What is the KB Way?

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By Justine King, Sales and Marketing Administrator at Kenton Brothers

Simply put, the Kenton Brothers Way is a strict set of principles each and every one of our employees are expected to adhere to. We believe that every aspect of our service both begins and ends with the customer; therefore, it is of the highest importance that our entire team follows the KB Way.

The Importance of High Standards in the Security Industry

Here at Kenton Brothers Systems for Security, we recognize the importance of the products and services we provide. Our customers trust us to protect what they hold dearest. For this reason, we focus much of our attention on building partnerships with our customers. The most effective way to prove our loyalty is by carrying out the KB Way in all aspects of our services. This means from the beginning of our sales process to the conclusion of onsite service.

Embody the KB Way

  • Be a good human: This is as simple as it sounds – be someone Mom would be proud of.
  • Know and understand KB core values: Our values are the center of how the Kenton Brothers business is run.
  • Protect people, property and possessions: We work hard to protect what our customers have worked hard for.
  • Do what you say you will: Our employees are expected to follow through and will be held accountable.
  • Clean up after yourself: Cleanliness speaks volumes.
  • Remember the customer pays our bills: The customer is everything – KB begins and ends with ours.
  • Work smart: Anticipate, be efficient and productive. Always stay five steps ahead of the competition.
  • Be prepared: Know your scope and be on time. Preparation is essential for every aspect of KB.
  • Be respectful of others: This includes internal and external customers.
  • Be respectful of your equipment: Organization is a necessity for any great company.
  • Look the customer in the eye and thank them: We appreciate our customers for their continued support.
  • Attitude is everything, KB employees will always pick a good one.

Kenton Brothers: What is the KB Way?

How Do You Represent the KB Way?

“Part of the KB Way is KB’s mission to protect people, property and possessions. As the Security Systems Engineer, I help design the systems to do just that.” – Spencer Wagaman, Security Systems Engineer

“I represent the KB Way by really thinking about the customer, both internal and external. When I get a call from a customer, I try to assess what they need, what their problem is to get that fixed as soon as I possibly can. For internal, I love to help out with any projects in any way possible.” – Kassie Lyons, Accounting Specialist

“I represent the KB Way by working hands-on with software to assist our customers.” – Daniel Bouton, Remote Services Engineer

“I believe I represent the KB Way in my dedication to provide as much knowledge, vivacity and care to my customers and coworkers. I believe it is important to show that I not only care about supporting each of their needs, but I also, like to see them smile.” – Alana Hanly, Security Consultant

KB Way Quotes

STAND APART FROM YOUR COMPETITION AND BE REMARKABLE

Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication are no joke.

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By Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers

If you’ve been following us for any length of time, you know that Kenton Brothers is all about your physical security. Today, I’d like to talk a little about a different kind of security… your digital security.

Strong Passwords

Over the past decade you should have got the message to use strong passwords. (Probably too many reminders… but are you still using the same, easy to remember password for all your accounts?)

Passwords like “JackAndJill” and “123456” are fairly easy to hack with brute force methods. Also, as more and more data breaches occur, hackers gets access to lists of usernames and passwords. So even if you did come up with the “un-hackable” password and it got leaked, it’s now compromised.

Is your password on a list somewhere?

Kenton Brothers: Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor AuthenticationDid you know there is a website that can show you how many times your password has been recorded in data breaches? The website is haveibeenpwned.com. You can go there to see if your email or password has shown up on hacked lists. By the way, there is no such thing as an unhackable password. Given enough time, with enough resources, any password can be cracked. It seems pretty dire, doesn’t it? However, there are even better ways to protect yourself.

Passphrases

One way to help protect yourself is to use stronger passwords. Better yet, use passphrases. A passphrase is generally longer than a password, which makes it harder to guess, but easier for you to remember. Think of phrases that you use around your family and work-family and use those phrases as passwords.

For example, my family is pretty sarcastic. So when talking to my daughters about getting asked out on a date, my suggested response for them is “HaHaHaYouInsignificantFool”. Throw in a couple of numbers and special characters and you’ve got an easy to remember, secure password. Just remember… not only is it important to have strong passwords, but you’ve got to change them somewhat frequently.

Password Managers: A Unique Password for Every Website

Another way to protect yourself is to use a unique password for each system or website that you use. Unfortunately, this strategy is harder to implement than it seems. I probably have 100+ unique systems and websites that I would need to remember the unique password for. My brain just doesn’t have that kind of storage. That’s where password managers come into play.

A password manager can remember the passwords for you. You just have to remember the master password for the password manager software. There are lots of options out there. Just Google “password manager” to get started. Some of the most common are LastPass, Roboform and Dashlane.

Password managers can be a little cumbersome, like when I’m browsing from my phone rather than my laptop. However, for important accounts with stored credit cards or other personal information, it’s worth the minor inconvenience.

So far, we have just been talking about passwords. An inherent weakness of a password, besides a weak password, is that they’re a single “key” you need to know to gain access to an account. Even better than a strong, unique password is to pair that password with another form of authentication.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Kenton Brothers: Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor AuthenticationA lot of websites, including Facebook, Google, and Office365, allow Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Multi-Factor Authentication makes sure you are who you say you are by asking for an additional “key” in tandem with your password. MFA can be PIN texted to your phone, an app on your phone that has a PIN that changes every 30 seconds, or a notification on your phone that verifies asks you to confirm you’re trying to log into your account. MFA is easier to use, easier to set up, and more secure than a solitary password.

