Security Hardening & Its Importance to Protecting Your Security System - MCC Security Solutions

Not a day goes by, it seems, that we are not hearing about some sort of security breach involving a major retail operation or corporation. Hackers seem determined on getting at protected data, such as credit card information or Social Security numbers, by any means possible.

For the security industry, every such attack brings new concerns about the safety of network-based systems. The network is the back door to accessing all kinds of information, whether it is financial, personal or something specific to the security of an operation.

For instance, a cyber-criminal may be looking to interfere with a security system by interrupting the video stream, altering camera views so someone can make a physical attack on a location or hijacking the servers to perform illegal functions. Even a camera, if left vulnerable, may be used as an entry point to a larger network.

As a result, it is increasingly important to know what steps a security system provider is taking to ensure that its network-based equipment such as NVRs and video management system software are hardened against cyber-attacks.

While the U.S. Federal Information Security Act mandates a specific level of compliance, it is critical to work with a supplier that understands what is involved in the compliance process, and is invested in taking a lead on this critical issue.

Here are some questions to ask a security system supplier:

• How often are updates provided for the product and how are security vulnerabilities handled?  More frequent updates to the product means more opportunity to remove vulnerabilities. Also, by monitoring new vulnerabilities found through international databases a supplier can release a patch quickly to address a critical vulnerability.
• Is the company undergoing third-party assessments of its products? Having an independent, third-party undertake penetration testing will point out what vulnerabilities exist and allow the company to take the proper action to harden the system against cyber-attacks.
• How often does the vulnerability testing take place? Each time the software within a product or system is altered, there should be a new test so the development team can address any new software issues before the product is released.
• Has the company documented what it is doing? Knowing what the vulnerabilities are and how they have addressed them can go a long way toward ensuring your comfort level with a product. Ask if the company has prepared a white paper or some other document on its products and processes.

Cyber criminals continue to develop new methods for gaining access to information and systems. Knowing how a supplier is safeguarding its products is a good first line of defense.

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For more details please contact us at:

Memphis Communications Corporation

4771 Summer Ave

Memphis, TN 38122

Tel:  901.725.9271

Fax: 901.272.3577

Toll Free:  866.805.5893

Service and Supplies:  901.257.2500

Email: sales@memphiscommunications.net

Website: http://www.memphiscommunications.net

Propel business growth using these five proven strategies - MCC’s Security Solutions Division

Insurance processes are increasingly the work of field-office employees assisted by mobile technology and highly responsive system support. Processes “no longer start at the company’s firewall or with events received in the back office,” says a report from Forrester Consulting. Instead, the boundaries of the insurance process have been pushed out to the customers — and those serving the customers. 

Employees who engage customers in the field are critical resources for insurers striving to excel in today’s competitive marketplace. Many, if not most, enterprise IT and business decision makers view field-office workers as vital to both competitive differentiation and growing the business, according to the Forrester survey. Unfortunately, these same executives also say they believe field-office workers are underutilized, and lack needed support from advanced technology. What’s more, the same survey finds that some 65 percent of the executives say their field-office workers would be more effective if they had better information tools.

What’s needed to bring your field-office workers into the IT-powered moment? Forrester experts point to five key needs in the report: 

1. Focus more on the customer experience

When global decision makers were asked by Forrester which aspects of their operations were most likely to drive growth, their top answer was better support for customer-facing employees. The Forrester report points out that many enterprises are once again shifting their focus to the top line, which involves improving the customer experience and providing better support for field and point-of-service employees. Nowhere are these imperatives more important than in the insurance industry. That’s where high levels of customer service and fast claims processing are critical competitive differentiators. For this reason, insurers should view this research as a call to action and a guide for prioritizing their investments.

2. Increase front line support

Field-office workers can dramatically improve insurance customer satisfaction and retention, but only if they’re empowered with the necessary tools, technologies and solutions. Then they will be equipped to meet customers’ new and heightened expectations. For insurers, this means claims adjusters, customer-service reps and others on the front lines of customer engagement need increased support. To accomplish this, insurers can implement strong industry-specific solutions; these include tools for document preparation, printing and advanced process management, Forrester says.

