Not since 9/11 or even Pearl Harbor, some would say, has the entire nation been affected by a single event or cause. And while those horrible events attacked the psyche of the nation, the pandemic of the Covid-19 virus has infected both the national psyche and the individual on a personal level. Who would have guessed that an illness could bring one of the world’s strongest economies to a screeching halt? If there is a silver lining in this pandemic, it is that people perhaps now understand the importance of their health, sanitization and how interconnected our world is.

This paradigm of interconnectivity accurately describes the world of security, so we decided to bring these thoughts together. For Example: Spend a million dollars on video surveillance, but it won’t matter if the company leaves the perimeter unsecure, it won’t matter if there is no pro-active approach of per incident monitoring, to do something about it. Hire dozens of on-site armed or unarmed guards, but if the guards spend all of their time on the phone, sleeping or otherwise distracted, then no security truly exists. What exists is a mirage, or the illusion of security. OSA works with many school systems, large corporations, distributors, and multifamily. Our experience is when the nation is on lock down and facilities are left largely unattended, security protocols are increasingly more important. So might be the security solutions.

It sounds counterintuitive, but the pandemic provides companies an opportunity to begin again with the basics. For instance, while fresh in the corporate mind, management can look at the footprint of their slowdown or shutdown for possible clues to weaknesses in policy or procedures. Did the workforce adhere to proper IT shutdown, what are the protocols for your essential employees, sanitization and how does it impact risk, and security? Was the company ready to handle the much-needed applications for work-at-home employees? OSA definitely had to pivot. Was the physical warehouse or plant safe with little to no presence of personnel? Did managers have the ability to view the worksite remotely?

This pandemic will change the outlook of this nation for quite some time, some good, some not so. The lessons to be learned, however, are not all national in scope. Some are profoundly local, even personal. The lessons cut across all boundaries, both vertically and laterally, and the companies who analyze their response to the pandemic, will find themselves at the forefront of risk mitigation, business continuity, and protective security measures. For example:

• Spend a few more security dollars to vet and establish an intern program that can accomplish some tasks without the expense of full-time employees. Perform
• Use the interim shutdown to analyze inefficiencies, continuity planning and crisis management.
• Perform an assessment, update the outdated solutions, and look at your SOP’s for all your crisis management needs.
• Make an appointment with a security specialist company to perform an assessment and risk analysis.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that OSA is a security solutions company proficient in all areas. We will recommend product agnostic solutions, install CCTV, access controls, perimeter and gate solutions, as well as all types of structured cabling to support low voltage and the IoT infrastructure.

The entire nation understood the need for personal safety from the virus. That’s why suppliers ran out of masks and other PPE. Companies should “mask” themselves from the many corporate dangers out there, trying to get in.

Article by the OSA Marketing Team