11 On Your Guard: How to Maintain SecurityThey arent worth fixing, says the repair man. Theyre all smashed up. You can see where the thieves ripped out the tubing, the condenser coils, all that copper. The air conditioners are looking a mess, and the cost of replacement will run into tens of thousands. Geoff, the head of security, says the thieves must have got up on to the flat roof via the fire escape. The police probably wont even ask the scrap merchants; the components are impossible to trace, he says. But in future, we could try painting their replacements, illuminate them at night, and put them in a locked cage, he says. Which? says his assistant, The units or the thieves?What are Security Risks, and What Damage Can They Cause?The companys buildings, stock, staff and assets are at risk from thieves, vandals, arsonists or even extortionists. Some organizations can easily achieve tight security. But others, such as hospitals, have to be accessible to the public, and are often regarded as free supermarkets by thieves who routinely walk away with handbags and computers. For all kinds of companies, security is a complex issue. The assets to be protected now include computer data and intellectual property (IP). For companies with a high profile or overseas operations, security can be a life and death matter, with kidnap and ransom being a real possibility.Conducting a Security ReviewThe security process starts with a security review (as in Table 11.1). This entails checking the current security arrangements and assessing the areas of vulnerability.Table 11.1 Security reviewDevising a Security StrategyOnce you have completed the security review, you can devise a security strategy. Every set of premises is different, so each property needs an individual strategy. The strategy should operate at several levels, as shown in Figure 11.1.1. The outermost level is the perimeter, together with the entrances in it.Figure 11.1 The five security zones2. Within that is the clear zone, the area between fence and buildings. 3. The third area is the windows and doors of the building.4. Once inside the building, you may want high-security exclusion zones. 5. Within these zones, you may need to secure individual items of equipment, material or information.MATCHING SECURITY TO THE THREATThe extent of security must reflect the degree of risk. A company which stocks large amounts of desirable merchandise or has a commercially sensitive R and the loss of data could cause either embarrassment or a financial disaster. The techniques for protecting your premises and goods involve an ascending order of action, each representing an additional barrier to be overcome. As Figure 11.2 shows, they are as follows:1. Dissuade people from illegally entering the premises with notices and the presence of cameras. Just seeing a camera is sufficient to deter many criminals, so the cameras should be prominent. 2. Observe people with cameras and security staff. Regularly check that the video recorder is working. After a break-in or theft it is not uncommon for management to find that the device was not actually recording. 3. Make it physically difficult to enter, by means of fences and locks. This element of the strategy can be applied all the way from the bolt on the perimeter fence to the keypad on a server room. 4. Announce illegal entry by alarms or lights. 5. Make it difficult to remove items by physically securing them.Figure 11.2 The five elements of a security strategyNot all five elements are always needed. Each simply represents an additional obstacle for the criminal.SECURING THE PERIMETERThe first security zone is the business perimeter. The premises may be surrounded by lawn, vegetationor trees, or they may be restricted to the building itself. You have to balance security risks against the needs of employees and suppliers to enter the building. People need to get in and out of your premises without undue difficulty, and without employees feeling that they are under undue observation. Where necessary, you should protect the perimeter by a fence. This should be high enough to prevent casual burglars from getting over it. A chain link fence is better than a masonry wall, which gives cover to intruders. You gain extra security by adding razor wire or barbed wire, angled outwards at the top. A masonry wall can be embedded with broken glass. However, these additions can make the organization look like a prison. Thorny bushes dissuade opportunists. One organization in special need of security is MI6, the British secret service. It moved to new buildings in the centre of London, where the arrival and departure of staff and visitors can now be observed by passers-by. Its building is also overlooked by other office blocks.STOPPING ARSONArson is often committed by bored or malicious young people under the age of 18. Emotional firesetting can be caused by people suffering from mental illness, or can result from arguments with n