Project Spotlight: Allen County Sheriff’s Office

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Allen County Intercom ProjectBy Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers

The Allen County Sheriff’s Office intercom system is part of the critical infrastructure that allows communication throughout the detention center. It serves as a tool for safety and security for officers and detainees equally. The existing system was operational, but aging. As part of the critical infrastructure, we needed to make sure it stays operational as well as make it possible to add future capabilities.

The server room is tight.

Allen County Intercom ProjectWith two equipment racks and cabinets on the wall, there wasn’t much room for testing and repairing any failed equipment. Every wire was in conduit extending down to the racks and cabinets, adding further difficulty to any troubleshooting. Replacing the intercoms was also our opportunity to re-organize the server room, consolidate equipment and remove one of the racks.

Because of the importance of the intercom system, it could not be offline while we weren’t physically there working on it. The idea was to organize and label the wires, then take the system, disconnect the wires, take out the rack, install the new rack, and re-connect the wires in one day. Then with the intercom operational again, we could clean up the other items around the server room and remove the empty rack.

This story is not about how things went perfectly. You know how people say “Man Plans, and God Laughs.”; This was one of those days. Today’s story is about how the KB team relied on knowledge, experience, and determination to overcome some difficult situations and meet our customer’s needs. #goteam

When we arrived, there was trouble with a shower valve.

Allen County Intercom ProjectThis cost us a couple of hours right off the bat. It was important to the customer, so we switched priorities to take care of them. Charlie, one of our project team members, got called away on a personal matter. Family comes first, so Jeremy and I wished him safe travels and hoped everything would be OK. (Thankfully, they are.)

Jeremy and I got started. It’s easy to say during project planning that we would just disconnect and reconnect the wires, but I think we underestimated what disconnecting and reconnecting 400 wires would actually take. Especially when everything was in conduit. After getting started at about 10 am we executed the plan. We stuck it out until about 7:30 pm when we finished connecting the last wire. With the new rack and new system in place, we were ready to start testing.

Wouldn’t it be great if everything was turned on and worked perfectly?

That just wasn’t the case. After about an hour of troubleshooting, we had to make a call. We couldn’t leave without a working intercom system, so we decided to put the old system back into play. A large portion of the project had been completed with the cabling and rack work. And we knew it would be a good idea to get to a stopping point and regroup. All the wires could stay in the rack, so we re-racked the old equipment and re-connected the intercoms and made sure everything was working. With the system back up and operational, we called it a day at 9:45 pm.

With the new rack in place, we decided to continue the server room clean-up while troubleshooting the new intercom system. Charlie was back in action. He and Jeremy continued working on the server room while I took the intercom back to the workbench at Kenton Brothers. After stepping through each component of the intercom system, we found the culprit. (It seems like it’s always the $10 part that fails.) After replacing the faulty part, Charlie was able to make a return trip to the Allen County Sheriff’s Office to reconnect the new intercoms and leave a more organized server room.

The difference is drastic as you can see in the before (left) and after (right) pictures.

Allen County Intercom Project - Before Allen County Intercom Project - After

Allen County Sheriff’s Office has a new intercom system that will serve them well for many years. And they have a server room with more space and much better organization. This will allow future equipment additions and troubleshooting to be done efficiently.

We are proud to be partnered with the Allen County Sheriff’s Office for their commercial security needs. This was a challenging and rewarding project!

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.

Employee Spotlight: Taylor Peebles, Field Services Coordinator

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By Kristen Harper, Controller and HR Manager at Kenton Brothers.

Taylor Peebles and her dogsTaylor Peebles joins the Kenton Brothers team with a strong background in project management with an emphasis on customer service.

Taylor’s eight years of experience in custom interiors and construction bring a customer focus to the forefront of her work. She is good at making sure the small details are always treated carefully and with the customer in mind. You’ll often see Taylor in our office answering calls for customers. She also assists the Kenton Brothers team with every day duties such as scheduling and helping customers/colleagues by listening to their concerns and looking for solutions.

Taylor enjoys being involved in business planning, problem solving and teamwork to achieve company and personal employee goals.

When Taylor is not in the office, you can find her enjoying time in her first home with her partner, Evan. Taylor is a dog mom of two very opposite, fun-loving dogs; Boston the Schnoodle and Bonnie the Pitt-mix. Outside of new homeowner life, Taylor loves spending time at the lake with her family, swimming with her two nephews and grilling over a fire pit. You’ll likely catch Taylor “thrifting” and shopping for antiques on the weekends.

