Since 2003, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has provided funding for states and urban areas across the country, under its Homeland Security Grant Program, in an effort to improve emergency preparedness, at the local level, in the event of a terrorist attack. Such funding has been available through two types of programs known as the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). Both types of funds have consisted of myriad formulas and application requirements which have caused disputes between members of the United States Congress as well as between state governors regarding the amount of allocations doled out, both in the past and presently.

In 2006, when it was thought that the program could not get any more confusing and unfair to certain states and urban areas, the DHS has topped itself yet again. Many lawmakers have been left dumbfounded, since they have so little information and criteria available in the decisions that the DHS has made for Fiscal Year 2006, which began October 1, 2005. In addition, the decisions for FY 2006 will have a direct impact on any forthcoming funding beyond FY 2007, for those urban areas which have been deleted from the eligible list for 2006.

If the aforementioned has left you confused, you are not alone. It is important to note that the two distinctly separate funding programs, although Homeland Security Grant Programs, are more apt now to become supplements to each other, as the amount of funding has been cut for not only 2006 distributions but projected to be further reduced in 2007 as well. The UASI grants for 2006 allot $765 million to 35 urban or metropolitan areas, comprised of various counties, cities and towns in their immediate vicinities. In 2005 there included 50 urban areas and thus the initial outcries this year.

The 2006 eligible urban areas list has left off some major urban regions which were included in 2005 and since the program’s inception in 2003, leaving lawmakers and law enforcement with lots of questions. Among the big question marks are San Diego, CA, Las Vegas, NV and Phoenix, AZ, prompting federal, state and local officials to demand answers from the DHS.

The Homeland Security Appropriations Act, originated in 2002, established the SHSGP, which in the past allocated one-half of its funds to be equally divided between all 50 U.S. states including U.S. territories and possessions, with the remaining funds distributed to states based upon population. The system in place in 2006, however, guarantees a minimum amount to each state, but requires each to apply and qualify the need for additional risk-driven funding. Thus, it is incumbent upon each state to essentially prove its case to the DHS for additional allocations. For FY 2006, each state is guaranteed a baseline minimum distribution of $7.13 million in the SHSGP, reserved to concentrate on law enforcement training and preparedness. And since UASI grants are now pared down from 50 to 35, state grants loom even more important, as each year since 2004 the amount of funding for both programs has de-escalated.

In its effort to temper the criticism of pork-barrel rewards for certain states and urban areas least expected to be hit by a terrorist attack, the DHS has reframed its criteria in order for states and urban areas to either qualify for additional funding or in the case of the UASI, for any funding at all. With respect to San Diego, for example, which was eliminated from eligibility for 2006 UASI grants, when questions were asked by state and local lawmakers and officials, it became clear that the formula will not be disclosed because it is classified information, according the Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff. In its zeal to remove all doubt that it is not being unfair in its analysis and that politics has not played a part in its decisions, the DHS states that the formula used for risk assessment was derived scientifically by computer calibrations and algorithms, yet so confusing that the DHS cannot even begin to explain them.

It is primarily the confusing new rules, which remain unexplained by the DHS, which has upset officials from both federal and state levels of government all over the country, with quite vocal protests coming from California and Nevada. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Senator Diane Feinstein of California along with Governor Kenny Guinn and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada have all been outspoken on the issue and have demanded more answers.

San Diego’s federal contingent of representatives, which includes Congressman Duncan Hunter, Congressman Darrell Issa, Congresswoman Susan Davis and Congressman Bob Filner, met in February with Homeland Security officials. But frustration was clearly expressed by Representative Filner. Most objectionable was the perceived disregard by the DHS that the county of 3 million residents, sits on an international border, is an international port, houses the largest marine base in the U.S. along with being a major naval base. As well as being a choice tourist destination, it would seem that these factors would be qualifiers for UASI funding for San Diego.

