Don't discount physical security

Data security gets all the headlines--hackers find a way to infiltrate a major retailer, stealing personal information, for example. But without old-fashioned physical security--yes, we're talking about locks and security guards here--companies could be in the same compromising position. Without good physical security, thieves can enter the premises and steal hard drives or tapes with sensitive information on them. One problem is that in many companies, information security and physical security teams are entirely separated, with different reporting structures and unrelated budgets. Also, centralized device management is next to impossible with physical security, since some physical controls, such as door locks, electronic devices, such as sensors or surveillance cameras, and standalone technologies have their own control mechanisms. But physical security devices based on IP technologies are becoming available, intelligent vision systems that record, store and distribute digital video images from surveillance systems over any communications network. This enables multiple network users to monitor banks of images from multiple cameras at distributed locations in real time. It's time for holistic risk management.

To learn about the benefits of holistic risk management:
- read the article at IT-Director.com