Taylor Peebles and Evan

If you ever get a chance to speak with Taylor, you’ll quickly learn that she feels laughter is the best medicine.

“I love making people laugh when things get hectic or stressful, although I know when to get serious. I think it’s important to take time out of your day to smile. And hopefully, you feel lucky to be part of a great team… like we have here at KB.” – Taylor Peebles

Dirty Domes Done Dirt Cheap.

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Security System Maintenance that Rocks

Dirty Domes MaintenanceNot working is not an option when protecting your people, property, and possessions. We know – deep in our souls – that a security system must be maintained properly if we expect it to work correctly. We know it intuitively. But if that’s the case, why is it that too often commercial security pros neglect their systems? It’s human nature.

We expect the planning and installation phases of a security system to take time and resources. Too often, we mistakenly think the work ends with a completed project. The critical post-installation support is what protects the original investment and keeps the system running well for years to come.

What kind of things do we see on a regular basis when we’re inspecting and protecting the commercial security systems we install and support? Dirty domes may be done dirt cheap, but some of these examples trash the hotel room like rock stars.

Here’s an all access backstage tour:

 

Dirty Domes - System Maintenance

A wasp nest isn’t just a hassle for the tech cleaning this dome. It’s also a visual impairment that can keep a camera’s focus off of trouble spots.

Dirty Domes- Maintain your Cameras

Rain or shine, maintenance is required to keep your commercial security cameras working properly.

Jeremy's Magical Hardware Bag

Sometimes, we have to defend against wasp nests… with creative solutions. Just ask Jeremy.

So why do we need to stay vigilant with preventative maintenance?

The answers are simple, but they deserve an encore.

Even the best technology can fail.

As these components become more technologically advanced, it’s critical that systems are maintained properly. The primary goal of our service agreement is to keep your system functioning while reducing or eliminating downtime. That means software and firmware updates are completed to protect against found vulnerabilities before they’re exploited, not after. Plus, when firmware is updated, new features are often added that add value to your entire corporate security system.

Preventative maintenance is critical to safety.

Many organizational stakeholders view the preventative maintenance budget line as an expense that can be reduced. Maybe even eliminated. But when maintenance, upgrades, and testing are neglected, the cost to repair and replace key components can be significantly more than the original line item – and may cost lives.

A maintenance service agreement that fits your unique circumstances can be the difference between a well-planned system that functions properly and one that lets you down when you need it most. At Kenton Brothers Systems for Security, we want to offer our clients the kind of white glove service that leaves their systems in peak condition, ready to serve at a moment’s notice and in all conditions. To make sure your maintenance agreement is right for your needs and your system is concert ready, let’s talk.

Invest in training your people… and reap the rewards.

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By Kristen Harper, Controller and HR Manager and Kassie Lyons, Accounting Specialist at Kenton Brothers.

This year at Kenton Brothers, we’re investing in our employees to become better humans. That’s a lofty goal so we’re breaking it down a bite at a time

Joe CalhoonAt the beginning of 2019, the staff at Kenton Brothers starting a 10-month training program with Joe Calhoon with a focus on customer service and leadership. Joe has worked directly with Stephen Covey, author of teaching “7 Habits” and “Principle-Centered Leadership” and specializes in working with businesses of all sizes to build their customer service skills and teach a community servant mentality to all organizations.

Strengths Assessment

We starting the training with every employee taking a Clifton Strengths assessment. Joe helped us understand how our strengths make everyone uniquely qualified to serve. We also learned how understanding our coworkers’ strengths will help us communicate better with each other internally.

People who focus on using their strengths are three times as likely to have an excellent quality of life and six times as likely to be engaged in their work.

One of the key attributes that Joe has been teaching Kenton Brothers is that in ‘doing service’ people are happier. By giving remarkable service to our customer, our customer is happier and is better able to serve their customer. We reap the benefits of knowing we have done our job well.

The Power of Training

By doing this training, Kenton Brothers is not only wanting our staff to work better with our customers, but also to be able to have better positive relationships with everyone in our lives both inside and outside of the workplace. Joe taught us through personal stories and illustrations that have made him relatable to our entire team.

Additionally, our management team is working through Emotional Intelligence evaluations.  This specifically helps each individual understand where they need to improve upon different emotional strengths and how to help them better evaluate problem solving, lead staff and support the organization as a whole.

Kenton Brothers is deeming this insightful training of our people our best investment ever as it is creating a stronger culture, forcing us all to look deeper into the meaning of what we do and how we communicate with each other for the overall goal of proving the best experience possible to our customers.

Thank you to Joe, as he is a living example of what he teaches and we’re a better team thanks to him!