Are you planning a trip to Vegas anytime soon? I would like to give you a few tips and share my insights. Normally, we stick to security in our blog but Las Vegas is one of our featured cities we provide service for and we love Vegas here at PRS. So, we are taking a minute to help you navigate concerns from a firsthand experience.
You can see the effects of the pandemic in almost every city in America. That includes Sin City. One of the biggest things I noticed during my recent trip was around employment. Like many businesses, restaurants in Vegas are having a hard time finding enough employees to fully staff a restaurant. So what does that look like? Not as many restaurants are open and some of those are not at full capacity. That means you will likely have to wait longer to receive food or some of your longtime favorites may not even have the doors open (or, if you’re lucky, simply have reduced operating hours). Choices are obviously limited and hours vary greatly. This was especially noticeable during the breakfast hours. I could only find one restaurant open before 9am in the vicinity of my hotel, Vdara, on a Tuesday morning.
We provide security for large events/conventions in Vegas, so I went to look at the new addition to the Convention Center. If you are planning on attending a conference or similar event there, you should know to expect it to be a mostly similar experience to what it was like pre-COVID. Mask mandates are minimal (only if you have not been vaccinated yet). There are no temperature checks. Attendees are ample; perhaps not at the level of pre-COVID yet but more than you might think for not being out of the pandemic just yet.
Rideshare services, while available, cost more than before (expect about double) as there is large demand but reduced drivers than pre-COVID. For instance, a taxicab ride for an equal distance on the strip to that of a rideshare service on a Sunday afternoon was half the price of the rideshare service.
If you’re used to walking the Las Vegas strip and seeing entertainment and people all around, you will find them however not as plentiful as before COVID. In fact, you are apt to see an equal number or more of undesirables walking the strip.
I enjoyed returning to Las Vegas and to what is mostly considered a return to normal however temper your expectations for a full return to normal for likely a few more months time at least.
Please feel free to connect if you have any questions, security or otherwise, michael@premierrisksolutions.com!
It is now in the hands of companies across the U.S. to ensure their employees feel safe when they return to the office. Stasha Wyskiel is the Senior Director of Resilience, Global Safety and Security at Salesforce and sat down with us this week for our series, “Strong, Safe & True.”
Wyskiel says at Salesforce they are taking their time and slowly bringing vaccinated employees back in through phases. They are also implementing new policies, simple things that help people stay safe. Things like no more community candy jars, instead offering individually wrapped portions of all foods, including in the lunchroom. They also have a clean desk policy. Cubbies instead are offered, and everything must be cleared off a desk and placed in a cubby at the end of the day. Wyskiel says the last thing they want to do is to force employees back into the office if they’re uncomfortable. That’s why the majority of employees are given the choice to stay at home through the end of the year.
At Salesforce, Wyskiel is being proactive with her management style. She is focusing not only on employees’ physical safety but also their mental health. Recognizing the stress the pandemic has placed on so many, she has started a guided meditation before meetings and has more contact than ever with employees working from home.
Since the pandemic has had profound changes on how companies do business and the needs for certain areas of service have changed, Wyskiel talks about how they are looking at how roles will be redefined. Watch the video to hear that and be sure to continue to visit our website for weekly videos!
This week we are discussing TSCM. For those of you who don’t know what that means….. this is from Art Lesser, 25 years in the security industry and President of Merit Security. “TSCM is a government term that stands for technical surveillance countermeasures. What that entails are things like de-bugging, sweeps, looking for devices that could be eavesdropping.” TSCM investigators look for audio or video devices that are surveilling you or your company. It’s essentially an audit to protect against loss or breach of privacy and confidentiality.
This is a concern in not only office buildings, where cell phones could very easily be leaking information unknowingly, devices could be planted….but also from someone’s home if that’s their new office. Working from home has increased the need to protect privacy and confidentiality because there isn’t that same level of security as the corporate environment. There are random people, cleaning and contracting, coming in and out of the house. That presents opportunities for listening devices to be easily placed throughout the home.
Lesser says there are so many things companies need to be thinking about. For example, telephone wiring could be running throughout the house that could be easily compromised. A reminder to also not forget about telephone boxes mounted outside the house. Those need to be frequently checked, as well as any other type of boxes outside.