Filner recalls, “San Diego’s military bases and ships could be sitting ducks for a terrorist and aren’t factored into Chertoff’s “disciplined” analysis. I asked whether anyone has the [same] concentration of nuclear things that are a perfect target for terrorists,” he said. “Does any other city have three nuclear carriers in their harbor, a dozen or more nuclear submarines and a nuclear power plant? They said, “We don’t have those figures, but all of those military assets are “invisible to us,” in the DHS’ risk calculations,” according to Filner.

Rep. Susan Davis’ account was similar to Filner’s. “The DHS have certain principles they use when evaluating communities, such as transportation systems and populations, but that they haven’t really figured in [defense] facilities. What was so darned frustrating was that we expected them to come in with a rationale, but they basically said the [defense] facilities don’t quite factor into their assessment. It did seem very strange to us,” Davis said.

California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, believes that military installations are not necessarily immune from terrorist attack. And the Mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, points out the vulnerability of the U.S.- Mexican border, especially with recent discovery of sophisticated underground tunnels, in which drugs, contraband and potential terrorists can be funneled into the U.S.

Nevada officials were allowed access to a classified meeting with Secretary Chertoff on March 9, 2006, including Congressman Jim Gibbons, Congressman Jon Porter, along with two top police administrators one of whom was the Las Vegas Metro Police Homeland Security Deputy Chief, Mike McClary. “When their calculations were done, there were areas where there was no data available,” according to McClary. “It’s a mystery how 10’s of millions of hotel guests were left out of the equation,” he said. According to Frank Siracusa, Nevada Emergency Management Director, “Different officials at Homeland Security often give contradictory recommendations or simply refuse to answer the questions.”

On any given weekend throughout the year, there are upwards of 300,000 hotel occupants on the Las Vegas Strip, many of whom are part of the more than 44 million tourists that arrived at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in 2005, and growing each year. Why such data was not part of the equation in the assessment for Las Vegas could not be explained by the DHS, but it did offer to provide Las Vegas with another review. Whether or not the security of Hoover Dam was also overlooked in the DHS analysis remains a mystery as well. Las Vegas officials were not given a time frame in which they would get any future official communication from the DHS.

The UASI program is now focused primarily on enhancing the capabilities of local government to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from any number of catastrophic events. But planning for law enforcement training programs and equipment purchases for localities such as San Diego and Las Vegas will now have to rely solely on “Sustainment” risk funds or “Tier 2″ eligible funding, versus “High risk” or “Tier 1″ funding.

This means that localities may receive the balance of funding only for those projects which remain incomplete from 2005. Should the DHS find that its oversight of not including tourists in its eligibility analysis of Las Vegas was not an error, thus finding it only eligible for Tier 2 funding in 2006, Las Vegas will have to reapply from scratch in 2007. And if any urban area has two consecutive years of either denied funding or Tier 2 funding, it then remains permanently ineligible for any future UASI funding. Meanwhile, urban areas newly added to the eligible list for UASI funding in 2006 include Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Columbus, OH.

And finally, given all of their formulas and 37 capabilities requirements of “investment justification” in order for states and urban areas to be considered for funding from the DHS, it has yet to come up with such a measure of accountability, once funding has been dispersed, in order to realize the effectiveness of its funding. For without follow-up analysis, the DHS, the Congress, and state and local governments and law enforcement will have no clear indicators as to whether their law enforcement programs and preparedness purchases has been money well spent through the funding programs.

And without transparency between the federal and state levels of government, requiring necessary input from local government, the DHS will remain hamstrung in its own red tape, thus weakening the original intent of its grant programs. In order to expedite emergency response preparedness to those areas most likely at risk in the event of catastrophe, without such commitment to accountability the DHS spending programs will serve to create a false sense of security, and ultimately put the U.S. at far greater risk.

Diane M. Grassi is a freelance columnist, reporting and writing commentary on current events of the day providing honest and often politically incorrect assessments. From U.S. public policy to Major League Baseball, she is an eclectic thinker, and demanding of her readers to reflect on their own thinking patterns from an alternative perspective. Whether you agree with her or not, Diane M. Grassi will have you coming back to note her opinions, and if at best she wakes you up, then her goal will have been accomplished.

