Technicians office security!!

[johnj1710]

Anybody out there know if we absolutely have to give our office door code to the caretaker?? We have been loosing hardware bits and pieces from our office and software is at risk as well. To this end, we installed a codelock on the door. We also have an ex-technician in the school has been re-hired as an ICT teacher and has kept keys from his previous time here. He has been accessing our office in our absence whenever he likes even after having been askeed to hand back all the keys and informed that unautorised entry is not allowed. He is friends with the caretaker and we are certain the code will escape if we give it out. He is friendly with the head and the board too but we are responsible for the hardware and software in this room, aren't we? Help!!!

[Midget]

You're screwed. sorry.

[Geoff]

CCTV? (or a PC + webcam if you want to DIY it)

[Uraken]

put a lockable file cabinet in your room with everything worth nicking in it

[mikeingham]

Write the code on a piece of paper, put it in a sealed envelope and lock it in the school safe.

 

That should cover any eventuality.

 

We have shared ours with the site manager, but only because we trust him and he does plenty of other stuff for us.

[marco84]

I would go for the CCTV camera, you can pick one up that will record to VHS for next to nothing. Or go down the webcam route which would be even cheaper.

[Irazmus]

Surely the caretaker needs full access in case of break in or fire?

[tscnmuk]

Only the ICT Technical staff have a key to the office here. Not even the site manager has a key, unsure if this is "allowed" or not but it is just the way it works here. A lot of very expensive equipment and confidential data is kept in the office at all times.

[webman]

Ours has a door to the corridoor and to the adjacent ICT suite so has normal access keys on the locks, but we have a Yale lock on the corridoor-facing one which only us and the site staff keep.

 

With regards to people going in and stealing things - I'd definately go with a camera of some sort to record the evidence (a sign making people aware of this should be put up somewhere) and then present this to SMT to deal with.

[ninjabeaver]

My office here is accessed from the staff room. The door has a key that only my Linemanager has, the site officer has and me and my techie have. Only because they are trusted.

 

Personally, I'd set up a camera or two in there and see what happens. Don't forget to put a sticker / sign on the door to say that you have them running.

[MkII]

Do you house the server in the office?

 

Like Irazmus says, caretakers need access in case of fire.

 

We leave our room open all day - we're not allowed a key each between two of us, so anything else is impractical.

[goodhead]

we had a brand new dell laptop go missing.

 

There were questions about whether one of the caretakers was up to no good, the were reports that he'd been seen filling up cans of heating oil for his own use from the main school tank.

 

We have now put a combination lock on the door and the only staff to know the code are the 2 techys head of ict and the main caretaker. (who we trust)

 

We still dont have a combination lock on the server room stangely! Its the same key that unlocks alot of class rooms and all staff have keys to the rooms they teach in.

[maniac]

Our office/workshop is a series of rooms knocked into one, and has 4 (yes 4!) doors to it. We only use one of these doors, which has a yale lock on it and a generic 'E' key lock as well. Only ICT services (that's us) have keys for the yale lock, all the other doors are bolted from the inside. The site manager does have one on his main bunch, but I doubt he knows which one it is.

 

I'd discuss it with your schools SLT and see if a change can be made where your office is more secure, as it's in the schools best interests to protect its assets. If they won't agree to that, see if they'll give you secure storage to store any valuables in.

 

Our server room has its own unique key, and two key-card doors you have to go through to get into the area of the building where the door is. This was purposely designed thou, as it's in our new building. For securing your server room, just quote the data protection act at your SLT, they'll soon realise they have to secure it to remain within the law.

 

Mike.

[Ric_]

You could always change the code and see who notices... that would imply that somebody had tried to enter.

[ChrisH]

My office is basically open plan where I have half of a large room. There are two teachers on the other side. You can access my room from the classrooms either side. I have asked for a wall every year when they come round and do the building work plans but I am still waiting . The servers are secured away in their own room though where only limited personnel have the key

[john]

Mines wide open all day but locked at night, IT Technical and site manager have keys for it, but code locks are on the way

[Kyle]

We let no one in our office/server room apart from Heado of ICT adn the techs.

