When it comes to home safety, what are the things you commonly think of when it comes to protecting your domicile? Most people will immediately answer that home alarm systems are helpful. This is most definitely true as any outward sign that an alarm is present in the home will deter thieves from entering. After all, a siren or alarm will send them running. The same can be said of motion detecting lights. Again, all of these things are fine means of protecting a home but they are not the first line of defense. The first line of defense is always secured locks.

Some may wonder how something as basic as durable locks can deliver such a tremendous benefit. The answer is simple: it is too difficult for a criminal to enter the interior of a home when all doors and windows are secured with industrial strength locks. Sadly, crime statistics show that criminals often gain entry to a home through unlocked windows and doors. A common strategy for thieves is to go door to door and check to see if the windows and doors of a home are unlocked. If they are not unlocked, they have access to your home and can take you by surprise. Through the use of quality locks, you can completely deter criminals from entering your home. This does not negate the need for alarms or lighting fixtures or other methods of home protection. On the contrary, the inclusion of high quality locks complements these protective devices and further makes their function effective.

It is important, however, to note that traditional door and window locks purchased at most hardware stores are not completely effective when it comes to deterring crime. This is because there are thieves out there that have the ability to pick locks. Actually, they have the ability to pick low cost, inefficient locks. Professional, industrial strength locks produced by a locksmith would be very difficult to pick. And even if it was possible to pick the locks, the time commitment needed to do so would not work in the criminal

Home, Keep, Locking, Safe, Secure, System

Searching of a trusted locksmith service in your town is not a difficult task, nowadays. Various reliable locksmith professionals (either running a family owned business or not) in Beverly Hills are specialized in locking and security systems. Locksmith Beverly Hills services are ranging from lock picking to the security system installation. Licensed, bonded and insured companies are here to provide you emergency, security relate and cost effective solutions. Their technicians are highly trained in locks, doors, residential safe, autolocks and so on.

Locksmith Beverly Hills services can be categorized as: commercial, residential, safe and access controller services. Furthermore, safe lock services for different type of safe are including: safe deposit-box related services like: drilling, repairing and interchanging of safe. Changes and services for vault safe and lockers, cleaning of time-lock, key duplication, maintenance of security products, emergency opening of safe and vault,

Beverly, Hills, Locksmith, Safe, Secure, Services

Switching to electronic locks has become a great option for many people. Keeping your valuables and important paper work safe is a top priority. Electronic locks give you the peace of mind you are looking for both for the home or the small business owner. Understanding how electronic locks work will help you make your decision regarding which one to buy for your purposes.

Electronic Locks Offer Extra Security

The new trend in electronic locks is being led by large security companies who are now able to offer safety systems that include a direct connection to the local emergency support system. They go way beyond the lock and key system that has been used for years, to offer even more security, as well as, ease of use. The new systems are able to offer your more security and more protection.

These new systems offer a level of security that heretofore has not been available. Electronic locks work using an electrical current. There are a variety of systems. Some are attached directly to the lock, while others are connected to a control system located elsewhere.

The Magnetic Lock

There are two major types of electronic locks on the market. One is the magnetic lock, or more popularly referred to as a ?mag lock?. These locks use a magnet that is placed on the door frame that engages the armature on the door. The magnet holds them tightly together. This is a very easy lock to install and it is difficult to break into. They do require electricity to work and if the power source is disrupted the lock will not work.

The Electric Strike Lock

The electric strike lock is the one most often used in the ?buzz in? types of systems. Instead of a standard strike, an electric strike is used that is hooked into an electronic mechanism. There are a variety of types of electric strike locks. Some are easier to install than others and some will work regardless of the availability of current and some will not.

Verification before Entry

The keystone of electronic locks is that they require some form of confirmation that you are allowed to open the lock. A numerical code is used most often that requires the person entering to type in the correct sequence of numbers in order to gain access. Once the code is entered correctly the lock will disengage.