Ms. Grassi is featured with the online publications: New Media Journal.us; American Chronicle; Mich News.com; the Federal Observer; Opinions Editorials; the Conservative Voice; the Las Vegas Penny Press; the Sierra Times as well as many others. She also writes regular columns on Major League Baseball where she is a featured online columnist with The Diamond Angle Baseball Ezine and Sports-Central.org. Ms. Grassi may contacted at: dgrassi@cox.net

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. The Security Consultant’s Perspective…

2. The Insider Threat…

3. Threats by the Outsiders

4. The Terrorist Threat…

5. Protective Measures…

1) Security Consultant’s Perspective…

Traditional techniques at combating Workplace Violence pits the disgruntled employee against the system and the potential victims in a waiting game. It seems that the “Inside Threat” is reduced to monitoring the known potential, the “Ticking Bomb”, while the unknown threats go unmonitored. Threats by “Outsiders” are just as common and equally violent. Complicating this challenge, we now must grapple with the threat of terrorism (political and domestic) in our workplaces. I am reminded of a quote by James Baldwin from his book, “The Price of the Ticket”. “No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time”. Fighting the potential workplace threat requires a change in tactics and training techniques in order to be proactive.

2) The Insider Threat…

The “going postal” employee is as real in many workplaces as was the case of the rash of Postal Service incidents that gave rise to the phrase by the media. The difference between the postal employee and the ConAgra Shooting, Kansas (July 2004), the DaimlerChrysler Shooting, Ohio (January 2005) and the Weequaic High School Shooting, Newark, NJ (July 2005) North Toledo was the lack of sensationalized media coverage. I have found that career employees who “go postal” did not plan to do so over night, nor was he predisposed to kill employees. It was a series of gradual events in the employee’s life brought about by changes in personal relationships, a diagnosed medical condition perceived unjust or a caustic domestic situation
gone awry given rise to violence aggression as a form of retaliation at home and the workplace.

The environmental, societal factors and contributing events could not have been more apparent to the trained eye. Perpetrators of workplace violence are victims of their environment because they did not plan their rampage the first day hired. It was a gradual process with changes which bought about behaviors, attitudes and methodical planning clearly evident by the employee’s daily interactions, physical appearance, verbal utterances and documented slips in performance and efficiency. Everybody can see the indicators in the aftermath but most do not understand how to collaborate to prevent the “Ticking Bomb” from exploding before it is too late.

The Threat Assessment Process though intrusive in some quarters is an instrumental process worthy of attention. Subtle but contributory changes in an employee’s demeanor can be detected with early warning signs to provide assistance and intervention. This response unlike the threat posed by “The Outsider” is manageable (predictable)and preventable.

3) Threats By Outsider…

Confrontational crimes committed by “Outsiders” though unmanageable can be mitigated and somewhat preventable. Take the following incidents. A nurse who works at a hospital who tells a horrific story of being punched, kicked, scratched, bitten, nose and ribs broken, stabbed with a pen and suffered eye damage all as a nurse at the hospital are true incidents. He also testified that patients have assaulted his co-workers. This account represents one of several hundred such incidents at hospitals in our Nation yearly. A storekeeper who confronted an armed robber was shot because he did not have enough money. You stop your car at a client’s business and exchange what you need between the car’s compartment and the trunk and return to discover the trunk broken into and the goods stolen? How about the lurking perpetrator who finds the pleasure in attacking helpless victims between floors on the stairwell or on the elevator? But nothing is worst than the unsuspecting medical service provider who is confro nted by a client in his home or the office helpless to defend himself without any insight into appropriate protective measures.

These are situational accounts of innocent employees, victims of their unique situations created by their workplace environments and the threats posed by “Outsiders”.