 

A key i slocked in the safe for emergencies which the Head/Business Manager have access only to.

[timbo343]

Our IT office is for techs only plus other IT Staff, head of ICT has his own office with the 2 other IT Teachers. We have our door closed all the time unless in holidays, then we have it open. Oh the caretakers and one cleaning staff has access too.

We have made like a little area where non-IT staff or kids stand, infact its in the door way, a little area of about 1 x 2 meter and there is a "barrier", *ahem* more like a piece of facia for trunking with a few lables on it that says IT STAFF ONLY. This is on a spring mechanism cos we are all lazy in the office so we only have to walk through it and it springs back into place. Oh, its attached to the desk with a screw.

The server room, only certain IT Teachers have access but again, ALl techs have access, as its a store room too.

[GrumbleDook]

The Server room ... techies only ... the Site Supervisor has a key and occasionally telecoms enginers go in there since we have just moved the switch into there ... but most of their stuff is done remotely.

 

The Network office ... everyone (except me) works in there and so staff and students are in and out all day. It is locked when noone is in there and the site supervisor has a key.

 

THe Workroom / store ... we share this with the cleaners but again .. us and the site supervisor and a few cleaners ...

 

The Strong Room ... us and the site supervisors ...

 

Can anyone see a theme here?

[_Bat_]

All the cleaners are banned from our office/server room after they kept pulling the plugs out to plug their vaccum in.

 

The only people to have a key to our office/server room is my Network Manager, myself, the caretaker and there is a spare in the secretaries drawer for emergencies (usually involving me locking myself out). There is rarely anyone in there apart from my network manager and myself.

[john]

I get on fine with my cleaners, they come in and never unplug anything, they normally ask where can i plug the vac in, or if they dont ask they find an unused extension from the office and use it to run power from the corridor or another office, so they are intuitive, and I don't mind that at all

[Grommit]

Only the ICT Technical staff have a key to the office here. Not even the site manager has a key, unsure if this is "allowed" or not but it is just the way it works here. A lot of very expensive equipment and confidential data is kept in the office at all times.

 

We are the same.. only ICT staff have the keys.. no one else...

[_Bat_]

I get on fine with my cleaners, they come in and never unplug anything, they normally ask where can i plug the vac in, or if they dont ask they find an unused extension from the office and use it to run power from the corridor or another office, so they are intuitive, and I don't mind that at all

 

I've never seen them do it personlly, they were banned before I even started at the school. Part of the reason is also because the vaccums obviously also contain a motor which can flick the switches quite easily knocking off power to the server room. It would be very difficult getting them to plug the vaccum into a place further away from the server room.

[localzuk]

Haha! A lock!! Wow. Some of you are privileged! My office door doesn't even have a handle. It has a hole for one...

 

I have asked for one, and it is scheduled for installation in about 3 months. Until then I have to make do with my office being open to all and sundry all day long!

 

I think I will mention it again to my boss, as I have a pile of stuff in there that is sensitive (kids data etc...), and stuff which is expensive and easily nickable.

 

The server's are away in another room though, which only staff can get to but we can't close the door at the moment as the room has no A/C so it gets a little toasty.

 

One day I'll have keys to all the ICT rooms, my office and server room.

 

On topic though, our site manager has keys to everywhere and the cleaners also have keys to the different areas (so for example the ICT suite which my office is to the side of). I trust him 100% as do I trust the cleaners who do our ICT suites. I think it comes down to trust. If you don't trust them, you should make it known - providing any evidence - to your line manager.

[alan-d]

The only people that have access to our server room/office are the people that work in there and me.

 

The caretaker doesn't want to know the combination, but we arrange a time for it to be cleaned if required.

 

The combination is in a sealed envelope locked in the Business Managers Fire Proof safe in the case of an emergency.