Another method of verification used is a key card or pass card that must be scanned or swiped to gain entrance. Many businesses use this type of electronic lock to enter offices, elevators and garages.

A third method that is growing in popularity is biometrics, which is a fancy name for fingerprint scanning, retinal scanning and voiceprint identification. Places where a high level of security is required most often use this type of electronic lock.

Now that you know what types of locks are available, you can begin to consider what type of lock will work best for you. These locks offer such an increased level of security for the average person; it only makes sense to replace the old fashion lock and key with an electronic lock as soon as possible.

Electornic, Lock, More, Secure, System

Today’s locksmiths go well beyond locks and keys. Your car door may no longer have an entry key but a transponder. In your home or business, security techs install electronic and biometric (thumbprint or iris) entry and fire alarm systems, complete with closed-circuit TV networked to a central monitoring facility.

In this article you can find some great tips for your business needs. There are many simple precautions you can take which will greatly reduce the risk of you becoming a victim of burglary. Be sure to ready through each one.

1. Secure your safe to the floor.

2. Change your safe’s combination often.

3. Vary your schedule and route to the bank when making deposits.

4. Have your locksmith install a high security lock on your front door. These usually come with a plastic card like a credit card which you keep in your safe. You have to be in possession of this card and show ID at the locksmith shop to get spare keys made. That means you can rest assured employees, a cleaning person whoever hasn’t been able to get a copy of your keys.

5. A back door bar is a good idea for those entrances that don’t have one. Obviously a burglar is going to attack the doors that are away from the main street.

6. Most burglars are opportunists, so make sure all doors and windows are closed and locked before going out.

7. Keep legal documents and keys hidden away.

8. Your locksmith can install latch guards and cylinder collars on your front door. This will help deter 2 common ways the bad guys get in.

9. Make frequent deposits so a minimal amount of cash is stored at your business.

10. Install ‘motion sensitive’ as well as ‘constant’ outside lights.

11. Place inside lights in the rear of rooms so that shadows can be seen from the street.

12. Lost the keys to your file cabinet? Most of these have a little code number stamped into the face of the lock. You can have the locksmith code cut a key and pick it up or he’ll quote you to deliver it.

To secure your business locksmith can offer the best in what you need for the safety and security of your business — product, merchandise, exemplary customer service, and professional discounts.

? Mortise locks serviced and installed

? Keys made

? Locks re-keyed

? ADA hardware

? Door closers and continuous hinges

? Panic hardware

? Electronic access control

? Grade 1 hardware

? Master key systems

? High security and restricted key systems

? Keyless entry

Also remember that not only should a door look good, it should stand the test of time. Locksmith can sell, install, and maintain a wide variety of doors to fit your every need. Doors are available in solid wood, semi-glazed, hardwood, softwood and many other materials. Interior and exterior doors can be fitted in any style you need; Regency, Georgian, Victorian, Plywood face finish and many more.

For extra security you may choose additional items such as protection bars (J-Bars) which are fitted on the door frame, hinge protection bolts, high security locks, heavy duty hinges, spy holes and letterbox guards.

Business, Secure

Technology has been going up the ladder. These new technologies help families and employees feel much safer in their workplaces and homes. A new kind of technology lets people unlock a door by just entering a key. Of course this is not the latest of the technologies but still it is a god idea. For the first time when you are trying out one of these security measures this may be a safe option.

This is more convenient in letting people of the house or the employees in much faster as all they need to do is enter a key. This is something that needs to be appreciated than the fact that it can keep intruders out. This means you do not need to think of a place to hide your keys when you are out. You will not need to wait for long outside your door searching for your keys.

There are more additions to it than just the key. There also exists technology that can read cards to unlock. They also have devices that are attached to the key fobs. Fitting in keys into the lock will no longer be a problem you will need to worry about.

For people who own business, there is an added layer of security. This can be a requirement to let the employees in to the building. Pass out cards can be given to all employees with a unique number that can be identified easily at any point of time. There also needs to be a clear record of who entered the building at what time of the day.

