Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a useful time to review more than email accounts and employee laptops. A modern business security system may include cameras and recorders connected to the business network, along with access control controllers, alarm communicators, mobile apps, and cloud accounts. The exact mix varies by property, but the management questions are the same. Who has access? Which devices still receive updates? How does the system provide remote access? Where does the system store video and activity records?
The National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) identifies Don’t Make It Easy for Them as the 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Month theme. CISA separately continues Secure Our World as an ongoing awareness program. NCA recommends strong passwords, multifactor authentication, scam recognition and reporting, and software updates. For connected security technology, also review default credentials, shared administrator accounts, inactive users, unsupported software, and unnecessary network exposure. Coordinate network or firewall changes with IT to avoid interrupting security functions.
Why Connected Security Devices Belong on the Review
Palo Alto Networks’ 2025 Device Security Threat Report analyzed more than 27 million connected devices belonging to 1,803 enterprise network customers. It reported that 32.5 percent of devices in the sample operated outside IT control. It also found that 77.74 percent of the networks met the report’s definition of poor segmentation, which was based on subnets where neither IT nor IoT devices made up more than 55 percent of the devices. The report ranked office cameras among the device types presenting the greatest risk.
Those findings describe the report’s enterprise sample, not every local business. Smaller organizations can apply the same review questions without treating the percentages as estimates for their own environments. Security hardware remains part of the technology environment even when facilities, operations, or an outside provider manages it. Someone inside the business should own the account roster, update process, network coordination, and offboarding steps.
1. Know What Is Connected and Who Owns It
Start with an inventory. The goal is not a highly technical database. It is a current record that helps the business, its security provider, and its IT team understand what is installed and who is responsible for it.
- List cameras, recorders, access control equipment, alarm communicators, and related network devices.
- Record each item’s model, location, software or firmware version, and support status when available.
- List connected cloud accounts, mobile apps, and third-party integrations.
- Assign owners for accounts, updates, vendor communication, and incident follow-up.
Include both local device accounts and cloud logins. Different teams may manage them separately, and securing one does not automatically secure the other.
2. Replace Shared Access With Named Accounts
Change any factory-default credentials that remain in use. Where the platform supports individual logins, avoid one administrator password shared by several managers. Named accounts make it easier to remove access when roles change and to connect account activity to a specific person. Use unique passwords and store them in a business-approved password manager.
Enable multifactor authentication for administrator and remote-access accounts when the platform supports it. Alarm.com’s two-factor authentication guidance states that the feature can be enabled through the app or customer website. When someone signs in from a new or untrusted device, the login requires a password and a verification code. Review the list of trusted devices as part of the account check because trusted devices may not request the second step at every login.
3. Remove Access When Roles Change
An offboarding checklist should cover more than a returned key or badge. Review app logins, remote video access, alarm user codes, access control credentials, administrator accounts, and vendor access. Permissions should match the person’s current role and location. A manager responsible for one site may not need access to footage or doors across the full portfolio.
For supported Alarm.com commercial access control accounts, administrators can assign or remove credentials through the app or website. Alarm.com also documents its User Summary Report and Access History Report, which can help managers compare the active roster with current employees and contractors. Available features depend on the equipment, service package, account permissions, and system configuration.
4. Check Software Support and Update Responsibility
Cameras, recorders, controllers, and other connected security equipment run software or firmware. Ask who monitors manufacturer notices, who approves and installs updates, and how critical updates are handled. Record the current version and whether the manufacturer still supports the device.
A device may continue operating after support ends, but that does not mean the manufacturer will keep fixing newly discovered security problems. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends promptly installing security updates and patches. If equipment is no longer supported, discuss replacement timing or additional safeguards with the security provider and IT team.
5. Review Network Access and Video Storage
Remote access can be set up in different ways. Some cloud-managed platforms use a vendor relay service and do not require inbound port forwarding. Other systems may use a direct connection. Ask the security provider and IT team whether any inbound ports are open, whether they are still required, and how remote access is authenticated and logged.
Ask the IT team whether security devices are appropriately separated from point-of-sale systems, office computers, and other sensitive business systems. Network segmentation can limit what a compromised device can reach, but the design and firewall rules should be handled by a qualified IT or cybersecurity professional.
Do not assume that cloud-managed video means all footage is stored in the cloud. A system may store video locally, in cloud storage, or in a combination of both. Confirm the retention period, whether offsite storage is included, how authorized staff export footage, and what remains available if a recorder is damaged, removed, or offline.
A Practical Business Security System Checklist
Review these items with the people who manage your security system and business network:
- Inventory connected security devices, accounts, integrations, and responsible owners.
- Change any remaining factory-default credentials.
- Replace shared administrator logins with named accounts where supported.
- Enable multifactor authentication and review trusted devices.
- Disable access for former employees, contractors, and vendors.
- Review permissions by role and location.
- Record software versions, support status, and update responsibility.
- Confirm the remote-access method, required ports, and network segmentation with IT.
- Document video retention, storage location, export procedures, and any offsite copies.
- Test how authorized staff retrieve video and activity records before an incident requires them.
Use staffing changes, vendor changes, equipment replacements, network changes, and security incidents as review triggers. The recurring schedule should reflect how often the business changes. A multi-location operation with frequent turnover may need reviews more often than a stable office with a small access roster.
Keep Ownership Clear After October
Good cybersecurity habits do not make a security system immune to attack. They can reduce avoidable exposure and give business leaders clearer answers about who can access the system, who maintains it, and how important records are protected.
Sting Alarm supports business security systems in Las Vegas and Phoenix. We can review supported camera, access control, and alarm system options and provide a quote for an upgrade when needed. Network architecture, firewall rules, and incident response planning should be coordinated with your IT or cybersecurity provider. Call 702-737-8464 in Las Vegas or 602-431-1300 in Phoenix, or request a free quote.
