Tighter security systems for GECCU

Topping the list of any business manager’s concerns is security: burglary, property crime, employee safety, employee theft, and information security.{{more}}

To protect against these and other threats, and increase their business value at the same time, the General Employees Co-operative Credit Union Ltd (GECCU) is leading the way by investing in a three tier state-of-the art integrated security system.

In an exclusive interview with SEARCHLIGHT, General Manager of GECCU, Lennox Bowman, said the management of GECCU is aware that it has a duty to its members to protect their assets.

“The increase in the sort of crimes we’re seeing, physical and data, requires that businesses and indeed private homes put in place measures to mitigate any negative impact. This is a responsibility we at GECCU take very seriously,” said Bowman.

Bowman, who has established the reputation as a forward-looking businessman, explained that his management team has always been security conscious, not only in terms of physical security, but in all areas which have potential to negatively impact human and information assets.

The General Manager explained that over the years GECCU has been beefing up its Information Technology and also has been slowly upgrading the company’s procedures and equipment to protect the company against any eventualities.

“A few years ago, we were the first to introduce electronic photo identification of our members and we have also been paying great attention to data security and data integrity,” outlined Bowman.

The Manager said he believes GECCU is among the first to have completed a policy for its workers on Occupational Safety and Health.

“I would encourage companies to take security seriously. It’s their responsibility and duty to protect their physical, human and data assets. All of that must be underpinned by frequent staff meetings geared at educating them,” said Bowman.

Bowman expressed that he believes the government of St.Vincent and the Grenadines should give serious consideration to duty free concessions for equipment associated with electronic security.

“This coincides with the pronouncements of the Commissioner of Police who continues to encourage our businesses and private citizens to be vigilant,” said Bowman.

Meanwhile, it is widely argued that integrated security systems greatly improve the overall security of physical and logical assets.

In addition to these advantages, integrated, intelligent security systems enable businesses to broaden their security objectives and expand them to help meet their overall core business goals.

Key to achieving these are three important benefits of integration: A single user interface into all building systems; the ability to manage all facilities and remote sites from a single computer or a variety of devices anytime, anywhere; and the ability to add intelligence to security systems and link them to business management systems.(HN)