4) The Terrorist Threat…

Though much attention has been given the political terrorist, little is mentioned in the workplace about our homegrown terrorists. The political terrorist who assimilates into the fabric of America to await the “call to arms”, is much different than the “normal” employee who harbors outward
political, social and religious positions but, is protected by freedom of speech that permits the employee to maintain antithetical positions for the safety and security of the workplace. Our workplaces are full of ideologies that spawn terrorism; Para-military and militia groups, white supremacist
groups, black hate groups; those who believe in extreme defense of the unborn, even environmentalist who work on the fringes of the law have spawned eco-terrorists, defenders of animal rights have attacked furriers and researchers and religious sects have spawned “holy warriors” who attack commercial and cultural interest. Similar to both of these groups they choose targets of value and opportunity. Unlike the “Insider” and the “Outsider”, the criminal behaviors of the domestic terrorist advertise their
moves and are predictable because they are known and apparent.

5) Proactive Measures…

In no particular order: Train your leaders in Threat Assessment, Synchronize the security process with other departments, Structure personnel security procedures, Design a unique security policy, Plan and Test your emergency
evacuation plans, implement strategy to prevent and interdict workplace violence by all, Limit & restrict access, Issue a suitable form of identification with photograph, Teach crime prevention and have desktop exercises and scenarios, test your crisis communications plan, run periodic background checks on all employees and establish a repoting policy to encourage early identification of potential perpetrators.

Nater Associates, Ltd is a Security Management Consulting Practice specializing in Workplace Security Issues and dedicated to providing clients superior security services based on Solid Situational Experiences.

Generation Y–The second-largest crop of young people in America’s history, offspring of the Boomers80 million of them, nearly 27 percent of the U.S. populationare in their late teens and 20s, and already a market force to be reckoned with.

The Millennials are here big time! “They’re demanding their own music, defining their own trends and starting to matter to advertisers, to retailers, to politicians,” chirped a recent Chicago Tribune editorial. What’s more, they are (or soon will be) buying cars and homes, getting married, starting families–and are going to matter very much to American business.

Neo-traditionalist in many ways, the Millennials are not cynical about marriage and having families. These young people value such intangibles as personal fulfillment, family well-being, freedom, securitylives on track. As a result, count on the Millennials to step up to the issues and needs most of us have no matter which generational cohort, market segment, or stage of life we’re in. “They don’t want to make the mistakes of either Generation X or the Boomers, to wait until the panic stage to have babies,” writes columnist, Suzanne Fields.

A High Dose of Reality

But no matter how great their marketing potential, Millennials with ground-floor incomes may be struggling to negotiate rent and other living expenses on top of college loans that the Christian Science Monitor estimates average $17,000. Or they may still be living with Mom and Dad!

So all is not a bed of roses, and even the most astute members of this (or any) generation will find the choices marketers ask them to make confusing. Or (worse) they may think they know it all or imagine they can get everything they need online, and don’t need help.

With so much at stake, indecision, inaction or mistakes born of misplaced self-confidence (”It can’t happen to me”) can be expensive–especially in periods of economic uncertainty. Yet this generation, which has known nothing but prosperity, is not used to doing without. Handed the choice of paying health insurance premiums or maintaining their savings and other financial security plans–and forgoing their cell phones or hanging up their social lives, many of these young people make the wrong call.

Setting priorities can be critical and shouldn’t be ignored no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, That’s one reason why realistic expectations should be communicated to consumers in this or any other age group. A difficult pill to swallow, but exactly the advice young families in that difficult position should hear.

How to Reach The Millennials

Generation Y is generally more comfortable using the Internet as a research tool to aid in making saving and investment decisions, rather than as a means for on-line banking or trading. “To effectively reach the youngest generation of adult Americans, whose lives are being shaped by digital media, marketers must deliver smarter, more sophisticated messages and build brands with them rather than for them,” a study by advertising firm, Saatchi & Saatchi suggests.

