Preventing Theft in our workplace

Tips and Suggestions

 

 

Please find below useful tips and suggestions on keeping your work equipment as well as personal items safe from theft.

 

Hardware/Laptops

 

The primary reason thieves steal laptops is because of the hardware value.

 

1 Cables and locks. Always use the cable provided with your laptop especially if you intend to leave your laptop on an office desk unguarded.

 

2 Lock it away. If you feel uncomfortable leaving your laptop out in the open and locked to the desk, lock it in the cabinets located at your workstation.

3 Common sense. Many laptop thefts occur because of oversight.  Leaving your laptop or other hardware unlocked in the open view of certain passers-by may say “steal me!” Please also keep in mind that using your laptop in public places deemed unsafe is also inviting trouble.

5 Education. Many laptop and hardware thefts and losses occur because users are too “lazy” to implement security measures that are otherwise already available.

Software

 

Besides hardware, your second line of defense is software. This basically involves securing your data for protection in the event that your hardware falls into the hands of other people.

 

1 Password  

• Always lock your computer (CTRL>ALT>DELETE) before leaving your desk
• Do not write your passwords down 
• Never share your passwords with anyone including family members

Be sure to password-protect email accounts and web browsers (so your saved password cache cannot be accessed).

2 Backup your data In the unfortunate event that your laptop or hard drive gets lost or stolen, you would at least have your valuable data left if you have backups. Assuming you don’t have sensitive information stored, then you would be limiting your loss to the actual hardware costs.

Save documents on a network drive (server) because all files are backed up on network servers regularly

Personal Items

Please keep in mind the following tips when protecting your personal items in the workplace.

1. If you leave your office, keep your purse or wallet with you or locked in a secure drawer or cabinet.

Many women "hide" their purses under their desk or in a file drawer. A lot of men think their wallets are safe in their jacket pockets or briefcases. Desks, jackets, and briefcases are often the first place thieves look - and it only takes a good thief a few seconds to cause you a lot of grief. As for other "valuables", treat them the same as you would cash. The best location for extra credit cards, excess cash, and checkbooks is at home.

2. When something happens in the office - a theft or a burglary, or an act of vandalism call security right away and report it.

3. If you see a burglary, a theft or vandalism being committed:

• Stay calm; do not try to confront the person, especially if you are alone.
• Call Security immediately.
• Jot down a description of the person you saw. Important things to remember are: height, weight, race, age, hair color and haircut, complexion, facial hair, eyeglasses, color of eyes, scars or unusual marks.
• Information on the direction of escape may help law officers find the thief or the stolen goods.

4. To always know where office/personal money, credit cards, and travel authorizations are, you should lock all money in a secure desk or cabinet. Never leave money, credit cards, travel documents, or anything else of value in an unlocked desk or cabinet. Why take chances on something disappearing, secure all valuables

5. When a repair-person shows up to work on equipment in the office, or to remove equipment for repair or replacement ask for company identification. Make it a habit to:

• Visually inspect id badges; a uniform alone is not enough. Sometimes id tags are displayed around the neck - check them out.
• Always check the identification of a stranger who comes into your office to do repair or other service work. If deemed necessary, call the repair company or ask for a signed work order specifying the location and who authorized the work.
• Before the equipment actually leaves the premises, verify the repair request with the person who authorized it.
• Never allow unauthorized repairs to alarm systems or communications equipment. Always check these work requests carefully and verify with the person who authorized it and with the repair company.

 

* Unfortunately, a good number of company laptops, hardware and other personal items are stolen by employees, themselves. If you are in the management level, remind your employees to keep their laptops, hardware, and personal items secure while in office premises.