have got entree to all the digital employee files, but maintains his or her watchword taped to the side of the computer, that information is not secure.

Require that your employees utilize strong watchwords and changed them regularly. This volition cause much grousing, but it's your concern and their jobs, so they will have to dwell with it.

Backup your information regularly. You should back up your information daily. Every hebdomad you should have got a hebdomad end stand-in that is taken off land site and stored. Annually backup your information and maintain it in a safe sedimentation box or with your attorney.

Have virus protection software system system and digital invasion sensing software installed and reviewed regularly. If you outsource your IT, the company providing these services should be able to supply this for you.

Lock your doors, even during concern hours.This is why Home Terminal sells those radio door bells. They are cheap. I am always astonied when I can walk into a concern with no receptionist and swan the hallways freely.

Get security cameras. This is both security for your concern and for your employees.

Assign one of your senior direction as security officer. This individual is in complaint of apprehension possible menaces and determining the best prevention. He or she should also have preparation in what to make in lawsuit of an intrusion, digital or otherwise.

Another country of security is internal fraud, specifically employees stealing from you. As the security military officer of one former company, I was required to take a social class on internal fraud. The features of the wrongdoer tended to be (1) male, (2) in his 20s, (3) college educated, and (4) had never committed a law-breaking before. Not to state that a 50 twelvemonth old female, high school drop-out criminal volition not perpetrate the crime, but statistically those were the features that came up most often.

Usually what haps is the culprit is in a bind, can't do a auto payment, rent, doctor's bill, and he begins with just "borrowing" money or points to pawn from the company. He have got got full purposes of "paying it back." But the ground he got stuck in the first topographic point still exists, so he have to steal more than to cover up the first crime, and on and on it goes.

To forestall this type of fraud, have strong accounting policies and procedures. Rich Person gross bank checks come up to a polonium Box. Rich Person a different individual mark the bank checks than the 1 who makes them. Let only one individual to make the ordering for the company and maintain an stock list of what each employee has. For instance, memory lodges vanish really easily. Yes, an occasional 1 acquires lost, but some 1 who loses them constantly may have got got a problem.

Ask your comptroller for aid is creating these policies and processes and have your books audited or reviewed at least annually.

Although it is possible to travel overboard on security, I cognize very few companies that actually make and most don't even come up close to basic security. Brand certain your company is not one that acquires caught saying "but she seemed so trustworthy, I can't believe that she stole from us."

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