Contributor: John Piccininni
Recent Posts by John Piccininni:
Record Number of Healthcare Facility Public-Safety Related Deaths in 2012
Hospitals are becoming a more dangerous place to work, according to a report published by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety. IAHSS reports that the number of homicides at member facilities is the highest for the 20 years it has been keeping such statistics. According to the report, in addition to the 8 reported deaths, healthcare facility crime increased in nearly every category since the most recent survey in 2010, with significant rise in the number of simple assaults, larceny and thefts, vandalism, rape and other sexual assaults. A...
Read More Leave A CommentHIPAA Enforcement Widens
Too many small and medium size organizations believe that governance and compliance are things that only the “big guys” need to worry about, and delay implementing measures that provide proper levels of security. And, as with most government compliance mandates, enforcement did start at the top, as HHS targeted organizations like Blue Cross of Tennessee ($1.7M fine) and the Alaska Department of Health ($1.5M fine) for data breaches as defined under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). But the recent loss a laptop that contained patient data at the...
Read More Leave A CommentConsolidating Multiple Access Control Systems
Question: Over the years, my company has deployed or inherited several access control systems, including a couple by a manufacturer who has discontinued the product I use. Not a “perfect picture” to say the least. My traveling personnel need to carry multiple cards, and managing them in these various systems is a challenge. Is there any way to consolidate cards and user management across these systems? Answer: First of all, you are not alone. This is an issue faced by many organizations. Many of these legacy systems were deployed before...
Read More Leave A CommentIs Convergence of Physical And Logical Access Control All Talk, Or Is It The Next Big Thing?
The correct answer is…both. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know, and that was the case a few years ago when the physical security world declared that physical security and IT were now converged. Early on, it was more of a marketing term than reality. It sounded cool, and IT, after all, was where the money was. To many in the physical security business, convergence meant connecting your current hardwired product to a device that converted serial communications to TCP/IP. To others, it meant using the same card to...
Read More Leave A Comment