Most articles I have read on security seem to concentrate on the sensational. A hacker worms his way in from the outside and voila he has all your personal information, your credit card numbers, your social security number, etc. Or, a virus opens up your system and starts transmitting all your secrets to some unknown location on the Internet.
More recently I have seen articles that highlight the fact that you are more likely to loose data due to employee dishonesty than to an external attack. And while that is likely to be the most devastating type of attack, it is still not the one I've seen the most often.
All of the above are important and you should take steps to ensure that your data is safe from them. But the number one cause that I have seen for loss of data throughout the years is... "The ye old snatch and grab. " Some low life common ordinary criminal breaks into your office and steals the box.
The good news is, he is normally not after your data, he is after the box. And he may not even have the technical skill to get to any of it, especially if it is properly secured. The bad news is you can't be sure of that. So all of the legally required steps that must be taken when data is lost have to be done.
So... What do you do about it? Physical security of a computer is pretty much the same as physical security for a file cabinet or a cash box. I like to think of it as three simple steps:
Deter - Detect - Harass
Deter:
Decent locks, business watch groups, alarm systems, security patrols, etc. all act as deterrents. And, don't forget that most vital part of a security patrol or an alarm system is the stickers and notices that say that you have one. They do 99% of the work, so make sure you put them up.
Visible external bells and light systems are also nice. They let your potential intruder know you aren't going to take their intrusion lying down.
Also try and keep valuable items out of plain sight, and away from windows. These items are the reverse of a deterrent, they tend to invite the thief to break in.
Detect:
This is primarily the job of your alarm system. If the intruder goes undetected he can work at his leisure and you will loose far more of your valuables. It's also vital for the next step.
Harass:
Annoy him. Slow him down.... Have a nice loud ear splitting buzzer to keep him constantly reminded that the police are on their way. Put locks on internal doors, lock your file cabinets, etc.
Cable or bolt your computers and external drives to the walls or desks; but do not cable the monitors, printers, scanners or other valuable peripherals. Those are easy to replace, your data is not. Give him something easy to grab and he will likely grab that and run. Most thieves are not after your data, most wouldn't even know what to do with it. They want something they can sell quickly and easily, they know they only have a few minutes to work. So give them something easy and get them the heck out of there.
-----
Well... that's step one. Have anything you do to Deter, Detect or Harass that I didn't mention? Leave a comment and let me know.