Security is also something that is really needed. Security is more of a concern now that what it was much before. The unseen enemies can probably working with you or be right next to you and you will never know in these days. The bad boys do not always dress in black nor do they carry a sign board that proclaims their evil intensions. We will need to protect ourselves form the evils within as much as we are trying to protect them from outside. This device is useful as it helps the owner by letting him or her know of who is entering the building and also when they leave the building.

This kind of technology is available in today?s world. If you check on the prices you will find that the prices are not too much as the rates of the deadbolts and end door locks have also been going up in the recent. It is therefore recommended that you consider putting these systems into your home as well as business to add to the security.

An electronic entry system is something that you will need to look into if you are going to consider upgrading your security at home or even at your business. The benefits of these are far beyond what you will expect. This keeps a record of the people who enter the place and also when they get out of it.

Advantageous, Door, Locks, Proved, Secure, Technology, This

A smart card access system may be the most economical way to guard your interests. People are ready to pay out plenty of money for security to guard their companies from outside sources and often even the internal sources. To have the best cutting edge security will cost more than you are ready or able to pay for. However, there are cheap ways to guard your company.

This kind of security system is wonderful when you can’t have a real person in position. Or they can be used to disencumber staff to do other stuff, till the system alerts them that there is an issue that requires human reply.

A card access system comes with the software to run the system, door controllers, card reader and access cards. These card systems do not just limit themselves to doors. They can be used in conjunction with turnstiles, as well. These access systems are usually used with other security devices, such as closed circuit cameras.

A card access system is easily scalable to any size business. It can used to monitor one door or it can handle multiple buildings and the all the doors in those buildings. You have the option of using the card system to allow or deny access to workstations, as well .

A huge internal security concern is the event of an employee separation. It is one thing when the separation occurs on good terms. However if the separation happens with a discontented employee this is going to be a severe risk to security. The software for the card access system closes the opening in security and the steps are comparatively easy. By changing a couple settings, your security officer can restrict access to all or any employees. This will also turn out to be handy as workers change departments.

A card access system can scale back the man-hours needed in your payroll department. By synchronizing the access system software to the payroll software, you’ll be able to record the time of arrival and departure of each worker. No longer will there be the need for time cards or time sheets. Using the cards will decrease the quantity of time discrepancies and employee time burglary.

If you decide on the smart card access system, this will give you additional security if use the smart cards to log employees on and off your network. An IT department will tell you that one of the biggest problems they have is getting employees to log off at the end of the day.

Another would be people forgetting their passwords or writing them down in obvious places around their desks. These issues can result in unauthorized access to your network and the sensitive files that reside there. A card access system is not just about opening a door; it can provide physical and logical protection to your corporation.

Access, Business, Card, Intelligent, More, Secure, Smart, System

By Jose Allan Tan

Months after Joe left his employer there was a major breach of security at his former company. Weeks of investigation identified the culprit as someone accessing the company’s intranet using Joe’s ID and password. Joe was gainfully busy at his new business so he wasn’t aware of the event until he was approached by police detectives piecing the puzzle together.

The fault here lie not so much in Joe’s possible carelessness in letting someone get hold of his network ID and password. It is more a failure on the company to implement policies regarding access to the network for anyone who has (or may have had) access to the system.

According to the “IDC Asia/Pacific Semiannual Security Software Tracker, 2H 2006″, I&AM software market in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) is estimated to be about $190 million in 2006.

“Many enterprise I&AM solutions have been built as point products or homegrown implementations. Additional patchwork modules were then added to these implementations, as requirements change over the years. The market is demanding for more holistic I&AM solutions and many vendors are positioning their products to meet this need,” said Willie Low, senior market analyst for IDC Asia/Pacific.

Access denied

Uttam Majumdar, chief of consulting and professional services at Locuz Enterprise Solutions based in Hyderabad, defines I&AM as an enterprise strategy to manage identity lifecycle of its information users and channel their access through secure and policy enforced methods.

