Combat Corporate Theft with Visitor Management
Richard Bentley, Managing Director at Kalamazoo Security Print discusses how a visitor management solution can help Facilities Managers combat corporate theft
Corporate theft is a serious issue costing UK businesses millions of pounds each year. This can be particularly detrimental to small companies as theft can seriously affect profitability. Businesses are at much higher risk of crime than homes¹, so expensive equipment such as computers, furniture and plasma screens require protection. Over 72,000 laptops are stolen every year in the UK, with large and medium-sized organisations losing an average of 11 to theft² each year. As the majority of companies now store large amounts of sensitive data digitally, the theft of a laptop can have irreparable consequences. A Visitor Management Solution (VMS), can help to reduce corporate theft, which for some businesses can determine whether a profit or loss is made.
Employee theft is a rising concern for UK organisations. According to a report by The Metropolitan Police Authority in 2005, many businesses find this difficult to deal with as they feel that police do not treat it as a serious offence or appreciate the cost repercussions. Terry Shulman, author of Biting the Hand that Feeds, believes that most people who steal from work, whether time theft, fraud or theft of goods or products, are not doing so because they are professional thieves or dishonest people. They slip into it a little at a time, mostly out of a combination of disgruntlement and compulsion and most are honest in other areas. For many there is a sense of entitlement and feeling that it won’t hurt their company. A VMS can deter employee theft and should be used to complement the corporate culture of a company. A VMS clearly demonstrates to staff, contractors and visitors alike that security is taken very seriously which further reinforces the message that corporate theft is not tolerated.
The repercussions of employee theft can be costly for organisations as contents are usually only covered by contents insurance against theft providing there has been forcible and violent entry to or exit from the premises. Cover against employee dishonesty is only covered if pre-arranged by a fidelity guarantee policy?.
In a 2004 survey from CIFAS, the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service, over 60% of businesses taking part reported that uncovered employee frauds had involved collusion with people outside of the company³. Visitor management solutions can prevent unauthorised visitors from accessing the building any further than reception, or better still, can discourage them from entering in the first place. Having a VMS in place which allocates employees as responsible for their guests once on site will also help prevent dishonest staff colluding with outside visitors. A VMS can also be combined with access-control to prevent access to certain areas of a building if this is required.
Ex-employees visiting their previous employer can also represent a particularly high security risk due to their familiarity with the organisation and the location of its sensitive information and property. Ex-employees have left the company for a reason, whether that is down to personal choice or by dismissal and should always be treated as visitors.
A VMS can help aid the police in catching a thief whether they are a member of staff or a guest. By providing a detailed list of exactly who was on the premises on a specific date and time including the host details , a company can quickly eliminate visitors from an investigation or call upon them if a potential suspect.
Whether a business is contained on a single-site, a multi-tenanted building or across a number of different locations, there is a system available to suit every type of organisation. Through advances in modern technology, businesses can choose from a software solution, a hand written visitor book or online VMS. In order to determine the VMS that suits a company, managers need to examine the corporate culture, size and industry sector. This should then be discussed with the VMS supplier to ensure that the VMS meets these individual needs.
Designed to suit the organisation’s needs and corporate identity, hand written visitor passes can be printed in standard or bespoke designs with a logo and corporate colour scheme incorporated. They are simple and effective to use; visitors fill-in their details onto a pass which is then automatically transferred onto an integral register. This information is kept confidential with a discretion sheet.
For organisations with high security requirements, advanced features can be incorporated into the visitor passes. Features include specialist printing techniques such as CopyVoidTM, used to protect passes from fraudulent photocopies, so that each time a pass is copied, the word ‘void’ appears, which renders it useless. Time-dependent ink is a further security feature, which after a set period (typically 24 hours) will appear with the word ‘expired’, ensuring each pass has a clearly defined lifespan. By providing time-dependent passes, companies are able to ensure that visitors cannot re-enter a building after the allocated date
.
Software solutions make it easy to notify hosts of the arrival of visitors with email and SMS text alert notifications that can be sent almost instantaneously. The system gives organisations the ability to capture detailed information and quickly pre-book guests into the system and pre-print badges in preparation for their arrival, streamlining the check in process.
Using an electronic signature pad, organisations can digitally capture a visitor’s signature to show acknowledgement of important information such as emergency evacuation and health & safety procedures.
This solution is ideal for all types of businesses and can be used within any office environment either as a stand-alone set-up or across multiple locations. Versions with a Windows-based system enable the flexibility to network the software or offer the application across an intranet.
An online visitor management solution is particularly ideal for multi-tenant buildings and multi-sited organisations, as an off-premises secure web-server, offers an extremely high level of security.
For added security, online solutions require no software installation or additional licences for extra users, making them perfect for all businesses looking for a visitor management system, without the need to compromise their existing IT infrastructure.
Accessible from any computer at any time of the day, users can enter a visitor’s details and pre-book their arrival time into the system via an on-line portal. Like the Software solution, an e-mail can be sent to automatically notify the host of a guest’s arrival.
It is important that organisations recognise that corporate theft is a real issue and that the security to help combat this is a process; one that should include bespoke systems to protect employees, visitors and assets. Gone are the days when security cameras and lighting were sufficient enough to deter security threats such as theft. Visitor management solutions provide a safe, professional and cost-effective way to help facilities managers with their daily job of keeping their organisation secure.
¹ www.crimereduction.gov.uk
² www.lapsafe.com/laptop-security-uk.cfm
³ www.cifas.org.uk/reports_employee_fraud.asp
< back