Page 34 - Security Today, September 2020

COVID-19 Playing Havoc in Nearly Every Vertical
By Ralph C. Jensen
Nearly every country, most business elements and certainly every person has been touched by the devastation that is the coronavirus. The bank- ing vertical is no exception, and certainly not immune to the security challenges related to the virus.
If people aren’t coming to the local bank for financial transactions, what role does security play?
Chris Sessa, director of key accounts at Salient, says his role in the security and banking world hasn’t really changed that much. Other than not getting on an airplane to visit clients, it’s still business as usual.
“Normally, we are involved in meetings with the customer inside their facility. COVID-19 has changed all of that,” Sessa said. “We like to involve the integrator, our product reps and partner reps, but now we rely on virtual meetings to ensure our customer have what they need, and that they understand the many options available to them with our software.
“Right now, virtual calls are the way we keep customer relationships going,” he said.
After an installation, Sessa said that it is his goal to make sure the customer is happy, that they like the features available to them and that he can show them more options. There is still a way to move business forward and make sure security is still front and center.
Working with the IT departments, Sessa said he also engages the security and risk management teams. COVID-19 has fostered many un- wanted and fraudulent results. Certain government entities have issues financial advisories to alert banks and financial institutions be aware of secure financial risks. As is the case with any challenge, there are imposters who will try to skirt security for their own illegal gain.
“A goal of ours is to ensure we bring more innovation to the corporate bank setting, especially as we see the brick and mortar banks declining and construction of new branches slowing down,” Sessa said. “Among the security details that we focus are drive through banking, and in some banks the software application of facial recognition.”
Facial recognition isn’t a new feature set to the financial industry as more banks and corporate settings see the solution as a benefit. Sessa said the important thing to remember is setting up the security in a way that will compliment the security role that financial organizations want to achieve.
As in many instances worldwide, there seems to be a struggle with in-person security meetings, but people are quickly figuring out what works, and while the virus is making some things difficult, people are resilient and find new ways to ensure their vertical market is safe and secure.
Ralph C. Jensen is the editor-in-chief at Security Today magazine.
shows exact capacity at any moment. This ensures they are fol- lowing the proper health guidelines imposed by authorities and they will meet internal and external compliance standards, which help preserve the bank’s integrity and reputation.
Banks can use contact tracing tools to track employees who may have been near a person who tested positive for COVID-19. If a person tested positive or was exposed, those who have been exposed to that person could easily be identified. Visitor manage- ment systems can control and authorize visitors before they arrive. A temporary card can be used from the phone via a QR card read- er, eliminating the need to touch a card. Visitors can be required to answer COVID-19 related questions and remotely sign policy doc- uments before being allowed access to a building, ensuring compli- ance while keeping employees safe from exposure to the virus.
Security officers can capture events using the data from other systems to contain and recover preventing the spread of infec- tion. Proper tracking of COVID-19 diagnoses and all events within an incident management system will help the bank remain in compliance.
CROSS COLLABORATION
Deploying the best technologies can help provide a powerful and comprehensive insider threat and security program, but to have a top-notch program, an organization must have cross-col- laboration between its departments. Key stakeholders from HR, legal, IT, facilities and compliance should meet regularly with the security team.
“Reach out and discuss the benefits of having a strong rela- tionship with different departments to not only help build an in- sider threat program and improve security overall, but to benefit the company as a whole,” Bissmeyer said. “Eliminating silos and working cross-functionally is the only way to have a first-rate se- curity program.”
Different departments perform different investigations and cross-communication could streamline the process and benefit other programs such as workplace violence, business continuity, and crisis management. All of these programs touch other de- partments.
Invite members from these departments to attend regular staff meetings, and request to have someone from the security depart- ment at their meetings. Understanding what is happening in other departments eliminates surprises and helps each team be more proactive.
Together, establish workflows when incidents or crises are identified. Dynamic, distributed and auditable workflows will create a streamlined response and improve reaction time. CO- VID-19 challenged all aspects of the banking business. Imple- menting cross-collaboration communication
and workflows, along with the right technolo- gies will help banks be better prepared for the next crisis.
Kami Dukes is the director of business develop- ment at AMAG Technology.
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