Protecting information as well as assets

It’s sometimes the case that business only employee low grade security because they believe theyhave nothing on site that requires significant security systems. They may not keep cash, assets or goods on site overnight and their offices may seem fairly innocuous – unlikely targets for burglars, vandals or trespassers. But what about the information that is held on site? Isn’t that worth protecting?

The fact is that lots of organisations keep information about themselves and about clients or service users on site. Sometimes that information is particularly sensitive – the legal and medical industries, for instance, keep private records on their premises. They may be of no material value but they still need to be kept under lock and key. And alarm. And CCTV.

Failing to protect the interests of service users represent a serious lapse in terms of the responsibility an organisation has to its clients, customers or patients. It can lead to major issues for them – financial issues, identity issues, further security issues and so on. It reflects badly on your business and demonstrates a poor attitude. The best advice is to treat the protection of information as an even more important task than the protection of replaceable material assets.