28. August 2008 by Chris.Cox.

According to a recent survey (http://www.secprodonline.com/articles/66545/) by ADT, nearly half of the parents of Kindergarten through 8th Grade parents are concerned about school security. Most said that they were concerned about child abduction on school grounds, and indicated that they would be willing to pay an additional fee to put additional security measures in place.

“Through this survey, parents are making it clear they want local school boards to do more to protect children,” said Patrick Fiel, ADT’s public security advisor and a former head of security for Washington, D.C. Public Schools. “We need cooperation among adults and children, proper planning and more innovation to ensure that young students are as safe as possible.”

What this survey does is to highlight the fact that BOTH parents and schools are concerned about school safety, and both have an important role to play. While it’s the school’s duty to provide a secure environment, parents need to teach their children about safety to and from school, and even on school grounds. It’s a group effort.

That leaves an important question for schools and parents- what are you doing to keep the children safe? Have you taught them what questions they should avoid answering? Have you taught them  how to recognize if they’re being followed, and what to do about it? Do they know how to report anything suspicious, and that it’s safe to do so?

ADT is offering a free child safety kit. Designed for children up to 14-years-old, the free kit includes a variety of safety tips, a way to fingerprint kids and a physical information page. To make a request, visit www.adt.com.

Posted in OPSEC at home, schools | Print | 1 Comment »

14. August 2008 by Chris.Cox.

There was a time when Operations Security, or OPSEC, was a military tool used to secure Military functions. This is rapidly no longer becoming the case.

OPSEC is the process used to deny an adversary (an enemy in the Military, a competitor in the corporate world and a “bad guy” in the public eye) access to the information that they would need to accomplish their goals against you or your organization. For example, having a friend collect your mail and newspapers to hide the fact that you’re on vacation or keeping information out of the public press release that would allow a competitor to release a comparable product before your organization does.

In other words, every piece of information is like a “piece of the puzzle”, and should be protected whenever possible to avoid the completion of the puzzle.

More Corporations are realizing the role that OPSEC can play in their operations, and their bottom line. Corporate espionage is a repeated threat, and OPSEC has proven to be a low-cost addition to their existing security programs. All Federal contractors are required to integrate OPSEC into their business proposals, but many organizations are doing so voluntarily in other interactions. Examples include Raytheon, Consolidated Networks Corporation and H&R Block.

In addition to this, Schools,

No matter the organization, secrecy is occasionally required. An additional layer of security should be considered and implemented whenever possible.

Posted in OPSEC at home, schools, domestic violence | Print | 1 Comment »