As described by Jane Levere in “Generation Shaped by Digital Media Presents Fresh Marketing Challenges,” in the The New York Times: “Saatchi & Saatchi, a unit of Saatchi & Saatchi PLC, based its study on interviews by child psychologists with 84 people ages 6 to 20 across the United States. They were asked what they thought about digital media like personal computers, the Internet, CD-ROMs, video games and cellular phones and other communication devices, and how these media affected their lives. Cultural anthropologists also observed 10 families at home for 50 hours each.

According to the agency, the digital media have several functions for the 80 million Americans born since 1977, the largest generation in the nation’s history. “The media serve as toys for these young people but also provide developmental challenges. Digital media also function as a virtual hearth at home,” the study said. It found that “most families have their digital media set up in a public room of the house; consequently, a lot of digital activities are shared by the family, making these media a center of family life.

“In addition, the study learned that the new media could function as a ‘cool library’ for the new generation.”Generation Y uses digital media as an extension of self socially, intellectually and emotionally,” the study said. ‘By extending the self in these ways, the new media help young people find their identity.’ It concluded that digital media act as “power tools” for the Millennials, giving them tremendous access to knowledge.

Generation Y is generally more comfortable using the Internet as a research tool to aid in making saving and investment decisions, rather than as a means for on-line banking or trading. “To effectively reach the youngest generation of Americans, whose lives are being shaped by digital media, marketers must deliver smarter, more sophisticated messages and build brands with them rather than for them,” a study by advertising firm, Saatchi & Saatchi suggests.

Social Security Reality Check

Despite Democrat and MSM protestations, many young adults are pushing for a privatized or partially privatized Social Security program, which would maximize their two greatest wealth accumulation assets — time and compounding returns.

Prediction: Petulently refusing any mention of privatizing Social Security won’t cut it for long. Washington must find the stones either to a) call time-out and switch over to a privatized Social Security system for everyone over a certain age, b) permit wage earners to invest x-percentage of their payroll tax into personal accounts, or c) come up with some other fiscally feasible, politically palatable version of Social Security reform.

Failing that, the discontent of Millennials and Generation Xers will become the political time bomb for future presidents and Congresses that Social Security had been until George Bush’s bold 2005 initiative.

Want More? Send questions and comments to w.willard3@knology.net.

Bill Willard has also been writing high-impact marketing and sales training primarily for the financial services industry for 30 years. Through interactive, Web-based “Do-While-Learning

Job security is a term that is often thrown around in hard economic times. The idea of job security has changed a great deal in the past 3 decades. It used to mean finding a solid position at a successful company. If you showed up on time, and performed your tasks well then advancement and pension were things you did not have had to worry about. Today, there is no job security. It is a career attribute that no longer exists in our volatile economy. There are several reasons that job security has disappeared from our job market. These reasons include downsizing, rightsizing, restructuring, temping, and outplacement. Companies are no longer stoic structures which are left untouched by the global economy. They suffer through buy outs, mergers, and sometimes go belly up. Most employees never consider what will happen if their company goes out of business until it is far to late.

While companies can no longer offer job security, you as an individual can create your own version of it in three easy steps – learn how to survive restructuring, make yourself more ‘employable’, and plan for an emergency. The key to keeping your job while your company under goes restructuring is to be open and positive to change. When new management is brought in, embrace and help them adjust to their new work place. Yes, losing coworkers and friends is hard but losing your job is worse. You must constantly be working develop yourself professionally. Take full advantage of corporate funded training, and tuition reimbursement programs. Make sure you stay current with financial trends in your particular career and company – read the literature, understand the research, and be willing to share your new knowledge.

Believe it or not you can make yourself more employable. Make sure you maintain professional contacts and network as much as possible. Build strong professional and personal bridges with as many people as possible – managers, clients, coworkers, and vendors. Staying in touch with the people who are well versed in the field, you work in, can offer you endless opportunities to advance or change jobs easily. These people are more than willing to help you find a new position. Even if the company you work for is doing well you should keep your resume updated. In addition keep a list of accomplishments and performance evaluations, and keep your interview skills sharp.

