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Security

Gun violence in Toronto should remind us to think security first (and still enjoy our city)

A long weekend of shootings that saw 17 people injured in 14 separate incidents over the recent civic holiday sent chills across our city. Even Toronto Police Service Chief Mark Saunders was quick to acknowledge both the unusually high wounded toll, the sheer number of security-related incidents and the brazenness with which the alleged assailants acted.

Residents wonder when it will all end, and how to stay safe in the meantime.

Three suspects have since been arrested in connection with several of the shootings. Saunders told reporters that additional resources would be deployed “in specific places that we think will help deter and reduce the gun violence that’s occurring in the city right now.”

Gun crime on the rise

What we need to keep in perspective—as was the case after the van attack in North York last year that saw 10 people killed when a disturbed young man ran down people at random on Yonge Street—is that Toronto is still a remarkably safe city. Our crime rate is low and the threat of becoming a victim of violent crime is scant.

Still, gun violence has been on the rise in recent years and that requires a certain level of vigilance, particularly in vulnerable or lower-income areas where gangs and other troublesome actors tend to spend most of their time.

According to police statistics, Toronto experienced two and a half times more shootings in 2018 than 2014—a shocking increase that should give us all pause.

Why has it taken a rise in gun crime and the death of a child to empower a public agency to protect its residents?

New security measures

One of the recent deaths—that of a 16-year-old—came in a Toronto Community Housing (TCH) complex in the city’s north end. According to a CBC report, that prompted a promise for action on the part of the housing agency:

“… TCH chief executive officer Kevin Marshman [promised] to do more to address what some residents have decried as a woeful lack of security at their buildings.

Starting in September, said Marshman, full-time security officers will be stationed in the Jane and Fallstaff community. Also coming, he said, is enhanced lighting around the buildings and cameras on the roadways coming in and out of the complex that can capture license plates.

Marshman added that TCH also hopes to conduct a community safety audit — a joint effort with police and residents to physically walk around the properties to identify gaps in security and what needs to be done to make things safer.”

While we can all applaud TCH’s commitment to taking action, a bigger question remains unanswered: Why weren’t these measures implemented years ago? Why has it taken a rise in gun crime and the death of a child to empower a public agency to protect its residents?

A trend towards enhanced security 

That question may never be fully answered, but Marshman’s statements are likely indicative of a new trend that we will—and likely should—see emerging across our city: a stronger security presence, particularly in vulnerable communities.

Police tape - security lessons from Torontos van attack
Increased safety will require private security partners.

We need more foot patrols to protect private and public spaces, and in many cases that will require the involvement of private security partners given the already stretched resources of the Toronto Police Service. It will likely mean more camera surveillance using artificial intelligence and facial recognition software to recognize bad actors before or after they commit crimes. We need better lighting to protect paths and parks, and greater community cooperation similar to the walk-safe programs that university campuses have implemented and maintained for years with widespread success.

In the wake of the recent spate of violence, many of Canada’s mayors are calling for either an all-out handgun ban or stronger restrictions on handgun ownership—a move that many chiefs of police across the country also support. This would undoubtedly help address the issue, but it may not be enough. As police budgets are cut in many jurisdictions, those crucial eyes and ears on the ground are lost. Again, this is where private security firms and technology can help fill the gap. But employing their services requires an increased budgetary spend and a willingness to stand behind important policy changes.

Will our leaders at the federal, provincial and municipal levels heed the call? Or will they make relatively tiny security commitments that seem meaningful, but fail to create a long-term impact in our communities?

Balancing security with civil liberties will be a challenge 

In the end, we want to keep our city free and comfortable and avoid it taking on the feel of a surveillance state. But we also want to ensure that all Torontonians feel safe to go about their business. Exactly how we accomplish the goal remains to be seen, but we can rest assured that it will take creative, innovative thinking to curb the latest ‘summer of the gun’ and restore a greater sense of safety and security to Canada’s largest city.

 
Learn More by Requesting a Custom Quote

Winston Stewart, President and CEO

August 16, 2019/by Winston Stewart
Cybersecurity, Workplace Security

Do your employees work remotely? Beware the security risks

With only specific industry exceptions, the days of your entire staff sitting in the same office—or in boardrooms taking meetings—at once, are largely gone. Nowadays, knowledge-economy workforces are becoming increasingly mobile, as employees continue to seek greater flexibility to work from home (or wherever they choose). The tacit agreement is that even though their hours may fluctuate, employees’ work will be done and delivered according to specifications. In many cases organizations are beginning to do away with formal hourly work expectations altogether.

