5 Tips to Power Up Your Physical Security

It’s remarkably easy to accidentally leave your important data in view of danger. Despite the remarkable advances in security and business’ ambitions to implement them as soon as possible, sometimes it’s more important to remember the basics—the hidden vulnerabilities that software patches and updates can’t fix. We’re talking, of course, about your physical infrastructure, and how it’s an entirely different beast compared to cybersecurity.

Let’s examine five simple ways to fix your physical security infrastructure.

Consider a Clean Desk Policy

A clean desk shouldn’t have sticky notes covering monitors with sensitive information like passwords, notes from clients, and contact information in plain sight. We recommend that you secure any and all documents in a locked drawer, or better yet, digitize them in your filing system. Make sure all whiteboards are wiped down, too, and remember that if you leave it out in the open, then you can’t consider it safe or private by any means.

Your Server Room Is a Vault, Not a Storage Closet

Do you lock the door to your server room, if you can call it a server room? Some businesses just store them in a closet and call it a day. We recommend you get a specific part of your office dedicated to your server units, and be sure to include physical locks with keys that aren’t perpetually in the cabinets. You also need a system to keep track of who accesses the server room and at what time. Finally, it’s a best practice to cover up any exposed networking in public areas, not only for aesthetic reasons, but to ensure they cannot be tapped into or unplugged by bad actors.

Change Factory Default Device Names and Passwords

Businesses will invest in advanced security measures before they consider the basics, thinking that the super-advanced solutions also cover the basics. This is not necessarily true; an antivirus solution can’t change the default settings of your wireless router or networking equipment for you, or for the printers, scanners, and smart TVs scattered around your office. If you don’t change these defaults, they’re easy to hack into, as the information is often available publicly online. So ditch the defaults, update your firmware, and segment your network to ensure any vulnerable devices aren’t going to impact the operational side of your business.

Be Cautious of What You Throw Away

Data leaks can happen through your technology, but they can also come from your garbage can. Make sure you’re shredding documents appropriately to keep this from happening. You can implement narrow-slot shredding consoles that force you to destroy documents rather than throwing them out whole. It’s also important that you destroy old media, like HDDs, SSDs, and thumb drives to guarantee that all data on them has been wiped and is inaccessible should anyone find them. We recommend that you go through a provider that can offer a certificate detailing when and where the data was destroyed just for your own peace of mind.

Perform a Visitor’s Audit

To make sure your office is safe for visitors, try looking at it from the perspective of a delivery driver or a job candidate. Take note of screens that are visible from doorways or on high-traffic paths, then take action to make them less visible. You can implement privacy screens or angle workstations away from visitor zones to aid in this. It’s also vital to escort any visitors out of the office so you know they aren’t wandering around taking in the sights (and potentially seeing things they aren’t supposed to see).

Need help implementing these 5 strategies? RiverTrail Technology can help. Learn more today about physical security and the technology that powers it by calling us at (276) 601-3208.