Manuals & Software

Clients from financial institutions and other types of businesses throughout the world use Security Education Systems' manuals and seminar workbook materials. Please read on to learn about the manuals that may help your company to resolve a particular issue.

Why Do I Need Written Policies, Procedures & Training Programs?

Employees work best when you furnish them with the appropriate tools and directions necessary to perform both routine and extraordinary tasks. Industry-standard business practices suggest that your employees must know:

l        Who is in charge -- and who is to be held accountable for the results

l        What tasks they are responsible for performing -- and to what acceptable standard

l        Where they are to work -- and where they may find work tools and related information

l        When they are to perform routine and extraordinary tasks

l        Why these tasks are to be performed as you instruct

l        How to perform a task

Consider the probable results if you do not develop effective policies and procedures:

l        Lack of comprehensive policy manuals may indicate ineffective leadership and direction from management. This may also promote arbitrary and capricious decisions by personnel at all levels within the company -- based upon an individual's interpretation of a policy that is "understood" but is not committed to writing.

l        Lack of comprehensive operations and procedural manuals may indicate ineffective planning and preparation for the accomplishment of tasks. This may also promote arbitrary and capricious decisions by personnel at all levels within the company -- based upon an individual's interpretation of a procedure that is commonly accepted but is not committed to writing.

l        Functional responsibilities that are informal and unwritten -- or poorly defined or nonexistent -- may lead to confusion, an ineffective prioritization of tasks and the misinterpretation of directions. This also makes assessing the responsibility for results difficult, if not impossible.

l        Policy and procedure manuals, position descriptions and the company's description of functional duties and responsibilities may be introduced into open court during a legal proceeding. This introduction may be done to demonstrate that the company failed to exercise reasonable and prudent care when conducting its business activities -- and this may open your organization to costly civil penalties and criminal sanctions.

What Types Of Manuals Does Security Education Systems Publish?

Security Education Systems offers financial industry-specific editions of several template manuals -- and more manuals are in development. All of our manuals are designed to be customized -- and they share a common format and writing style that facilitates the user's understanding and implementation. Please review our other web pages for descriptions of the available editions of these manuals:

l        Business Continuity Manual

l        Conducting Investigations Manual

l        Loss Prevention Techniques & Training Manual

l        Security Program Manual

l        Workplace Violence Manual

You'll receive a CD-ROM that contains the entire manual's individual Microsoft Word files -- and a master PDF file that contains the entire manual that's ready for printing. You may alter each manual by adding, deleting or modifying existing text to suit your style and requirements -- and then reproduce the text for distribution throughout your institution. Additional site licenses are not necessary and the purchase of periodic upgrades to any manual is optional. A printed version of each manual is available at an additional cost.

Why Are These Manuals Such Time-Savers For My Company?

Developing comprehensive written policies and procedures for use in day-to-day operations can be a monumental task. Maintaining and updating those policies and procedures for a small to mid-size company is often a much simpler and less time-intensive task. Using the day-to-day model to develop policies and procedures for use during extraordinary events provides continuity. Security Education Systems has completed most of the initial work for you -- creating data design features and text input features that simplify all of your research, development and implementation tasks.

l        The optional printed text is designed to be used as a reference tool or to accommodate simple typewritten input if you choose to customize the text. The optional printed text is provided in a two-sided page, bound format available at an additional cost.

l        The data files include all of the printed text featured in the printed text. There are no special hardware or software requirements for using the Microsoft Word files -- your word processing program is all you need to customize the files. All files may be printed using a standard dot matrix, ink-jet or laser printer without additional hardware requirements.

You can hire someone to type the printed text into a word processor -- or you can try scanning the text into a word processing file and then spend hours editing and realigning text. But not for the price of any of our manuals. Consider what the software offers you in convenience:

l        Uniform page layouts -- including margins, tabs and indents that are designed for easy editing

l        Simplified review and updating capabilities

l        Microsoft Word data files for use in your word processor

How Often Are The Manuals Updated?

Security Education Systems updates manuals when there is a significant change in a regulation; when more effective "industry-standard" procedures are developed; and when technological innovations make changes necessary. These changes generally occur every two-to-three years. Updating your manual is always an option -- it's never a requirement. The complete Financial Institution Security Library -- Version 7 has been updated in 2005.

What Do I Do Next?