Volume 4, Issue 1

November 2006  

About Per Mar

Contact Us

CORPORATE OFFICE

Per Mar Security Services
Per Mar Centre
1910 East Kimberly Rd
Davenport, IA 52807
Tel# 1-800-4-PERMAR (737627)
Fax # 563-359-6700

Per Mar Security Service ‘RACES’ into a New Venue

Prevent Laptop Theft

Employee Crime: Big Threat to Small Companies

Five Tips to Properly Delete Sensitive Data

U.S. Plans to Screen All Who Enter, Leave Country

Per Mar Security Service ‘RACES’ into a New Venue

In February of 2006, Per Mar Security Services contacted the management staff at a new motor speedway being constructed in Newton, Iowa informing them of our experience in special event staffing and of our desire to provide them with our services. Due to positive feedback from our current special event customers Per Mar was awarded the contract and began providing service at The Iowa Speedway on September 15th, 2006.

The Iowa Speedway is the nation’s newest and most state of the art motor sports facility. Located just off I-80, this track showcases the first ever driver designed track. The Rusty Wallace designed track offers a 7/8 mile tri-oval banked asphalt race track situated on 600 acres of beautiful Iowa landscape and can be seen by both east and west bound I-80 traffic. The facility also features seven other race tracks incorporated into the complex.

Services Per Mar is providing is similar to those at football games: Parking staff, ticket takers, bag checking, ushers, suite and Newton Club attendants checking credentials, infield security, licensed security officers working with track security, D.O.T. staff, and local, county and stated law enforcement. Staff recruitment has come from a large area of central Iowa communities. For some, the racing environment was a new experience; others have been around race tracks as fans.

Probably the greatest difference between working at a football game and working at the race track is racing is a three day affair. Fans arrive early on Friday to see practice runs, time trials and a variety of other activities that go on in preparation for the actual races and stay through the racing schedule on Sunday. Motor homes, campers, and tent camping are a common sight throughout the weekend.

The 2006 inaugural season has been a success and the 2007 season is shaping up to be even more exciting. June 24, 2007 the Iowa Speedway will be hosting the Iowa Corn Indy 250 with Indy cars and many of the well known Indy drivers racing that day.

Recently, the Panther and Rahal/Letterman race teams brought in their Honda powered cars fueled with 100 percent fuel grade ethanol, that all teams will use in 2007, to test various tire compounds and various aerodynamic settings for the cars.

Make plans to join us in 2007 in Newton, Iowa at the Iowa Speedway for an exciting racing season.

Prevent Laptop Theft

Laptop theft is one of the fastest ways to lose critical company data today. Here are 7 key things you can do with your laptop to assure that you are protecting your personal and sensitive information.

• When moving to different locations keep your belongings in sight and never leave your laptop unattended.
• Do not leave your laptop in a vehicle, but if you must, put it in the trunk or cover it up. Do not leave it in plain view.
• Don't leave a meeting or conference room without your laptop. Take it with you.
• Lock your laptop in your office or work area during off-hours. If necessary have a locked closet or cabinet.
• Your company should have a sign-in system by laptop serial number for visitors.
• Don't let unaccompanied visitors in your office or work area.
• Get, or ask your employer to supply a cable and lock for your laptop when left unattended.

Employee Crime: Big Threat to Small Companies

More than one in three (36 percent) private companies, many of which were uninsured, experienced an employee theft averaging nearly $350,000 within the past five years, according to research by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. And more companies may now face a similar situation as they execute plans for staff reductions and budget cuts — actions which tend to motivate employees to steal funds, equipment and inventory.

"It's the perfect storm," said Gregory Bangs, manager of the crime unit at the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. "Despite corporate America's emphasis on a more ethical business culture, employee crime continues to drain corporate coffers by an average of six percent each year. Furthermore, many more employees may steal from their employers as a large number of private companies take actions that typically unsettle employees."

According to the 2005 Chubb Private Company Risk Survey, 31 percent of companies plan to outsource major functions or operations, 21 percent plan to reduce their workforce, and 20 percent plan to reduce or eliminate some employee benefits this year.

"Larger firms may be able to absorb the financial shocks of employee crime, but smaller firms may be faced with financial disaster. Surprisingly, our research shows that more than two-thirds of private companies do not buy crime insurance," said Bangs. "Regardless of size, strong risk management and ethics programs can help companies reduce the potential for white-collar crime, and insurance can help them recoup some of the losses."

To help businesses create risk management plans to prevent workplace fraud, Chubb has published a Guide to Preventing Workplace Fraud: Taking Action to Reduce Business Crime Exposure. The 53-page handbook discusses the threat posed by various types of fraud and suggests specific risk management strategies. It can be downloaded at: www.chubb.com/businesses/chubb3331.html.

Source: Insurance Journal October 31, 2006

Five Tips to Properly Delete Sensitive Data

"Delete" does not necessarily mean gone, according to Jim Reinert, senior director of software and services for Ontrack Data Recovery. Erasing sensitive information takes more than hitting the "delete" key or putting unwanted documents in the recycle bin and emptying the trash. Data must be overwritten or else it still exists on the hard drive.

Reinert says the most effective way to delete data is to use professional deletion software that overwrites all addressable sectors on the drive to specific standards.

"Data deletion is becoming increasingly important as both businesses and individuals continue to store more and more valuable information," he says.

To assist companies in practicing effective, efficient deleting, Ontrack offers the following advice to protect a company's and its customers' sensitive data:

1. Normal erasing of files is not enough. The "delete" command only updates a table that tells the operating system that the file has been deleted. Even though average users are not able to access the file, the entire contents of the file are still there.
   
   
2. Formatting. Many people believe that reformatting their drive will be sufficient to erase the old data -- that is not the case. As with deleting, the format command updates tables indicating that all files and catalogues have been deleted, but does not physically delete the data from the storage medium.
   
   
3. Overwriting with file shredding software. Common file deletion tools only erase certain files and certain partitions, never the entire hard disk. This is a common misconception for companies trying to delete old data. Using these tools, it is difficult to guarantee that all data has physically been overwritten. A user cannot control when and where data is saved on the media because the system may have saved the same contents at several different "temporary" sites. To be sure that all data is overwritten, it is best to use professional data deletion software.
   
   
4. Dealing with damaged media. Even if storage media is severely damaged, the information on it may still be accessible. It is possible to partially or fully retrieve data that is stored on a physically damaged storage medium. For situations where companies need to dispose of damaged media, they should use a degausser that can demagnetize the data and completely erase the drive.
   
   
5. Multiple solutions. For any company looking to bring its deletion policies in line with Microsoft's suggestions, it is imperative that they work with a professional vendor that offers multiple solutions.

Source: www.securitysolutions.com (11/07/06)

U.S. Plans to Screen All Who Enter, Leave Country

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday an ambitious border-security program that calls for all people who enter or leave the United States--including those on foot or in cars--to be screened for terrorism risks. The program calls for terrorism risk profiles of these individuals to be created, with the risk profiles retained by the DHS for up to 40 years "to cover the potentially active lifespan of individuals associated with terrorism or other criminal activities." The data would be stored and analyzed via a program known as the Automated Targeting System, which was designed for screening ship cargo. The DHS further explained that the risk profiles would be retained for so long because "the risk assessment for individuals who are deemed low risk will be relevant if their risk profile changes in the future." Civil libertarians criticized the announcement over privacy concerns.

Source: Washington Post (11/03/06) Nakashima, Ellen; Hsu, Spencer S.

Quote of the Month:
"He who receives a good turn should never forget it; he who does one should never remember it."