Blog 15.06.18

Security from the inside out: Interview with Will Stanway, Technology Manager at Vigilance

Over the past few months we have seen a great uptake in IoT products making their way into the hands of consumers. Vigilance is no stranger to this field having deployed a significant amount of internet enabled devices to help secure our clients’ premises.

As with any new device, its effectiveness must be carefully considered. The security of IoT devices is an important consideration. With new legislation hitting the UK last month (GDPR) IT systems protection is at the forefront of minds, and cyber security has to be carefully considered with every device. GDPR places the onus for device security upon users and service providers’ failure to comply can lead to eye watering fines of up to €20m or 4% of global turnover - whichever is higher. No organisation can afford to ignore the new legislation.

Following our 'Technology vs Manpower' theme, we sat down with Will Stanway, Technology Manager at Vigilance to discuss our approach to technology within security. Here are 5 actions we are implementing here at Vigilance to ensure that we can always meet our clients' needs.

1. GDPR is one of the big driving points for us. We always strive to maintain the highest standards possible as an SME for protecting data within Vigilance. With the introduction of the GDPR looming we were given another opportunity to reexamine our systems, adapt for new requirements and bolster our current provisions.

2. Networking is a key opportunity for us to identify new products that could be beneficial. Trade shows such as IPEXPO and this week’s IFSEC at ExCel London give an invaluable opportunity to interact with suppliers and clients alike to see new products and also learn from industry professionals via the wide variety of available seminars that run throughout the day.

3. One of our most important approaches to technology at Vigilance is the systems design approach we adopt. We don’t just take a single system and implement and train our staff in it. We start at the very beginning with analysing data flows, how they need to be processed and the information that needs to be outputted, either internally or to inform our clients. We factor in how our staff are likely to interact with the data and design the tools and methods appropriately. Working in this way, it's often the case that one software package won't fit the entirety of the bill. It’s in this area where Vigilance truly excels, as we are able to design integration packages between various aspects of software (input, processing, output) to provide a unique modular system that delivers the required information with reliability, security and personalisation.

4. To achieve the above goals when building systems we make heavy use of open source software. Using this type of software gives Vigilance a competitive advantage as it allows us to adapt existing premade products, strengthening or customising their functionality as required. It means the customer is presented with information exactly as we want them to receive it, in the simplest and most digestible form that is also compatible with all our own internal systems.

5. Vigilance also ensures that all site operatives have managed smartphones available to them on each of our company’s assignments. This allows us to enable 2 way communication in the form of company wide alerts, which may take the form of an intelligence alert, a group message or a warning. Equally we can use the smart phones to harvest data from any given site assignment, or regional area that allows us to assess the performance of our workforce and build an overall picture of the security in a given geographical location. Obviously, that lets us develop quite a full profile of what challenges our staff and customers may face at any particular time or place. It’s a graphic representation of how technology and security feed synergistically into one another.

Talk to us about your security needs and find out how we’ll keep you protected. Get in touch at solutions@vigilanceprotects.com.