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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Education, First Preventer, Health Care, indicators, News, Prevention, Risk Management, School Safety, Video, Workplace Violence

This message is probably the most important message for LEADERS of schools, higher ed, organizations, and communities that I’ve ever shared in any of my videos. When you don’t know what others know, bad things can happen and we see examples of bad things happening on a DAILY basis. To stop the bad things from happening, a new Prevention Model is needed, because more security and hardening is getting ready to react to an attack, not preventing an attack. To all LEADERS, when you don’t know what 20+ years of research data has exposed about proactively PREVENTING incidents and tragedies, your organization and community areRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Connect the Dots, Risk Management, School Safety, Threat Assessment Team, Warning Signs

How many times have you read a headline or story about an incident or tragedy and it mentioned how warning signs and red flags were missed, ignored, or not acted on? How many times have you had an incident at your organization and found out afterward that others were aware of warning signs and red flags before, but you and your team were not aware of them? Even though more than enough warning signs and red flags were observed, leaked, reported, and available before most incidents and tragedies, prevention efforts still failed again and again. Are you asking yourself why and how you can makeRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, First Preventer, Incident Reporting, Prevention, Risk Management, School Safety, Threat Assessment Team, Workplace Violence

I am proud to share this new Case Study featured in April’s issue of Security Management magazine (an ASIS publication) that features Awareity’s client, Captain Kevin Griger of the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office in Nebraska. The leadership of Captain Griger is next level in how Threat Assessment Teams in schools and organizations, as well as entire communities, can proactively intervene, disrupt, and prevent incidents before they happen.  See some of Captain Griger’s quotes from the case study below: Threat Assessment Teams “As people come up on the radar, one way or another—whether through the school or through anonymous notification—our threat assessment team then sits downRead More →

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In: Campus Safety, Education, Prevention, Rick's Notes, Risk Management, School Safety, Security, Video

Are you tasked with keeping students safe but you don’t afford an SRO or more SROs? There’s a better solution for threat assessment teams, watch now! Looking for more information? Click here or use the form to your right to reach out and we’ll be in touch with more information! Real people connecting the dots, who could ask for more?  Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Hackers, Information Security, Risk Management

Cybercrime Gangs and Cybercrime for Hire – Are You Sure Your People Are Ready for This? According to BankInfoSecurity.com, Cybercrime Gangs are hiring! Cybercrime gangs are hiring hackers who can “send ‘violent and graphic’ emails and text messages to schoolchildren’s parents, blackmail healthcare organizations, manufacturers, technology companies and law firms, or leak unaired episodes of “Orange is the New Black,” preferably while also being fluent in Arabic, Chinese or German”. On the darknet cybercrime forum, there are hacking service offerings for hacking web server, setting up keylogger software, DDOS, hacking personal computers, hacking cell phones, hacking email or social media accounts, changing school grades, andRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Connect the Dots, Education, First Preventer, Incident Reporting, indicators, Risk Management, School Safety, Security

It’s no secret Security Cameras are on almost every school and organization’s wish list, especially at budget time. In fact, billions of dollars have been invested in Security Cameras and other security products… but questions about whether Security Cameras are the best solution for preventing Active Shooters and other acts of violence are emerging. Recent media stories are questioning the law of diminishing returns and Market Analysts are commenting on how anxiety is bolstering multi-billion-dollar security industry. Jim Dearing, an economist at the market research firm HIS Markit, commented how, “The U.S. spends a lot more per capita on security than any other country,” yetRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, First Preventer, Incident Reporting, Risk Management, School Safety, Uncategorized

[Prevention] Would you prefer to REACT to an attacker at your front door? Or would you prefer to DISRUPT and PREVENT the attacker from getting to your front door? At speaking events, 99.9% of people raise their hand for prevention, but is that where people are putting their energy and budgets? How does an active shooter drill – teaching run, hide, fight – prevent the next shooter? It doesn’t! We’re not saying these drills aren’t important, but how are they preventing future incidents? How does a camera prevent the next shooter/shooting? It doesn’t! A camera has never stopped a gunman. How does a crisis orRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Prevention, Risk Management

I have seen multiple e-mail Subject Lines, Webinars, and articles eluding to a similar topic “The easiest/best way to prepare for an active shooter incident…” Is this really what your people in your organization or your community want? Do your people really want to “prepare for an active shooter incident”? I doubt it!  To see for yourself, ask your people the following question: Would you rather prevent an active shooter or react to an active shooter? I ask this question all the time when I speak and every time 100% of people raise their hand that they would rather prevent an active shooter… not prepare forRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Hackers, Human Resources, Information Security, Risk Management, Security

ONGOING PATCHING is one of the BEST ways to prevent expensive and embarrassing information security breaches. Equifax failed to PATCH a server and it led to 143 million of Americans (perhaps even you and me) having their sensitive information exposed to cybercriminals. Two top Equifax IT executives have stepped down (and were called out by name in negative headlines) because they failed to make sure the ONGOING PATCHING of their servers took place in a timely manner to prevent hackers from gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information. Equifax is just one of thousands of organizations that have failed to make sure ONGOING PATCHING is takingRead More →