One of the most crucial issues for businesses right now is managing risk. After all, risk, if left unchecked, can be a serious drain on budgets and assets. While risk comes in all shapes and sizes, identifying which incidents cause the biggest danger to your company is critical to protecting your business. Let's consider the possible economic ramifications of risk on business operation

New screening tools are becoming available that will help businesses be informed about their employees as it relates to professional licenses, certifications, driving records, criminal convictions, immigration status, etc. Having this information will help firms make better decisions that will mitigate the risk associated with many employment decisions including promotions, transfers, etc. and whether employees continue to qualify for the position they hold.

In this age of heightened security, the sheer quantity of video needing to be monitored from cameras observing sensitive locations can be a daunting challenge for security professionals at all levels. Added to this task is the expense and potential fallibility of dedicated personnel hired to scrutinize video displays for extended periods of time.

Sometimes tragedy creates change for the better –a sad reality that is being illustrated on campuses across the country as an increasing number of colleges mandate background screenings for students, particularly those enrolled in health science programs.

While employment screening is standard operating procedure for many companies today, some organizations haven’t revisited their policies in some time. Meanwhile, regulatory requirements and best practices have changed. As a result, many organizations unknowingly make common mistakes in employment background screening that can result in undue risks and security gaps.

The rate at which many technologies are evolving is astounding. Just think what today’s smartphone can do, how email and the Internet have changed our work lives, or how the fax machine — though useful — is now considered outdated. This rapid evolution brings us many new opportunities; it also raises the challenge of what to do with systems, technology and equipment that are still functional, but no longer as effective. Security and surveillance markets in particular are affected by these exponential advancements.

When all is said and done, there are three variables in providing the type of recordings that the courts want.

The Arab spring along with the Japan crisis, and most recently, the floods in Thailand, have brought the topic of tracking travelers to the forefront for many security professionals but, even more importantly, so have the challenges in doing so. Here are three main challenges that continue to exist with tracking travelers globally today.

Most everyone understands keeping military bases, embassies, courts, nuclear plants and other hard targets safe from terrorists. However, today, we must also keep retail shoppers safe, shield structures from accidental or intentional automobile crashes, protect hotel patrons from suicide car bombers, and keep employees and visitors from vehicle-based harm. From pedestrian-filled farmers markets and universities to new and used car lots, a wide variety of organizations find peace of mind through the use of barriers, bollards, barricades and crash gates for vehicle-based physical access control at the perimeter. For those areas where a vehicle will never enter, fixed bollards and barriers are the norm. However, at entrances, barriers that go up and down are needed to let authorized vehicles through.

Achieving effective security over perimeters and outdoor areas often comes down to detection accuracy and solution cost. While there are a number of options available for perimeter security, thermal video analytic cameras have become a strong contender for best-of-breed in this arena.