Office security

Non-employees, such as visitors, contractors or cleaners, probably have access to your premises every day.

So it makes sense to review the controls in place to manage this access. For example, are all visitors escorted while they are on the premises? How do you manage access to sensitive areas, such as warehouses or your accounts department?

The vital question is this: with all these people moving around, could they access information that would put you at risk of fraud?

• Control sensitive documents and data
• Shield customer information
• Password best practice
• Continue checking for lapses
• More information

• Introduce security passes to control access to sensitive areas or high risk buildings.
• Follow a clear desk policy. At night, ensure that desks are cleared and that all desks and cabinets are locked. Shred or destroy all confidential waste.
• Keep cheques secure at all times – separate from the bank mandate – and consider dual control.
• Never leave cheques lying around – always account for spoiled cheques and destroy them.
• Consider material that leaves the office – procedures should be in place for staff taking sensitive material out of the office.
• Ensure security controls are in place – if you regularly back up computer information to be held elsewhere, make sure you have strict controls in place.

• Lock down customer information - while it’s vital to keep your own information safe, your customers’ information should be kept safer still. If not, you could really damage your reputation and your business.
• Stay within the law - remember your legal obligations under the Data Protection Act.

For full details of your data protection responsibilities, visit Businesslink.

• Don’t share – never share account or password details, or allow anyone to use your account.
• Use your own logon ID and password – never use another person’s account.
• Choose your password carefully – choose a password that is easy to remember but difficult for anyone else to guess. Combine numbers, letters and other characters.
• Lock your computer - always do this when you leave your desk. Better still, log off completely.
• Don’t use the same password for more than one application.
• Change passwords regularly – this ensures you’re even safer.

• Remind and reinforce - constantly remind your staff not to disclose their password. If anyone asks them to reveal it – whether colleagues, managers or IT helpdesk staff – they should refuse and report the matter.
• Be thorough - carry out spot checks and regular reviews of your security systems and processes.

Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre provides information for businesses to help prevent fraud.