3. Implement new, optimized processes

Technology is only part of the field-office transformation challenge; process changes are needed, too. Improved information management is at the core of the internal transformations needed to make insurers more competitive, Forrester adds. Respondents to its survey, when asked to rank the most important information-management activities for field-office workers, selected finding data quickly to answer customer queries, creating documents and processing information as their top choice. Coming in at a close second was the ability to update or tailor documents for immediate scanning or printing. That’s not to say IT is unimportant. But its role will become one of support. “Technologies that include mobile capture and print, business process management, and dynamic case management will be strong enablers,” Forrester says.

4. Install proven solutions for cost savings and field-office advantages

For many insurers, adopting managed print services (MPS) is critical. These systems can help cut costs and increase efficiencies by aligning the number and type of output devices with your business processes. They also provide real-time management of your printer fleet. And an MPS solution can track usage to discover even more opportunities for cost savings. If that weren’t enough, distributed capture capabilities can also help your field offices collaborate more efficiently — and in near-real time — with your home office. Going further, Lexmark, among other suppliers, has added a new dimension to MPS: software that optimizes several insurance processes, including claims management, to automatically capture, classify, validate and route information to your claims-management system. And it works with any input, whether hard copy or digital. Field-office workers gain immediate access to the latest information, empowering them to provide exceptional customer service. And processes that formerly took days, even weeks, can now be completed in mere minutes.

5. Improve mobile productivity

At many carriers, field-office workers now use a mix of smartphones and multifunction printers (MFPs) as their “information on-ramps” to claims processing, underwriting, policy management and other back-office processes. For example, a claims adjuster in the field can use the camera on a tablet to photograph storm damage at a customer’s house and then transmit the images directly to the carrier’s claims system. The new data will then be available to others in the field and home offices, even before the adjuster gets back to the office. These and other MPS-powered innovations can give field-office workers instant access to vital information. The result: Field workers spend less time chasing data, and more time serving your clients, helping the business grow.  

- See more at: http://memphiscommunications.net/blog/?p=1749#sthash.2t8ZQtqI.dpuf

For more details please contact us at:

Memphis Communications Corporation

4771 Summer Ave

Memphis, TN 38122

Tel:  901.725.9271

Fax: 901.272.3577

Toll Free:  866.805.5893

Service and Supplies:  901.257.2500

Email: sales@memphiscommunications.net

Website: http://www.memphiscommunications.net

Compatibility is Critical: A Look at IP Camera-to-VMS Integration – Security Solutions Memphis

In recent years, Video Surveillance Systems have evolved from analog-based solutions to IP-based solutions using IP cameras and a Video Management System (VMS). Whether deploying entirely new IP-based systems, expanding existing systems with new IP cameras, or upgrading the VMS software to obtain new functionality, the compatibility between the IP camera and the VMS has become a critical component.

IP cameras with megapixel resolution and advanced capabilities such as analytics, varying and low light level compensation, motion detection and edge recording require firmware which runs on the cameras. Such complex functionality in cameras has made it more essential than ever when deploying IP-based video surveillance solutions to verify compatibility, and, in many cases, test in advance of field deployment to ensure that all applicable functions are working between the firmware of the cameras and the current version of the VMS.

Failure to verify camera-to-VMS compatibility can have far-reaching and costly consequences. Adverse effects may include erratic system behavior, limited to no functionality, or, in the worst case scenario, having to replace recently installed cameras with compatible versions. Advance testing and verification help avoid both frustration and expense.