As technology progresses, so does the opportunity for hackers to invade. With new 5G technology, there is a larger spectrum which means much higher frequencies for monitoring. There is an exponentially larger space to keep track of essentially, and with that, new and much higher costs of equipment to meet that challenge. Art gives this food for thought, if your company is trying to decide whether to outsource this kind of job. “You have not only the cost of equipment itself, which quickly becomes outdated, but you also have the costs of training someone to use it.”
Lesser gives more specific details on exactly what kind of devices his team looks for in the video link. Be sure to continue to check out our weekly video series on our website!
The discussion began with the selection process. How does a company go about picking the right vendor? It was suggested a score-card system be used to eliminate all bias. This way the job goes to the vendor that can accomplish what the company actually needs. Vendors were urged to be realistic when pitching themselves for jobs. Rather than overpromising, make it clear what services can and cannot be provided for the client. Transparency all the way around leads to a better chance of success with all parties.
The presentation matters a great deal when vendors are vying for a job. One tip was to rethink how that presentation is done, anything over an hour could be too long. In the event of not wasting anyone’s time, make sure the right people are in the room for the presentation on both sides. The question came up about whether an RFP (request for proposal) is necessary, instead maybe aiming for an RFI (request for information). For vendors, it was suggested they have clear reasons as to why they are different from their competitors.
This has all been selecting the vendor, but what about when you inherit one? It was agreed that a regular check-in and clearly communicating expectations is a must, even with existing relationships. It’s important not to come in and disrupt processes but all three agree sometimes relationships reach the end and you can’t be afraid to break up. The duration of the contracts also came into play. It was suggested that maybe one option is to not have contracts lasting more than two years. That allows all parties to check back in and make sure everyone’s needs are being met. Something to remember when drafting contracts, make sure all deliverables are clearly stated.
A great emphasis was placed on the importance of investing in humans. Specifically, paying thriving wages, instead of living wages for security personnel. This helps ensure employees will stay put and have more of an allegiance to the company.
Below are the takeaways from all three panelists on how to make vendor management more seamless. Click on the link and it will take you to the PP designed for panel.
There has been a 42% increase in white powder incidents in mailrooms across the country. According to RaySecur’s Will Plummer, that includes drugs, powders that are meant to disrupt and cause shutdowns and powders that are designed to do harm to those opening the piece of mail. Plummer says mail is often thought of as just mail and not properly assessed as a risk.
In this week’s edition of video series, “Strong, Safe & True,” Plummer says with the pandemic, drug dealers switched distribution from the street corners to the mail, using small enough packages that don’t get screened. In turn, corporations that don’t have proper mailroom security have unknowingly become drug traffickers. Plummer says that is a direct result of companies allowing personal mail deliveries to work.
Plummer points out that mail is something we all get delivered to our homes or/and work everyday, so it’s normal and viewed as normal, not a potential threat but in fact, it is. There are things Plummer says you can do to avoid having a costly shutdown, injury or PR nightmare on your hands.
Turn your mail delivery into a logistical system, so you know exactly when and what is arriving
Verify chain of custody
Makes sure mail screeners all follow same steps and process
Let screeners know what to look for
Keep a list of potential threats from within, because they know the system and will have the best chance at having a successful delivery
Consider purchasing scanning equipment
Watch the video for Plummer’s complete interview. Continue to come back to our website for more videos!
You can see the effects of the pandemic in almost every city in America. That includes Sin City. One of the biggest things I noticed during my recent trip was around employment. Like many businesses, restaurants in Vegas are having a hard time finding enough employees to fully staff a restaurant. So what does that look like? Not as many restaurants are open and some of those are not at full capacity. That means you will likely have to wait longer to receive food or some of your longtime favorites may not even have the doors open (or, if you’re lucky, simply have reduced operating hours). Choices are obviously limited and hours vary greatly. This was especially noticeable during the breakfast hours. I could only find one restaurant open before 9am in the vicinity of my hotel, Vdara, on a Tuesday morning.
We provide security for large events/conventions in Vegas, so I went to look at the new addition to the Convention Center. If you are planning on attending a conference or similar event there, you should know to expect it to be a mostly similar experience to what it was like pre-COVID. Mask mandates are minimal (only if you have not been vaccinated yet). There are no temperature checks. Attendees are ample; perhaps not at the level of pre-COVID yet but more than you might think for not being out of the pandemic just yet.