The point of I&AM solutions is to limit access to an organization’s resources to those with legitimate access. Without it, an organization is at risk. The larger the organization the more resources are in need of protection, and the more complex the systems and policies become.

As a business expands and adds more users in need of access to the system, whether employees, partners or suppliers, the greater is the need for an automated system of processing applications for access and managing the lifecycle of those users. Delays in providing access to legitimate users will naturally translate to lower productivity and discontent in the workforce. Conversely, the window of vulnerability expands the longer it takes for the company to revoke access rights where appropriate.

Igor Janicijevic, Principal Security Architect at Cybertrust, defines I&AM as an enterprise-wide service that combines business processes, technologies, and policies to manage digital identities and specify how they are used to access resources. Activities include user provisioning, permission management, and password management, as well as synchronization of identities and accounts between different IT systems. “I&AM cuts across different functions within the enterprise, and increasingly in many cases involve external organizations, such as customers and suppliers,” said Janicijevic.

According to Jerry Cox, CA’s Director of Security Solutions Asia Pacific I&AM’s solves the issue of security threats is by linking policy-based access enforcement policies to identities. “Based on an individual’s role, or job description access rights on mainframes, distributed operating systems, web applications and even custom applications are enforced. The business role is tied to the identity and the identity is tied to the access, or authorization policy. Sometimes this is referred to as role-based access control,” says Cox.

Creating I&AM policies and implementing these through a combination of process and technology costs money. But the key issue here is not the cost of having the system but the greater cost of not having one. I&AM can be akin to having an insurance policy. You may think you are giving away hard earned money to someone for providing something you can’t see or touch. But when an accident happens you are glad you took on the policy to cover you.

Selling proposition

One of the challenges CIO faced with proposing I&AM projects is to develop the business case to justify the additional budget. I&AM initiatives are not typical IT infrastructure projects. They morph together business processes, policies and technologies and aim to provide an enterprise wide service that most ROI models cannot deal with. “From the CFO perspective, the issues that need to be taken into account are integration costs over time, provision of service and associated benefits on an enterprise-wide scale across multiple business units and corporate departments,” said Janicijevic.

The right approach

Any I&AM initiative will be complex and involve company-wide processes. At times the challenge is just figuring out where to begin.

Janicijevic suggests that organizations conduct a strategic analysis of critical business processes, and take into account key business drivers and articulate the enterprise-level requirements for access management before considering any particular technology for implementation.

“Too often organizations are lured into a technology-centric approach, which sometimes leads to an attempt to modify the way they do business to suit the capabilities and features of a chosen technology. The technology should be implemented to serve the business needs, not the other way around,” cautions Janicijevic.

It is also important to make sure that there is a good understanding of the strategic direction for the organization. I&AM investments can be large and it is important to have a clear understanding of a company’s business directions to make sure that the chosen model will serve the organization well into the future. Barring that, the strategy and solution must be flexible enough to adapt to new business and market realities in the future.

The best policy

CA’s Cox believes that one of the benefits of I&AM is the ability to externalize both identity and access management policies. He notes that policies can be tied to business processes vs. just specific systems or applications. “This allows policy to be defined around business needs and risk management objectives instead of being implemented haphazardly by a myriad of system and application administrators that may or may not understand the value of the data,” he adds.

Policy at a minimum should encompass those systems and applications that are critical to the business success of the corporation or data that is sensitive and can not be compromised.

The I&AM enforcer

Having policies in place is one thing. Communicating and enforcing these is another. I&AM policies protect a company’s most important assets and must be defined and implemented at the highest levels in a corporation. Corporate governance is becoming mandatory across many parts of Asia. What started as a US franchise is now spreading throughout the rest of the world. Governance includes the protection of corporate data assets from compromise and a regular review of implemented security controls is mandatory. We may not have seen the high profile jailing of senior executives as those in the US but certainly we are starting to see local executives making headlines in their own way. What is certain is that accountability is becoming a fact of corporate life.

