How to Maintain Your Physical Device Security
Protecting your physical equipment from not only cybercrime, but theft, loss, accidental damage, fire and flood is also vital for the productivity, continuity and the security of your business data. Not implementing and keeping physical device security up to date can result in infection of Malware, theft, physical damage and data loss. We work with a lot of technical devices in small business IT support, so let us fill you in on a few tips for keeping physical equipment safe.
Keep Your Business Safe
- Lock all windows and doors at the end of the working day
- Keep all spare and allocated keys in safe places, stress this to all key holders
- Consider who you will allow to be a key holder and who you let into the premises on a daily basis
- Ensure the building is alarmed and those responsible know how to set and unset it
- Turn off all technology like computer screens at night and whilst the premises is unmanned, to ensure you are not advertising the equipment you have to potential criminals
- You could invest in computer locking cables to make it harder for the equipment to be removed if someone was to attempt to steal it
- All paper records with confidential information should be stored in a safe and ideally locked area. Ensure all documents with data that is no longer required is shredded before disposal
- If your premises is at risk of flooding, store your electrical and expensive equipment in safer locations, such as the top floor
- Make sure there is a fire extinguisher readily available and there are trained employees who know how to use is available at all times
- Be careful when disposing of large boxes which indicate new expensive equipment like computers. Dispose of this safely, like in a locked recycling bin. We use and recommend Paper Round
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Laptop Security
- When choosing a laptop bag, be sure to pick one with sufficient padding to prevent damage as well as a bag that isn’t immediately obvious that a laptop would be stored in there
- If you must leave your laptop unattended, make sure it’s either locked away or at least hidden
- If you are travelling on a plane, take it in your hand luggage
- Never leave it visible in a car
Preventing Loss and Theft
- Make a note of every device’s serial number and register each device on the Immobilise the National Property Register, recommended by Get Safe Online. This makes it easier to reunite the device with the owner if it were stolen or missing
- Security mark your high-value equipment
- Have correct insurance on the equipment
- Never store any passwords on the device and ensure each user account is password protected. You can add a second layer of security by enabling bitlocker or a boot password which will lock the computer functions until the correct password has been entered
- Always backup your data
If any device is stolen, report it to the police and ask for a reference number for tracking and insurance. If you had any passwords stored or ticked the ‘remember my password’ box, then change the passwords to all relevant accounts as soon as possible.