Sometimes I get an insight into just how much business has changed. The other day I watched one of our top sales people leave for a trip. As well as her suitcase and attaché case, she had what appeared to be enough computing power to run a small country – a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop and a portable hard drive.
Back in my day, I would go out on the road with little more than a calculator and an order book, but I do appreciate that it is no longer unusual to load up senior or even junior staff with a pile of tech equipment.
But I was worried by some research I saw today that suggested theft of IT equipment has risen 50% in the last year and that employees and IT decision makers have a very, very lax attitude to theft and loss – apparently only two-thirds of IT managers actually have a security policy in place.
I don’t know too many start-ups that can afford to lose thousands of dollars of kit, so make sure you aren’t one of these businesses without a security policy in place.
Set out how, and perhaps more importantly where, staff can use laptops and similar devices (do you want them to be used on public transport or personal holidays, for example). Ensure security software and devices are part of your plans and conduct regular audits to ensure that your stuff hasn’t disappeared.
Get it done – today!