The challenge for Asia is the delegation of responsibility for the company’s corporate data. Today, this is still left in the hands of system administrators who have traditional day jobs for which they were hired and are accountable to.

The role of a Chief Security Officer (CSO) is underdeveloped and under addressed. Cox believes that things will change. Security needs to be seen as a critical business issue, not as an afterthought.

The CSO needs the power to both define and enforce security policy. If a new system or application does not meet a corporation’s security policy, the CSO needs to have the authority to prevent the system from going on-line until security concerns are addressed. This is one of the reasons a CSO should not report up through the IT line of command, but directly to the CFO or President of a corporation.

“They are the watchdogs that ensure company resources are adequately protected and should not be influenced or allow systems to be compromised to meet development deadlines or other pressures,” says Cox.

Identity and access management best practices

Different companies have different priorities and likely will have unique approach to developing their I&AM strategy and executing it. The path may be slightly different but the similarities begin below.

Identify and address key business needs and objectives, including both “hard” and “soft” benefits in the business case. Explain the initiative in business terms, and explain clearly what the proposed business benefits are. Unless you are presenting to a bunch of IT geeks, avoid the technical elements of the proposed solution. Remember I&AM initiative is not an exercise in technology alone.

In any complex undertaking, the business processes often present much bigger hurdles for any successful implementation. So test the proposed business process not just the technology. Often technology becomes easy to implement once the business process issues have been ironed out.

Don’t let sales people fool you into a sense of false expectation. Each business is unique and any complex solution requires customization as you integrate the new solution into the business process. It is important to implement a robust and effective exception management process. Your organization may have existing legacy applications that may not act very well with the new solution. Some of the systems may not be integrated in a cost-effective manner so the appropriate exception management process may be required.

Technology and business processes change dynamically as businesses integrate into the global economy. The added uncertainty should not deter you from implementing the right solution today. The best way to protect against obsolescence is to implement consistent management practices across the enterprise. Standardizing business processes is the best way to protect any investment and offers a roadmap for future, as yet undefined, changes.

The guide post for any complex undertaking, including I&AM, is the company’s business direction. If you stay true to this course, your identity and access management strategy should deliver value throughout the entire organization.

I&AM is not a point solution. It is a strategy. And the most successful I&AM strategies are those that take a holistic approach to strategy creation. You can implement in phases but the goal must have the entire enterprise in mind.

Definitely outside parties will need to be brought in to help. The choice of vendor Best practice is to evaluate a company’s business objectives and a company’s ability to implement an I&AM solution in the context of those objectives.

Cox offers a I&AM twist to an age old advice: Look for a vendor that has the ability to provide a complete solution — identity management (or enablement), access management (or enforcement) and auditing all the way through.

“The company should be able to provide these functions from the mainframe all the way down through distributed operation systems to custom applications and web services. Also look for a company that is not using software to try and sell more hardware and has a diverse enough solution that they can focus on your business need and not just selling their product. There aren’t very many of these,” adds Cox.

Access, Deploying, Network, Secure

Gone are the days of carrying bunch of keys for opening doors. Gone are the days of keeping separate keys for separate locks. Now you would be able to unlock all the doors and cases without the help of any key. The idea is not new and has been in use for quite some time but slowly and steadily it is becoming popular and coming in people’s eye. Right! We are talking about biometric door locks.

Biometric locks provide an entirely new level of interface with extreme ease & security. The most noticeable benefit is getting rid of carrying cumbersome keys. It also mitigates a range of problems associated with PIN, standard key, RFID, magnetic stripe cards, etc., while providing new levels of ease. Biometric door locks identify the authorized people on the basis of their biometric properties, already fed earlier into the system. The unique biometric characteristics of individuals allow only correct users to enter the system.

