Smartphones have not always been welcome in the office; at first, managers considered them to be a distraction, negatively affecting worker productivity and bringing no advantages to workforce culture. But now, businesses are beginning to see the value of smartphones. Not only do they offer a simple and convenient way for staff members to stay connected and work flexibly, but they can also be used in a variety of ways to improve business security.
Remote Security Management
The USP of a smartphone over a laptop computer or even a tablet is its unparalleled portability. Smartphones fit in your pocket, and today almost everyone carries a smartphone around with them everywhere they go. Smartphones are no replacement for permanent security precautions, but they can be used to provide remote security monitoring wherever you are, 24/7. This is particularly important for small businesses that are unable to budget for 24/7 security staff.
Remote Security Services That Can Be Operated via a Smartphone Are Wide-Ranging:
- Smartphones can be paired with CCTV and surveillance cameras to offer remote viewing and access to CCTV footage from any time or place. Multiple cameras can be viewed from a single app within your cell phone, allowing easy and cost-effective monitoring of multiple business sites including out-of-hours surveillance and employee monitoring.
- Real-time mobile alerts can be sent to your cell phone at any time of day or night, providing fast and accurate notifications of hazardous events, break-ins, or fires, as well as contacting the appropriate authorities at the same time. Using your smartphone to receive real-time threat alerts will give you the peace of mind of knowing that your business is safe while you’re away from it.
- Remote management of security systems from anywhere in the world. Whether you want to manage your office’s security systems from the comfort of your own home in the evening or you want to enable cleared staff members to access security controls from wherever they are in the building, cell phones can make keeping your business safe – and reducing running costs by controlling lighting and thermostats remotely – simple.
Tips for Making Smartphone Security Work for You
Smartphones can be used effectively in the workplace to improve business security, but they must be used correctly. Ensure that only those staff with appropriate security clearance are given access to remote security measures, and deliver regular staff training on cell phone cyber security. This doesn’t need to be high-level training, but even reminding your staff to keep their cell phones locked and passwords secret can make the chances of a security breach much less likely. Staff training can include essential cyber security lessons such as:
- Keep all smartphones, laptops, and other work devices secured with a password
- Change passwords every six months and choose secret passwords that could not be guessed
- Do not leave work smartphones and laptops unattended in public places
- Do not respond to emails and text messages that may be phishing scams or other threats
Following these tips will massively reduce your business’s chances of being vulnerable to some of the most common cyber attacks.
Get in Touch
If you’d like to know more about our security services, get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to discuss your business security with you, offering friendly advice and guidance on how to improve security within your small or medium business.