Is Your Accounting Department Secure? 5 Places to Lock Up

Security is an important issue throughout your company. But some departments naturally need more attention to security measures inside and out. Accounting is one of these areas of special concern. Is your accounting department as secure as it should be? If you're not sure, here are five places where you should assess security now and on an ongoing basis.

1. Department Perimeters

No matter whether your accounting is a one-person operation or a multi-person department, it needs to be secured from the rest of the office. This could be as simple as locking the office where you do the bookkeeping. Or it could include coded access to relevant employees who need to be in and out of the department. The farther that unauthorized people get into the accounting, the more you are at risk.

2. Individual Employee Offices

If you do have more than one accounting office, each separate office should have its own locks. Even within accounting, not all employees should be allowed freely in any given area or office. Some tasks, such as payroll, are more sensitive than others, so these need added layers of security.

Modern technology allows you to provide security targeted to the way staff actually uses interior spaces. If you need to secure a shared office, for example, you could use a coded access control system that logs which users' codes are used at which times. If anything happens, you know exactly who came and went and at what times. You can also change the codes on a regular basis for added safety.

3. Desks and Cabinets

How secure are individual filing systems, cabinets, desks, and drawers? Modern security technology means you can - and should - assess the needs of each workspace and storage area on its own.

Look around your accounting offices with an eye for the details. Do you keep petty cash in a drawer? This needs its own lock and key or codes for authorized personnel. Do employees leave sensitive projects or personally-identifiable information in their desks overnight? Give them a way to lock up these. Are employee files or customer information stored in individual offices? Add item-specific locks.

4. Management Areas

Any individuals with more responsibility and higher security clearance within the company should have their own security features. Accounting managers, controllers, CFOs, and supervisors often work with sensitive company information that shouldn't get out. They should use offices with access control at a minimum.

You may also need to provide added security for conference rooms where they discuss company matters or work areas for large projects. Even if these areas don't always hold sensitive material, pre-installation means users will have ready access to ways to protect things on an 'as needed' basis.

5. Long-Term Storage

The accounting department is often required to maintain records for a long period of time. Individual time frames vary, but you may need to store files for years. This is a high-risk point, though, because it's often kept outside the main accounting area and may even be largely forgotten. These files, too, may have personal information for customers or employees, credit card information, and company financial records.

Don't underestimate the need for security in storage areas. Again, it should have outside perimeter access control measures along with added features like cameras or motion sensors. If files are divided by category, you could also opt to add extra layers of security for each separate section.

When was the last time you or your accounting staff assessed the security of this valuable department? If it's been a while, now is a good time to rectify matters. Start by meeting with the security pros at Phoenix Access Control today.