For quite some time the use of biometric access systems, particularly biometric door locks have been plagued by two flaws. First one has been the high cost of these devices in order to achieve accurate performance that put them out of the general consumer range. The second problem has been the visual design characteristics. But in recent years biometric device manufacturers have been able to sort out both these flaws. You can now find a range of biometric access devices in the market at an affordable rate.

Types of Biometric Technology

A number of identification technologies have been used by the biometric door locks manufacturers, such as fingerprint recognition technology, face recognition technology, voice recognition technology, iris recognition technology, etc. Each of these technologies work on some type of unique and individual biometric properties that we inherit. In this way one can’t copy or duplicate one’s unique identification like the password and access card, ultimately enhancing the security.

Unlocking Doors with Eyes

Now open doors with your eyes! You might have seen it many times in sci-fi movies. But the fiction has been changed to reality. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology’s faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, has achieved sorting out one of the final obstacles to the everyday application of iris scanning technology. Already being used, this technology will become the part of our daily life in coming decade.

Like fingerprint every individual iris is unique and even the iris pattern of the left and right eye of the same person differs from each other. The iris pattern is fixed throughout a person’s lifetime. Iris recognition confirms the identity of a person based on who the person is instead of what the person possesses, such as an ID card or password.

Biometric, Comfy, Door, Locks, Reliable, Secure

Do you manage an office that deals in secure and confidential information? Or perhaps you run a business that would suffer greatly if anyone managed to get their hands on your business plans. Whatever the reason, most people who run office or business premises wish to protect the security of those premises, and prevent any unauthorized entry. In order to do this, it is not sufficient to have human guards on your premises, but you should also increase the level of protection by installing video security and access control systems to ensure that nobody breaches the security of your premises.

Access, Control, Keep, Premises, Safe, Secure, Security, Systems., Video

Cylindrical locks are an affordable lock solution for many commercial applications. Installation is less labor-intensive than installing a mortise lock. In addition, the locks are easily re-keyed or replaced when necessary, usually without needing to call a locksmith. Commercial cylindrical locks are available in a variety of finishes and in standard duty, medium duty and heavy duty construction.

Construction and reliability are the main considerations when choosing cylindrical locks. Schlage and Falcon are two of the best known lock manufacturers. Consumers can always expect to get the finest quality locks when purchasing from one of these companies. In fact, it was Walter Schlage who invented the cylindrical lock in 1909.

Look for the following specifications when shopping for cylindrical locks:

ANSI and/or BHMA certifications UL listed 5-pin or 6-pin tumblers Concealed mounting screws Options for electrical locking and unlocking

Quality locks have been tested to last a long time. For example, the Schlage D-series and Falcon T-series meet or exceed the 800,000 cycle ANSI Grade 1 requirements. These locks are also constructed of either brass or cold formed steel and treated to withstand corrosion. Heavy duty steel springs in the mechanism add to the durability of the locks.

The different construction specifications meet varying commercial building needs. Standard duty commercial locks are suitable for heavy duty residential use or light to medium duty commercial use, such as interior office doors. Medium duty locks are designed for use in commercial exterior applications that don’t require rigorous security and for interior doors of medical offices, hotels, retail stores, public facilities, churches and apartment buildings. Heavy duty cylindrical locks provide security in exterior and interior applications for industrial facilities, schools, hospitals, offices, retail stores, government/public office buildings and factories.

Cylindrical locks are usually available in both lever or knob designs. Lever locks should meet ADA requirements. Additional options include special finishes to help users identify by touch that the lock leads to a space containing hazardous materials. The best locks include a feature that allows the exterior knob or lever to move freely even when locked; this helps prevent intruders from breaking the lock. When purchasing locks for fire doors, make sure the lock is rated for use on a fire door.

For commercial installations, always purchase commercial cylindrical locks from well-known companies such as Schlage and Falcon. The light duty locks often available from home improvement super centers won’t offer the security or durability required in commercial applications.

Affordable, Cylindrical, Locks, Secure