True security comes with being prepared if you do lose your job. Make sure you create and continue to build an emergency fund. Most financial professionals suggest you set aside 6 months worth of income in a money market fund. Make sure you have the ability to draw checks or use a debit card when you need to access this money. Looking for a new job can be emotionally and physically draining. Having an emergency fund reduces the stress, allowing you to have more time and energy to find your perfect position. The economic climate of corporate America is unpredictable in today’s new millenium. Job security may have disappeared but there is no reason that you can create your own.

Visit the Global Investment Institute and signup for our free Investing For Beginners E-Course at www.Global-Investment-Institute.com Investment webmasters or publishers, please feel free to use this article provided this reference is included and all links remain active.

Often, good business security is merely an afterthought, something you may only give attention to after a break-in has occurred. You may then rush to secure your business, but it’s best to take your time in selecting the right kind of business security for your operation.

Businesses without alarms are 4 times more likely to be burglarized than business protected with forms of business security. Business security increases the safety of your employees and customers as well as your stock. If a criminal does manage to get in, business security helps keep the losses at a minimum. Here are some different ideas you can consider for your own business security plans.

Business Security Tip #1: Protect the Premises

The most common form of business security is the alarm system. Both wired and wireless systems are available. These systems can be easily installed and can be supervised by professionals at a monitoring center. Business security alarms protect all points of entry – doors and windows. There are also business security alarms that detect motion inside the room. If a window is broken, a door opened, or someone creeps across the room, the alarm will emit a shrill wail and will also alert security officials.

Business Security Tip #2: Protect Your Valuables

If you have important documents or items at your office, it is best to keep them in a fireproof safe. Regular safes only protect your valuables from burglars. Fire safes do double duty: they protect your valuables from foe and fire. Our fire safes have either bank vault quality or digital electronic locks that bolt tightly shut. Knuckled hinge pins prevent a criminal from simply removing the door. All fire safes can be easily bolted right to the floor, so even if a criminal wanted to carry a possibly 200-pound safe out the door, they couldn’t.

Business Security Tip #3: Protect Your Employees
There are two tools you can use to arm yourself and your employees in the event of an emergency. A panic button simplifies personal and business security down to a direct line. If an emergency arises, but the alarm is not triggered by normal means, hit the panic button to set off the alarm and call for help.

If an intruder tries to attack an employee, mace or pepper spray will temporarily disarm the criminal, giving the victim time to escape and get help. Arm your employees with mace or pepper spray to protect them on late nights and walks to the parking lot, where many criminals attack. Your employees will appreciate your concern for their personal safety beyond just business security.

Business Security Tip #4: Keep Intruders Away

Law enforcement officials recommend a motion sensor light as a strong crime deterrent. Criminals will shy away from well-lit businesses, because they prefer the cover of darkness to do their dirty work. Put a spotlight on them, either with an energy-saving motion sensor light or a flood light that stays on all the time.

There are also common sense ways to secure the outside of your business. Begin building your business security system with basic business security. There are simple do-it-yourself steps you can take to create an inexpensive business security system before you even add any special technological components.

Install exterior lights and include either a timer or a motion detector

Secure all exterior doors and windows with well-built, sturdy locks

Trim back trees and shrubs around windows and doors

These DIY business security tasks are easy and fast projects, yet they offer you and your employees paramount security.

Business Security Tip #5: Monitor Your Store

Security cameras can be your eyes and ears all around you. Video monitoring systems, whether CCTV systems or spy cameras, bullet cameras or dome cameras, offer 24-hour supervision for your business. Security cameras can keep a shopper from becoming a shoplifter, and will scare away burglars. Beyond preventive business security, if an intruder does get inside, the cameras will help officials identify and capture the criminal and bring him or her to justice.

