Month: October 2021

ArmorStor & KL Security at 2022 New York CannaCon

By: Colene King | October 26, 2021


It’s official; flights are booked and the hotel is reserved! ArmorStor & KL security are headed to the Javits Center in New York City from January 7th-8th.

 

At the start of the 2022 New Year, a few of our cannabis facility experts from KL Security will be headed Northeast to attend the New York CannaCon. CannaCon is one of the largest, oldest, and most successful cannabis trade shows nationwide: an exciting event for exhibitors to come and show off the latest technologies available to the cannabis market. Various industry leaders, providing everything a cannabis entrepreneur might need from seed to sale, will be joined together.  CannaCon is a one stop shop: lighting, web design, payroll processing, extraction equipment, financing options and our specialty, physical security items such as our ArmorStor line of vaults and vault doors, cages, camera systems, safes and cash management solutions. Cannacon also features educational seminars covering a wide variety of cannabis related topics.


On March 31st of this year, New York became the 15th state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, allowing adults over the age of 21 to legally buy and consume marijuana. The recent legalization within New York and the Cannacon trade show allows new potential licensees to begin planning operations and meet with potential suppliers, advisors, and service providers. The state of New York is expecting the first recreational dispensary to open legally towards the end of 2022. Regulations have to be set, licenses need to be obtained, and the first legal seeds need to be sown.


Once recreational sales begin, it is projected New York will bring in $1.2 billion in sales by 2023 and $4.2 billion by 2027. According to the governor’s administration, New York State is hoping to be able to collect $350 million in tax revenue annually. (Yakowicz, 2021) Not only will the legalization of marijuana bring in revenue for the state, but it will also create thousands of new job opportunities for New Yorkers.


KL Security is eager to attend this event at such a pivotal time for the state, allowing us to showcase the best end-to-end security solutions for compliance, profit protection, and business operation optimization.



Vice President of Sales for KL Security, Travis Easter, had this to say on the upcoming trade show:



“Our team is very excited to attend the NY CannaCon event in January.  Over the past few years, we have met a lot of great entrepreneurs, as well as many industry partners, at CannaCon events throughout the country that we’ve helped implement a holistic security plan, programming and physical security solutions that help drive their compliance and bottom line forward.  We will be available at Booth # 445 to answer any questions you might have about securing your facility, with experts that can help guide you through the process of realizing your dream.

We will be prepared to discuss your needs one-on-one, providing real time price quotes so you can start budgeting for the future.   

Manufacturers and industry partners, many of which we have met numerous times, are also invited to stop by our booth to discuss potential partnerships and opportunities.”


We look forward to helping new licensees become successful within New York’s recreational cannabis market. See you there!



Sources:

https://norml.org/news/2021/08/12/analysis-legal-cannabis-sales-projected-to-reach-43-billion-by-2025/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2021/03/31/new-york-state-legalizes-adult-use-cannabis/?sh=71a4510d395c

https://www.ganjapreneur.com/angela-grelle-the-future-of-cannabis-trade-shows/

Securing Your Home Office


By Colene King

In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, remote operations have become common practice. Organizations embraced remote operations as a way to maintain status quo while simultaneously ‘flattening the curve’. In fact, many companies have realized that getting their employees out of the brick-and-mortar office proves to be just as productive, if not more.


In 2018, only 3.6% of the US workforce was working from home. Recent telecommuting data projects that 25-30% of the workforce will be working from home at least several days a week by the end of 2021 (GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com, n.d.).


Many employers have gone so far as to make remote employment a permanent option. This allows employers to expand their candidate pools and acquire talent from other locations with different backgrounds. Candidates now see the opportunity to work from home as an added bonus.


Prior to the global pandemic, companies had several misconceptions surrounding telecommuters. Organizations were worried they would see a decrease in productivity, as well as a concern for being able to keep security a priority. These misconceptions were proven to be inconsequential as our workforce adapted.


Previously held beliefs of remote workers being less productive than on-site employees have been disproven. The National Bureau of Economic Research (nber.org) discovered that employees working from home are 13% more productive than those working from an office. Additionally, employees working from home miss less days, accomplish more, and feel more productive than in a traditional work environment.


Though working from home is convenient (and more productive), it does present new security challenges. It is imperative to maintain security and confidentiality. While it’s easy to slip into a comfortable routine while working from home, it is important to follow best practices for keeping your home office secure.


Even though we live in a digital age, there will always be a need to store hard copies. It is important that physical documents are stored and disposed of
properly. Whether it be an ArmorStor™ high security rated file cabinet or a Dahle paper shredder, KL security has the best options for you.

ArmorStor™ High Security Filing Cabinets When compliance requirements dictate security, the ArmorStor™ file cabinet is the choice of healthcare, business and enterprises offices worldwide.


Dahle has just released a new line of home and small office shredders that can be purchased now through KL Security. The personal shredders are the perfect size for any home office, with a few different affordable options to best suit your needs.


