Security Systems: An Ounce of Prevention

Although Puerto Vallarta is perceived as the securest city in Mexico, there are situations owners must address to properly protect and monitor their businesses.

Puerto Vallarta is perceived as the securest city in Mexico, as found by the Encuesta Nacional de Seguridad Pública Urbana (National Survey of Urban Public Security) prepared by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) (National Institute of Statistics and Geography), whose results have placed Vallarta in first place for several consecutive months.

However, theft and vandalism, as well as dishonest acts by employees, are phenomena employers must address. “These are the most frequent crimes, but they can be prevented and monitored with security systems,” says Leonardo Villarreal, general director of Alarmas y Sistemas Tessla, a Vallarta company that provides professional security services for companies and individuals.

According to Villarreal, in security matters, prevention is essential. He notes that the most common mistake among entrepreneurs and businessmen is “thinking that these acts will not happen to their company or ignoring signs of what is happening around and within the business.”

Therefore, he emphasizes that anyone who has a business must take out damage and theft insurance, in addition to contracting the services of a security company, “to help with evaluating the vulnerabilities of the business and the property, analyzing the crime rate in the area, minimizing the valuables kept at the business, restricting financial information to the fewest people possible and developing an optimum system for hiring personnel.”

A business must have at least one alarm, preferably monitored by a security company, as well as a closed-circuit video system (CCTV). In the case of some businesses, they must also have trained security guards.

The private security industry is constantly advancing, offering increasingly improved services and products to ensure clients’ safety and well-being. “The security systems are evolving toward a level of efficiency with no margin of error in emitting alerts, minimizing failures due to outages of power, Wi-Fi or telephony. In addition, customers can oversee the security of their business or property in real time, monitoring the system via cell phone, activating and deactivating it through Wi-Fi, and reviewing video recordings from anywhere there is Internet access. Today, there are even systems to monitor vehicle use, continuously gathering data such as gas level, miles traveled, route and exact location. If you wish, you can even turn off the engine remotely,” says Villarreal.

The Importance of Computer Security

The use of equipment and computer systems that are permanently connected to networks is very common today because of the supposed benefits to business operations. “Companies are more connected than ever and have computer systems to manage customers and inventories; however, the computers in which this information is administered and stored expose companies to various hazards,” warns Favian Ayón, systems administrator and technology consultant.

In Puerto Vallarta, the biggest problems Ayón faces are fraud; digital identity theft; loss of information due to lack of support; theft of bank, client and database information; alteration of surveillance systems; Trojan infections and attacks on websites, where content and files are maliciously altered.

To avoid these problems, he recommends hiring a professional service that guarantees IT security, but he also emphasizes the importance of familiarizing all involved personnel with the tools and systems in use, so they are aware of the risks.

Some of the basic tips Ayón offers include separating public and administrative networks, changing modem settings, using WPA2 encryption on Wi-Fi networks, not using administrative user accounts on devices, not using unlicensed software, limiting public information and using two-factor authentication. In addition, he recommends installing surveillance cameras with motion and sound sensors, constantly backing up information (either in the cloud or on a separate computer), installing a firewall, separating the customer and administrative networks and controlling access to sensitive information.

Like Villarreal, Ayón warns that the worst mistake is thinking things like that “won’t happen to me; I don’t have any important information, so just the password is enough. Who would want to hack me?” That kind of thinking flouts the number of problems currently experienced in the area of information and communications. It is important to remember that everything on the Internet is salable. So, we need at least a basic understanding of how all the devices we use work and where our information goes.

Alarmas y Sistemas Tessla offers security services through intelligent systems and the monitoring of alerts. For more information or to contract services, call (322) 224-4500, email leo.villarreal@tessla.mx or visit tessla.mx.