Business Security Tip #6: Know When Customers Arrive

A very basic form of business security is the wireless door chime. It will alert you whenever a customer enters the store, so you can always be certain someone is there to supervise the store while customers are present. This not only protects your store but improves your customer service.

Business security technology these days can make your business super-secure, saving you money and giving you peace of mind. Protect yourself, your employees, your customers, and your property with a business security system customized to your security needs.

Where you can find out more about Adel Biometric Security Fingerprint Door Locks and
articles on Biometric Security

In the aftermath of 9-11, and the growing problem of workplace violence, the demand and need for employee background checks and security checks are now greater than ever. Employers are turning to investigative companies in greater numbers to run employee background checks on new job applicants and existing employees, including positions where security may not have previously been given much consideration in the “pre 9-11″ era. Many employers are now requiring security clearances for many non-defense related “high-tech” positions including computer programming. Employee background checks are required by Federal or State law for certain occupations such as jobs working with children, law enforcement, defense contractors, and any Federal employment.

Security clearances

Often, in employee background checks, especially where a security clearance is required, employers may run criminal records checks on the spouse of a job applicant as well and decide not to hire somebody based on their spouse’s criminal record, even if the applicant has a squeaky clean record. In a traditional employee background check, only the applicant or employee is investigated while for a security clearance, the spouse and other family members are investigated as well. This holds true not just for top secret job positions within the US Military, or defense contractors, but now many “high-tech” civilian jobs such as programming as well. Unfortunately in some situations, whom one is married to can determine their employability. A dishonorable discharge from the US Military will automatically eliminate any chances of getting a security clearance.

In an employee background check, some things cannot be reported: Civil lawsuits, judgments older than 7 years, paid tax liens and collections paid after 7 years, bankruptcies older than 10 years. All over information except for criminal convictions older than 7 years. While employers are prohibited from requiring applicants to provide copies of their criminal records, they can obtain this information from other sources such as private agencies or public records.

Criminal histories or “rap sheets” are not public record in every state. In some states such as California, these are only available to certain employers where employee background checks are required by State and/or Federal law such as ie: public utilities, child care services, law enforcement, security companies, defense contractors.

Credit checks

A credit background check is very often part of an employee background check, however employers are required to obtain the employee’s or applicant’s written consent under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, FCRA (15 U.S.C.

At times I laugh when I see companies, banks, educational institutions laying so much emphasis on the deployment of firewalls, anti-virus, server room protection e.t.c.

Yes firewalls, anti-virus are good but without a comprehensive information security program in place all these security technology tools will only provide a false sense of security. When we start thinking about information security, we need to think about security as a system not a single technology.

Let Us take a Hypothetical Scenario

A company has over 5 million clients. It has an e-business website. It has deployed firewalls, anti-virus solutions and other vendor security solutions. It conducts 90% of its business through its e-business website.

A Hacker studied the situation and asked; how do i get at this company?

What is the weakest link in the companies information security model? Why the weakest link? The hacker knew that going through the firewall, the intrusion detector systems would take him time which he was not willingly to spare. The hacker found out through painstaking research and study that the over
5 million customers were the weakest link.

The attack followed;

• A fake website of the company was created.
• E-mails were sent to the company’s over 5 million customers.

The E-mail read.

Dear customer,

We have deployed new security solutions that will help increase the security of conducting business with us through our website. Please kindly enter your contact and billing details, by clicking on this link. www.wilbroser.com/details.html.
Thanks for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully,
Alex Brown
Head of IT

Result of the E-mail

Out of the 5 million customers, 3 million of them clicked the link and reentered their contact and billing details.
The remaining 2 million felt indifferent and didn’t respond to the mail. The credit card information of over 3 million customers was stolen.

Why did the Hacker Target the 5 Million Customers of the Company?

The hacker found out that to commit e-fraud, it will take more effort and time going through the firewall, anti-virus and the other security solutions of the company.

The thought of the weakest link came. The company has never embarked on a security awareness training program for customers. A lot of emphasis has been on staff and security solutions.

