We love our people at Premier Risk Solutions. Our entire philosophy of doing business is based around understanding people and then forming and building on relationships. That includes our clients and our employees….so…..we have spent the last couple of weeks introducing you to our people. This week it’s Rich Cinfio! Rich has decades of experience in the security industry and currently manages security for six hospitals, part of a major healthcare system in Ohio. He is also one of PRS’s trusted advisors!
Rich splits his time between Montana and Nevada with his lovely wife and while he has a thick East Coast accent, he is actually originally from California! We talked to Rich about everything from where he likes to spend his days, his ability in the kitchen, his family, and bonded over the hardest type of moments he’s had over the years. To hear what Rich had to say click on the video and remember to continue to visit our website for more videos!
In the past year, we have seen the media become the target during protests/riots. It is imperative when security agents are guarding media personnel, they know how to handle an always evolving situation. That’s the topic is this week’s video series, “Strong, Safe & True,” with Scott Castleman. Scott is former law enforcement, instructor, and owns an investigative and security firm. Castleman actually teaches courses on how to keep the media safe.
Protecting media comes with its own separate challenges. With most guarding situations, a plan is formed and enacted. In the news business, it’s hard to have a plan, as crews are constantly redirected and you are typically dealing with crowds that are always moving and could become unruly in a matter of seconds. Scott says that’s why he always has one hand on his client while moving through a crowd. He has learned little tricks along the way, like not turning on the light on the top of the camera until absolutely necessary and learning how to blend in with the crowd, to not attract attention.
Scott says the biggest mistake security companies tend to make is when the first flash bang hits, agents grab media personnel and take them away. He says it’s important to understand, that the chaos is what the media is there to capture. So agents need to learn how to effectively protect the media amid the drama, not yank them out as soon as it starts. This can be tricky but Scott says anyone he protects knows if he says it’s time to go, it’s definitely time to go.
One other thing to watch for is what you say because media crews typically are streaming live, even during downtime in a protest. That means anything that is said is broadcast for all to hear. For more tips check out the video and remember to visit our website for more videos like this one!
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, Director of Resilience, 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, Director of Resilience 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, an important tool in protecting intellectual property. In today’s business environment, intellectual property is often the most valuable asset a company has, making it a prime target for surveillance and theft. TSCM—short for technical surveillance countermeasures—is a government term referring to methods used to safeguard against such threats, especially those that could compromise intellectual property, privacy, or sensitive communications.
According to Art Lesser, who has 25 years in the security industry and is the President of Merit Security: “TSCM entails things like de-bugging, sweeps, and looking for devices that could be eavesdropping.” TSCM investigators conduct technical audits to find hidden audio or video devices that may be surveilling you or your company. These sweeps are designed to ensure that intellectual property, trade secrets, and confidential information remain secure.
With the rise of corporate espionage and increasing cyber-physical threats, protecting intellectual property has become more urgent than ever. TSCM helps companies defend against unauthorized surveillance and data leaks that could result in the loss or theft of intellectual property. Without these countermeasures, organizations risk exposing their most critical innovations and ideas.
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!
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 item. Plummer says it 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 inboxes, 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 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 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 on mailbox safety. Continue to come back to our website for more videos!
