Risk assessment plays key role in security decisions

Companies should take the time to assess their security needs before making a commitment, advises Tiaan Smith, general manager of Johannesburg-based loss elimination company Leopard. Smith says too often companies don’t really understand their security needs or even assess their risks. “There is no point in installing an expensive CCTV camera if you are not going to use the footage. It is important to see what the specific needs of a business are and to buy security accordingly.” Because of the technical nature of devices, he says most security is expensive. A risk assessment allows one to see what the needs are and what security is best suited to address the problems. “Companies will sometimes look at security as a grudge purchase because they are not seeing any advantage to the huge amount of money spent. If, however, you assess the risk properly and buy security accordingly, you will definitely see the impact and cost savings even if it is over a longer period.” He says sometimes security could mean just training one’s employees to be careful when talking about their work. “Knowledge is valuable as well as information and an innocent remark to the wrong person can result in a security breach. “Never underestimate the value of security or the need for it,” he says.