Credit Card Fraud - The Hotel Risk

One of the points raised in the Business Travel Workshop which takes place as part of Security Management Stage 2 is the risk of business executives on assignment overseas having their credit cards compromised and then being arrested and missing their flight because they do not the funds to pay for their hotel bill. Ironically, it may be hotel which is the source of the card details compromise!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/business/06road.html?_r=2

Even ARC’s MD, David Cresswell, has had his business credit card cancelled by the issuer while abroad, due to suspected fraud on his account. To add insult to injury, he was then the next day stranded overseas by the Iceland volcano! He avoided languishing in a Spanish jail because he had personal credit cards with him as a precaution. The best advice is to instruct all overseas travellers to take more than one card, keeping one for emergencies only.

The next Security Management Stage 2 Course takes place in the UK, 11-22 October 2010. Click here for details, or email Janet.

Time to Get Your Masters Degree in Security Management

If you have completed Security Management Stages 1-3 now is the time to get your post-course tasks submitted to David if you wish to be eligible for the university September intake. David will be compiling the list of September distance learning entrants later in July. If you think you can be ready in time, please contact David immediately.

The next university intake will be in January.

Bringing University-Accredited Security Management Training to You

Postgraduate university-accredited courses such as Security Management Stage 1 have now been delivered in over 10 different countries, in Europe, The Middle East, The Indian Subcontinent, SE Asia, and Africa.

Sometimes the courses are conducted as “open” in conjunction with local partners, and other times they are arranged directly with a specific client. Either way, you can be assured that the courses are run to the same high standard by the same, fully-qualified security management trainers you will be familiar with from our UK courses.

To discuss how we can bring such training to your company, or country, contact David.

ASIS Physical Security Guideline

The ASIS Facilities Physical Security Measures Guideline identifies the main physical security measures that can be applied at facilities to safeguard or protect an organization’s assets—people, property, and information. It outlines eight main categories of physical security measures used to protect facilities: physical barriers; physical entry and access control; security lighting; intrusion detection systems; video surveillance; security personnel; security policies and procedures; and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). The emerging field of security convergence is also addressed.

All ASIS Standards and Guidelines can be downloaded from the ASIS Bookstore.

Physical Security is covered in detail on the core-skills, university accredited Security Management Stage 1 course. For details click here or email Janet.

The World Economic Forum Has Published Its Fifth Annual Global Risks Report

By consulting a group of experts and academics across the world throughout the year and relaying their findings in this annual report, Global Risks 2010 seeks to provide political and business leaders with a framework for further discussion of a risk landscape that is ever more complex and urges a consideration of the longer term, global implications of risks in areas beyond their immediate focus.

The report can be downloaded from http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/globalrisk/Reports/index.htm or by emailing David.

This report is one of a number of risk management publications that will be examined in the Corporate Risk Management session of the strategically-focussed Security Management Stage 3 Course, 10-21 May 2010. For course details go to http://www.arc-tc.com/pages/university_acredited_sm.asp#sm3 or email Janet.

A Timely Reminder about the Insider Threat

A British Airways worker was arrested in March on suspicion of raising funds for a terrorist attack. The alleged plot to raise funds for a terrorist attack – possibly on an airline – is thought to have been uncovered following a tip-off.

The employee was among 800 staff dealing with passenger bookings in one of BA’s two UK-based call centres. Staff can access to details of thousands of flights and are familiar with basic security procedures.

A useful guide on how to manage the risk of insider threats can be obtained from the website of the the UK's Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure.

To access the document, click here.

Choosing the Right Lens for Your CCTV Camera

Courtesy of Boundary Surveillance Ltd

One of the difficult problems when setting up a CCTV system is choosing the right lens for your cameras as different lenses give different fields of view, and different levels of zoom. Some of the higher-end lenses also offer features such as Auto-Iris, and manual zoom/focus adjustment. Choosing the wrong lens can lead to a camera monitoring too small an area, or conversely not having enough zoom to capture events with clarity.

CCTV is covered in detail on the postgraduate-level university-accredited Security Management Stage 2 course. The next course takes place in the UK 11-22 October 2010. for details click here for the ARC website or contact Janet.