MFA can be required every time you log in, or only when you’re logging in from a new device. When you log into a site or service, you’re asked for your username and password, but then you’re asked for your second form of authentication. After your MFA is confirmed, you can use the site or service as normal. Since your phone is often the method that your MFA uses, a hacker would need to have your password and your phone to gain access to your account.

Next time you’re given the chance to provide your cell phone number for Multi-Factor Authentication, I recommend you do so! It’s easy to set up and easier to use than a password manager. It’s also more secure than using just a password. For a website that has personal information, but doesn’t have MFA, please make sure your password is unique and strong! This will go a long way towards avoiding the pain of identity theft or other challenging situations if someone were to get into your account.

Captain Kay Sews For Love

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Captain Kay Sews for LoveBy Gina Stuelke, CEO of Kenton Brothers.

We are fortunate to have many good humans on our team. One of them is Bill Harris. Bill has been a valuable part of the KB family since 2003. Bill is married to Kay, otherwise known as Captain Kay, who is also a good human in various ways. But in today’s world, she has an extraordinary gift. She can sew!

Kay has been creating colorful masks and donating them to medical organizations and friends in need in Cass County. Recently, she has been making masks for our KB technicians who are on the front lines with our clients every day… keeping them secure.

Thank you Captain Kay for sewing your heart out to keep us safe!

#KBWay #flattenthecurve

 

 

In today’s environment, stop bacteria and microbes at the door.

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BacteriaBy Gina Stuelke, CEO of Kenton Brothers.

To protect against the spread of bacteria and other dangerous microbes, it’s important to consider the role of high touch door hardware in a publicly-used building. Visitors and occupants continuously handle door levers and exit devices. Bacteria and other microbes can live on these hardware surfaces for hours, transferring from one person to another. Did you know that door hardware can be protected against the growth of many microbes?

How can Kenton Brothers help?

Kenton Brothers offers locks and hardware with antimicrobial technology that has an added layer of protection against the growth of bacteria to protect the hardware. An antimicrobial is a substance that acts to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and suppresses microorganism reproduction. This provides an added level of protection against damaging microbes such as bacteria that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration.

Why do we need antimicrobial hardware? Because it’s 99.9% cleaner than unprotected surfaces.

Bacteria can double every 20 minutes on unprotected surfaces. Antimicrobial protection works to continuously fight off microbes and protect the hardware.

The antimicrobial coating is incorporated into the finish during the manufacturing process and will not wash off or wear away. The coating lasts for the lifetime of the hardware finish.

How does it work?

When microbes come in contact with the product surface, the antimicrobial protection penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce.

Antimicrobial protection is effective against most common bacteria that cause stains, odors and product degradation. While this technology is 99.9% cleaner than unprotected surfaces, it is not designed to protect users from disease causing microorganisms.

Consumer safety is a fundamental concern for us. Antimicrobial hardware products are approved by the US EPA and have a history of safe use in door hardware.

To learn more about antimicrobial hardware, please give us a call!

Pandemic: How the Kenton Brothers team is protecting people, property and possessions during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers.

Kenton Brothers: Responding to the PandemicStrange times we live in right now. Less than three weeks ago, the biggest thing on everyone’s mind was the slow countdown to Spring Break. Now, it’s a million things centered around COVID-19 and keeping our families healthy & safe. It’s about washing hands, social distancing and toilet paper shortages. It’s about home schooling, working from home and family neighborhood walks.

Welcome to the 2020 pandemic.

The other side of this story is that there are hundreds of thousands of businesses, schools and churches sitting empty. Owners and shareholders are anxious about their future. There are also thousands of critical business and government entities that must continue operating with essential staff members.

As a designated critical community support company, Kenton Brothers Systems for Security team members are on the job fulfilling our mission to protect people, property and possessions.

Our fleet of highly skilled technicians are out in the field maintaining, servicing and installing video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection systems all over the Midwest. They are busy installing commercial video systems and commercial access control systems that allow displaced owners to monitor their buildings remotely. We are incredibly proud of this team and their professionalism. They’ve all stepped up to support our customers in a time of personal uncertainty and risk.

Chris Skinner – KB’s newly promoted Project Manager

Kenton Brothers: Responding to the PandemicChris said, “Here at Kenton Brothers, we pride ourselves on our customer service. During this time with the COVID-19 outbreak, we are doing everything that we can to keep our customers protected and our employees safe. This is a challenging time for our country. It is a great honor to be a part of an industry and organization that is an essential roll to our community. As this outbreak dissipates, we will all be stronger than when it started. #spreadhope”

Our operations team continues to field calls for support and logistically keep the customer up and running.  They continue to find ways to solve problems, keep the supply chain open and deliver amazing customer service with a smile.

Taylor Peebles – KB’s Field Services Coordinator

Taylor shared, “During this time in our nation when there is a lot of panic, anxiety, stress and fear, I actually feel honored to be one of few people who are needed to keep our city going. I understand how serious this virus is. I also take pride in remaining calm… not only for myself but for those around me. Letting our customers and colleagues know that we’re still here fighting the good fight and protecting those around us can really ease some of the anxiety we as a community are feeling. Fear is contagious. It feels good knowing that I am not spreading fear… but hope.”

Mollie Porter, KB’s Project Administrator

Mollie said, “I feel extremely privileged and blessed to be able to continue working during this time. I know that not everyone is in a position to be able to do this, much less in a career field that their company is essential and is continuing business. This is tough time for everyone and it definitely puts things into perspective, seeing so many companies temporarily shut down.”

From our amazing technicians to our knowledgeable security consultants, from our dedicated operations team to our leadership team, we love our community and protecting people, property and possessions. Stay safe and healthy in the weeks and months to come!