Manufacturers and representatives in the security industry are striving to arrive at a standard method and protocol with which the cameras integrate with the VMS. The Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF) is a leader in this approach. However, versions of the standard are evolving and the specifics of how manufacturers adopt or conform to the standard may vary. Adding to the confusion, VMS providers are tasked with keeping track of the myriad IP cameras available in the marketplace, as well as with the constant evolution of the cameras’ capabilities, and ultimately, the firmware versions running on the cameras. For example, a VMS provider may test and, verify a particular camera running a specified version of firmware only to find that, by the time the camera ships or is actually deployed, it is running either a newer or older version of firmware.

With rapid advances in technology and the manufacturers’ frenzy to keep up, the burden falls on the integrator. Until a truly universal standard is achieved, it remains the job of the integrator to test and verify camera-to-VMS compatibility and to make appropriate upgrades or downgrades to the firmware version on the cameras or the VMS version. The verification of this compatibility prior to field deployment ensures a more efficient and effective system deployment and, ultimately, a satisfied client experience.

- See more at: http://www.memphiscommunications.net/blog/#sthash.xnCklkbH.dpuf

For more details please contact us at:

Memphis Communications Corporation

4771 Summer Ave

Memphis, TN 38122

Tel:  901.725.9271

Fax: 901.272.3577

Toll Free:  866.805.5893

Service and Supplies:  901.257.2500

Email: sales@memphiscommunications.net

Website: http://www.memphiscommunications.net

How Cloud Computing Can Help Shrink Corporate Energy Consumption – Cloud Services Memphis

With the world population now hovering around 7 billion and the increased strain put on the environment by developing nations such as India and China, the need for environmentally friendly business practices is more important than ever. Although the United States still has much to do to improve its reputation in this area – per capita, the United States trails only a few nations in energy consumption, all of which have much smaller population sizes – individual business owners can do their part, starting today.

If you own or operate a business and are interested in reducing your company’s environmental impact, consider cloud communications solutions. Storing data and information in the cloud can help you minimize your carbon footprint by taking advantage of shared resources. Think of it this way: Why dedicate your own resources to solve a problem when you can call upon pre-existing resources? That is just one of the many promises of working in the cloud.

Cloud computing: Global reach with (nearly) zero footprint

Admittedly, pinpointing the exact degree to which cloud computing can reduce your carbon footprint is difficult to do, if not impossible. This is partially due to the fact that every company’s needs are different. That being said, the general consensus is in, and it states clearly: using the cloud can save energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions.

By how much though? Well, the predictions vary, but the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project), a nonprofit group that measures, tracks and analyzes corporate climate change information, estimates that cloud computing could save large U.S. corporate entities up to $12.3 billion in energy costs annually through 2020, and reduce CO2 emissions by 85.7 million metric tons per annum. Even if these figures are optimistic by half, the benefits of such an approach are clear.

A number of reasons help contribute to this low environmental impact. In general, cloud computing is a more sustainable approach to data storage than doing so locally because it calls upon a shared, centralized network. By consolidating storage into a central hub, you eliminate the need for individual devices, such as hard drives and computers. And this means that those devices no longer have to be manufactured, powered, cooled or maintained. In summation, centralization leads to energy conservation. It really is that simple.

Make the change today to save tomorrow

If you are interested in pursuing cloud computing as a solution for a data storage problem, you have options. Whether you simply require external storage or are looking for servers to support an online presence, you don’t have to rely upon your own hardware. Companies like Dropbox, Box, Amazon, Google and a number of individual hosting companies all offer cloud computing services. Simply do your research and choose the provider that best suits your needs and budget.

Ultimately, making such a change will reap your company not only financial rewards, but moral benefits as well. We all must do our part to conserve natural resources and reduce our impact on the environment – why not start here?

- See more at: http://www.memphiscommunications.net/blog/#sthash.H2ADAScQ.dpuf

For more details please contact us at:

Memphis Communications Corporation

4771 Summer Ave

Memphis, TN 38122

Tel:  901.725.9271

Fax: 901.272.3577

Toll Free:  866.805.5893

Service and Supplies:  901.257.2500

Email: sales@memphiscommunications.net

Website: http://www.memphiscommunications.net