THE MAGAZINE

June 2008

SECURITY IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM

Plus: Safety Cultures • Data Policies • Master Plans

COVER STORY

Saving Lives Securely

By Laura Spadanuta

To ensure a safe environment for patients, visitors, and medical staff, hospitals have to consider security in both the design and operation of the emergency room.

 

FEATURES

Smart Phone Data Protection

By John Wagley

As smart phones have evolved into mini-computers, it’s become crucial to protect them from a growing list of threats.

 

Strategies and Tactics to Counter Terrorist Attacks

By David Harding

A security specialist  explains how organizations operating in volatile regions can counter terrorist attacks based on his experience in Kirkuk, Iraq. (Online Exclusive)

HOMELAND SECURITY

Probing Ports' Murky Depths

By Joseph Straw

A new sonar array installed at a port in New Hampshire monitors underwater areas for suspicious activity.

Calculating the Margin of Terror

By Joseph Straw

A new behavioral modeling software program tries to predict how a terrorist organization will act given an environmental variable.

State Perspective - Oklahoma

By Joseph Straw

Interview with Kerry Pettingill, director of the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security.

Numbers

18

The percentage drop in apprehensions at the southern border for the first quarter of 2008. According to testimony by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the reduction is a trend (apprehensions dropped 20 percent overall in 2007 from the previous year) and indicates that fewer immigrants are attempting to enter the country illegally.

PRINT EDITION ONLY

Insider Theft, Fires, and Vandals Top List of Museum Concerns

By Susan Mandel

Museums should address insider threats.

How to Cultivate a Safety Culture

By Marcus Perdue

The message that safety is a priority must be pervasive, and the safety culture concept must be reinforced through practices and an incentive system.

Simple Steps to Data Protection

By Gary Palgon

A company must protect personally identifiable information it holds. These policies are key.

Benefits of a Master Plan

By Teresa Anderson

Learn how one university developed a security master plan to help it meet the evolving needs of new facilities.

Preventing Wrongful Deportation

By Laura Spadanuta

The case of a mentally impaired person who was deported despite being a citizen has raised questions about the government's deportation procedures.

Is Private Industry a TSA Scapegoat?

By Laura Spadanuta

Government blames private industry for the lack of new security technology while private industry blames government for not encouraging the development of new technology.

Legal Report

By Teresa Anderson

Rulings on discrimination, drug testing, and arbitration; plus legislation on border security, intellectual property, and identity theft.

Industry News

By Ann Longmore-Etheridge

ASIS puts its updated directory online, the Society issues a reprint of its security careers booklet, and David Horsburgh, CPP, PCI, PSP, is profiled.

Facilitating Creative Thinking

By Michael Stroberger, CPP

Sometimes it pays to start with a blank slate and rethink what the best solution to security problems might be.

 

The Magazine — Past Issues

EDITOR'S NOTE

Agencies Still Handle Data with Disregard

By Sherry Harowitz

Is the government putting data at risk?

TECHNOFILE

Printer Vulnerabilities Exposed

By John Wagley

Equipped with routers and servers, printers can be exploited in the same way as computers.

Strengthening Software at the Source

By John Wagley

A movement to strengthen software development quality-control standards has been growing.

Reconsidering the Wisdom of Thin Clients

By John Wagley

Thin-client computers, say enthusiasts, provide a highly secure, less-expensive alternative to desktop PCs.

Quick Bytes: Health Bug

Hacking attacks against healthcare organizations increased 85 percent between February 2007 and January 2008, according to SecureWorks.

Quick Bytes: Skills Needed

There’s a wide gap between the IT security skills that companies seek and those that candidates have, according to a survey by the Computing Technology Industry Association.

Behind the Numbers: Companies Without a Comprehensive Privacy Policy

By Forrester Research, Inc.

INTERNATIONAL

China's Pirates Move Up Value Chain

By John Barham

As counterfeit goods from China become more sophisticated, legitimate businesses in the region are joining law enforcement to seek solutions.

German Courts Rule Against Snooping

By John Barham

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that law enforcement agencies cannot spy on a suspect's computer, cell phone, PDA, or MP3 player except in a few carefully defined cases.

An "Iron River of Guns" Flows South

By John Barham

Weapons from American gun shows and stores are showing up in Mexico's drug wars.

Governments Share Data

The United States and Germany will share access to databases with personal data, including fingerprints and DNA information, of people suspected of terrorist activity.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Top 10 Security Industry Private Investments for March

By Venture Business Research

Certification Profile

By Vicki Moeser, ASIS Public Relations Manager

This month's certification profile is David Horsburgh, CPP, PCI, PSP.

Top 10 Performing Security Industry Stocks for March

By SecurityStockWatch.com
CASE STUDY

Securing Medical Data

By Teresa Anderson

To better protect the sensitive information provided by its members and improve its Web interface, MedicAlert turned to specialty software.

BOOK REVIEWS

Security Convergence: Managing Enterprise Security Risk

By Dave Tyson; Reviewed by Karim H. Vellani, CPP, CSC

The text is an eye-opener for security professionals unfamiliar with the parallels between the dual disciplines of physical and logical security.

Business Background Investigations: Tools and Techniques for Solution Driven Due Diligence

By Cynthia Hetherington; Reviewed by Peter Psarouthakis

A quality resource for background investigators who find it difficult to navigate through the myriad sources of information.

The Sentinel CEO: Perspectives on Security, Risk, and Leadership in a Post-9/11 World

By William G. Parret; Reviewed by Francis James D’Addario CPP, CFE

Risk-based, integrated security is a prerequisite for growth, argues a former CEO.

Terror: How Israel Has Coped and What America Can Learn

By Leonard A. Cole; Reviewed by Mayer Nudell, CSC

What can the United States learn from Israeli counterterrorism policies?

Securing VoIP Networks: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Countermeasures

By Peter Thermos and Ari Takanen; Reviewed by James R. Black, CPP, PSP, CET

Two information security experts sound the "everything over IP" wake-up call.

Zen and the Art of Information Security

By Ira Winkler; Reviewed by William Eardley IV

One might assume by the title that  Zen and the Art of Information Security is another cheesy motivational book. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

Beyond Print

Beyond Print

See all the latest links and resources that supplement the current issue of Security Management magazine.