Indeed, remote working—also known as telecommuting—has become commonplace across industries, save those where employees must be physically present in a work environment to do their jobs, such as manufacturing or retail. Many leading employers, in particular technology firms, have leveraged flex-time and remote work to attract, retain and engage top talent. They really had no choice. As the likes of Facebook, Google, Apple, WeWork and other Millennial-friendly employers changed the labour landscape over the past two decades, even small and medium-sized organizations found themselves needing to match benefits and perks to compete

Then they began to understand the security issues that emerge when employees are essentially given the reins to manage their own IT risk, but in most cases without the training and expertise needed to do it properly.

An open Wifi network is an open door to an unprotected device.

Security data tells a tale

An Ipsos poll for data security firm Shred-It released last year underscores the challenges facing organizations that seek to provide worker flexibility, while also trying to mitigate escalating security risk. Fully 82 percent of the C-suite executives at enterprise-sized organizations and 63 percent of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners polled felt greater exposure to a data breach when employees work off-site. The majority of large organizations (89 percent) and SMEs (50 percent) report offering workplace mobility, and most executives and business owners feel that that offering the option to work remotely is becoming increasingly important.

Still, slightly more than half of SMEs say they have formalized data-management policies for off-site employees, while only 27 percent train their employees on key data protection concerns such as public Wi-Fi usage. Just 38 percent say they have protocols to govern the handling of confidential information. That compares to large organizations, 93 percent of which report having formal security policies for off-site employees, while just fewer than half say they train employees on the use of public Wi-Fi—a major data-management vulnerability. Fifty-three percent of off-site employees working for large companies say they allow friends and family to use company-issued electronic devices, and the same number say their devices could face interference at home or in public spaces. That’s shocking when you consider that some of these employees could be handling everything from sensitive industrial information to customer financial data. Regardless, it means many are exposed to hackers or other cyber malfeasants looking to cause trouble.

One of the greatest challenges that organizations face in allowing members of their team to work remotely is a lack of control. As the Shred-It survey underscores, when anyone in a household has wide-open access to sensitive information when a laptop is simply left unattended, that’s a major problem. And that’s just one of many potentially troublesome scenarios.

Wi-Fi a major risk exposure

Far more likely are Wi-Fi-related security incidents stemming from the use of unsecured networks at coffee shops or in other public places. While many of us assume that no one would bother to attempt to peer into our devices while we sip a latte and surf the Net, the reality is that an open Wi-Fi network is essentially an open door to an unprotected device.

Let’s not forget that phishing scams or outright hacking are also major sources of risk that are too often ignored. In many cases, we find that some employees will be less vigilant while working off-site, often letting down their guard and engaging in risky online behaviour. Why? Because we’re all human, and when we don’t think we’re being watched by the boss, we’ll sometimes cut corners and ignore protocols.

That underscores the argument for providing employees with VPN (virtual private network) access when working off-site, and requiring them to use it when logging on to their device. The problem, of course, is that enforcement becomes a challenge when employees are out of sight. Many use their personal electronic devices to conduct work business, and don’t password-protect them (or at least not adequately). That leaves both personal and business data at risk of exposure which, again, is amplified when using free Wi-Fi networks.

Why employee training and policies matter

Ultimately, the onus is on organizations to have policies in their workplace manuals that address data security and management, while providing (and enforcing) protocols that must be followed at all times. Rules should state clearly that any breach of these policies could be cause for discipline or termination. Employees also need to be properly trained to understand and identify potential security risks, and in using the security tools they’ve been provided. I’m not only referring to safeguarding phones and laptops. Many employees also use USBs or portable hard drives, or even travel with hard copies of sensitive data, that can just as easily be stolen.

Every employer wants to provide greater flexibility and work-life balance to their staff. But it has to be clear that remote working arrangements are a privilege, while company-wide security is a shared responsibility—not to mention an essential element of its long-term survival and success. It’s only when security becomes part of an organization’s culture that it can be consistently and effectively enforced.

 
Learn More by Requesting a Custom Quote

Winston Stewart, President and CEO

 

August 9, 2019/by Winston Stewart

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