The hacker identified the customers as the weakest link. Having identified the weakest link , the attack was launched.

Why Was the Attack Successful?

1. The over 5 million customers. None could tell the difference between a fake copy of the company’s website and the company’s website.

2

The design of outdoor mailboxes have remained fairly constant over the past 100 years, despite the changes in the way information travels. Individuals receive many correspondences through the mail that are filled with personal information such as bank account numbers, health records or credit card info. While in most situations, this information would be kept under lock and key, mail is often left unsecured in outdoor mailboxes, easily accessible to the public.

To most people, the security of their mail isn’t even an afterthought. To that end, all of their personal information, from bank statements to tax information, is an easy target for individuals bent on getting it. When you consider that identity theft accounts for losses close to one billion dollars each year, metal mailboxes no longer seem an excessive protection

Although it may seem like an extreme solution to use metal mailboxes, not all metal mailboxes are built the same and not all of them are convenient to use. In fact, most people probably picture large metallic contraptions built with a heavy cement base. Although these designs can keep your mail safe, they do little in the way of d

There are a variety of measures you can take to insure that your PBX is safe from hackers.

Listed below are tips you can use right now to protect your business.

1. Take steps to secure your authorization codes on a permanent basis. Remind employees of the need to keep all access codes secure and change them frequently.

2. Contact your equipment vendors and ask for any and all information on the available security systems in place to detect toll fraud. They should also provide information on monitoring services available to help you quickly detect unusual usage.

3. Work closely with your PBX administrator to ensure that all of the PBX security features available are in place and are being implemented.

4. Unless needed for routine business, block outgoing international calling, 809 and 900 calling capabilities.

5. Conduct regular and routine auditing of your telecommunication systems and bills, especially just after regular vacation months and holiday seasons. It is during these times of year that PBX toll fraud most often occurs.

6. Wherever possible, limit the number of employees who are authorized to use remote access. And if possible, change pass codes and authorization codes when an employee permanently leaves the company.

7. NEVER transfer a call outside your PBX if you are unaware of the identity of the caller. Instruct employees that phone companies will never ask customers to be part of a “test” – no matter how official the caller may sound.

8. Always be alert to possible PBX abuse signs. These could include repeated calls of short duration, sudden increase in 800 usage, or unexplained changes incoming, outgoing or especially after-hours calling patterns.

9. Consider out sourcing your telecom bills to a firm that will provide bill paying and audit services on an ongoing monthly basis. You’ll save money across the board and catch toll fraud at the time it happens.

Karen Thatcher is President and CEO of TelCon Associates, Inc. a 32 year old telecom audit and bill management firm. For a 66 page report on PBX safety and security, visit http://www.telconassociates.com

Many people are interested in purchasing security
mailboxes. This can be for many reasons. One is that you
may be on vacation and you want to be sure your mail is
safe while you are away. Some people like the idea of
security mailboxes because they are vandal proof (no one
can put an M-80 inside and blow it up)! But the main reason
for purchasing one is to prevent identity theft from
someone stealing your mail and obtaining your personal
information. But before you look into purchasing security
mailboxes, there are some things you should know.

Not all security mailboxes are as good as others. Be sure
that the one you purchase is approved by the Postmaster
General. Also, be sure that there are no exposed locks, and
that it is tamper proof and wrench proof. You also need to
be sure that it is welded together and not just pop riveted
together. Be sure to pay attention to where the mail
retrieval location is. Some are located in the rear, which
can be a bad spot if you place your security mailbox in
certain locations.

The last thing you should know is that security mailboxes
are quite expensive. They can range from $350 to $850. This
price does not include installation. Keep all of this in
mind before purchasing yours. Once you get one, you will be
glad you did. You will have peace of mind knowing that your
mail is safe, and your identity as well!

You can now browse our large selection of Security
Mailboxes online. To view our complete and
comprehensive selection of Security Mailboxes, visit:
http://mailboxes-for-sale.partnersinsuccess.net/