Secure Your IT Equipment

Secure Your IT Equipment

Offices are full of expensive equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds. Most large employers have card entry systems in place, but unfortunately some employees are less trustworthy than others and equipment could still be stolen.

There are various ways of securing IT equipment, and the method you choose needs to protect your investment without hindering its use. Here are some ways to secure mobile and desktop equipment, plus the assets in the server room.

Securing Mobile Devices

Equipment that leaves the office frequently cannot be tied down; there’s no point in having pool laptops if their movement is too strictly controlled. However, it’s best to ensure every pool laptop has its own Kensington lock. Most PCs have Kensington security slots, as do some Macs, and they act as a reasonable deterrent against casual theft.

In terms of mobile devices, security is more complex. It’s difficult to prevent theft, so your focus must be on securing the information and tracking the device if it’s taken.

iPhones are reasonably well set up for this. The iPhone 5 is secured with a four digit PIN code and an optional passphrase, and the 5s adds biometric security in the form of a fingerprint reader (iOS7 can add multiple fingerprints for different users). Also, ensure that the Find My iPhone service is switched on, and ensure Activation Lock is enabled in iCloud so that Find My iPhone cannot be turned off.

The most secure smartphone on the market is the BlackBerry, despite its recent dip in popularity. Barack Obama still uses his customised BlackBerry, and the new BlackBerry 10 OS includes security in the form of BlackBerry Balance.

When devices are not in use, the best place for them is a locked safe or secure cabinet.

Security in the Office

There are two types of user at work: the user and the system administrator. The user will sit at a desktop PC, while the administrator will venture into the server room.

Desktop PCs are best physically secured with a lock and cord. You could also purchase a proximity alarm that will sound if the equipment is moved beyond a certain point.

In addition, the password policy in your organisation should force users to devise secure passwords – in other words, not ‘password1’ or ‘qwerty’ – and the organisation should encourage data storage on central servers rather than local machines. If the worst happens, you need to know that your critical accounts documents have not been stolen along with the physical hardware.

The Last Word: Data Security

While it’s always essential to secure equipment, it’s critical to protect data as well. The information you hold about customers, clients, patients and other contacts

Across the board, we recommend that data is encrypted, particularly on devices such as memory sticks that can easily be misplaced. We also recommend reviewing cloud storage providers so that you can be sure data is not at risk in transit or at rest in the cloud.

Need more advice on office security? Speak to Angel Security. We work with businesses throughout London and Surrey to protect their IT investment.