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.