How to Physically Secure Your Office Computers

Some business owners think they have done enough to protect their business security and computer system by hiring an expert to prepare the Intranet and Internet System and having employees trained on various security issues, including viruses and the proper use of passwords. What if some of the business computers were stolen or destroyed in a fire, a tornado, or even a terrorist or nuclear attack? There are things you can do to protect the physical security of your computers. How elaborate your plan needs to be depends on your individual business needs.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A written security policy
• Fire extinguishers and alarms
• Backups for your records
• A backup phone system
• A backup computer network system
• Power surge protection equipment
• A vacuum to keep your computer dust free
• Restraints to protect your computers during an earthquake
• A sprinkler system

1. Design a written plan concerning the security of your office computers, which has been viewed by many people and approved by senior management. The policy should have descriptions of your assets, a description of the security perimeter which protects your computers from the world, the kinds of threats you want to protect against, your defenses against the threats and how to improve them, the costs of improvements, and how valuable the information you need to protect is.

2. Store backup records somewhere other than your main place of business, and the cost can be minimal. An offsite backup provider can store information for about $20 a month per computer, and that can provide safety, in case of a fire, tornado, or some other disaster. A lock for a computer, for $30, might provide additional protection.

3. Devise a disaster recovery plan to immediately secure temporary computer equipment and load backups onto new systems, if necessary.

4. Prepare for individual security problems that anyone with a office computer can face, or that might be unique to your situation. Examples could be having fire extinguishers and alarms near your computers, having a plan in case you lose phone service or Internet service, power surge protection equipment, restraints to protect your computer during an earthquakes, smoke detectors, and sprinklers, in case of a fire.

Tips & Warnings

• Never assume you won't need to protect your equipment because you have a small business--your records may be more valuable to you than those of a big company might be to that company.
• Never assume your computers won't be stolen--many business owners have made that mistake.
• Never assume a natural disaster won't damage your computers.

Who Can Help:

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