The Dahle PaperSAFE® PS 100 Deskside Shredder is oil-free, hassle-free, and easy to maintain. It’s ideal for destroying financial statements, tax information, or any other confidential documents that should not be seen by others.

In regards to digital records, any great home office contains an external hard drive. KL Security also offers hard drives that are fireproof as well as water proof. Properly safeguarding your home office will also offer additional peace of mind to you and your employers.



The Solo G3, 3TB Fireproof / Waterproof External Hard Drive is not only fireproof and water proof, but can also come with a data recovery service. 1, 3, and 5 year plans available. For any loss, no matter the reason.


Many benefits accompany telecommuting: improved employee mental health, a better work life balance, lower turnover, and an overall increase in productivity. With all these benefits, it’s no wonder several companies are giving their employees the option to work in the comfort of their own home.


Let KL Security help get your home office set up today!

Call 866-867-0306 or email [email protected]


Sources

  1. https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics

Information has been gathered from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice. The information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only.

ISOO Notice 2021-01 GSA Black Label Phase Out

By Colene King

At the beginning of this year, GSA (General Services Administration) along with the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) developed a 4-year phase-out plan for all GSA-approved black label security cabinets and vault doors manufactured prior to 1989. The phase-out is set to begin on October 1st 2024 and be completed by October 1st 2028. These black label containers cannot be recertified or relabeled; they will become obsolete. See chart below for details.



GSA ClassFed SpecRevision Years
Produced		Years of
Service		End of Service
1AA-F-357A-F1968 – 198246 – 601 October 2028
2AA-F-357 A-F 1954 – 197050 – 701 October 2024
3AA-F-358 A-F 1956 – 196852 – 691 October 2025
4AA-F-358 A-F 1956 – 1968 52 – 691 October 2025
5AA-F-358 A-F 1968 – 198931 – 601 October 2028
5AA-F-363A-B1963 – 198957 – 65 1 October 2028
5AA-D-600A-B 1963 – 1989 57 – 65 1 October 2028
6AA-D-600A-C 1963 – 1989 57 – 65 1 October 2028
6AA-F-358 A-F 1963 – 1989 52 – 60 1 October 2028

The process commences with phasing out black label Class 2 cabinets; these Class 2 cabinets must be replaced by October 1, 2024. Class 3 and Class 4 must be replaced by October 1, 2025. Lastly, all other black label containers (class 5 and class 6) and GSA approved vault doors will lose their GSA approval by October 1, 2028.




The regulation of containers to meet GSA guidelines began in 1954, with some of these items having been in continuous use since their implementation. Over the years, these containers degrade and can become a liability. Specifically, those manufactured between 1954 and 1989 are considered to be past their life expectancy. These black label containers and vault doors are now between 30 and 70 years old.   As we all know, it’s not easy getting old.


There are several things to be concerned about with these aging containers and vault doors. Not only are you minimizing the protection of your property, but you could potentially set yourself up for a costly container lockout, which would require a GSA locksmith. It should also be mentioned that several of the manufacturers that created these containers are no longer in operation, and many of the container parts (drawer heads, locks, slides, handles, etc.) needed for the repair of these products are no longer available.


The soon to be outdated GSA approved containers and vault doors are easily recognizable by the silver and black GSA approval label located on the outside of the cabinet or vault. (See picture below) Each container/door should also include the certification labels and manufactured dates.


Photo Credit: Removal of GSA Approved Black Label (archives.gov)


Here at KL Security, we are able to provide the most up to date GSA approved containers and vault doors. We offer full replacement cabinets for Black Label GSA Containers that will be considered obsolete in the near future.



 Below is a list of all current GSA Requirements:


Class 5 GSA Approved Container requirements 

  • The Class 5 is an uninsulated security container
  • 20 man-hours against surreptitious entry (increased from 30 man-minutes on containers produced after March 1991)
  • 10 man-minutes against forced entry
  • 20 man-hours against manipulation of the lock
  • 20 man-hours against radiological attack
  • 30 man-minutes against covert entry (added to containers produced after March 1991)


    Class 6 GSA Approved Container requirements 

  • The Class 6 is an uninsulated security container
  • 20 man-hours against surreptitious entry (increased from 30 man-minutes on containers produced after March 1991)
  • no forced entry test requirement
  • 20 man-hours against manipulation of lock
  • 20 man-hours against radiological attack
  • 30 man-minutes against covert entry (added to containers produced after March 1991)

Now would be a great time to formulate a company plan for container and vault replacement.

Call 866-867-0306 or email [email protected]


Sources

Removal of GSA Approved Black Label (archives.gov)

NISPPAC meeting April 14, 2021 (archives.gov)

Safe & Vault | History of GSA Containers | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 | Class 6 (safeandvault.com)

GSA Approved Security Containers (navy.mil)


Information has been gathered from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice. The information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only.