How Much Security Is Enough

Office security’s main objective is to protect the assets and facilities of your organization. Hence the responsibility to safeguard employees is imperatives since they are an important asset to the company. Their safety is your priority followed by securing the facilities. How much you spend to protect your asset is up to you. Nevertheless, most organizations are still cutting their budgets on security costs. Have you ever wondered, just how much office security is enough for your organization?

One way is you can compare to some similar buildings and see how they are doing with their security costs. To protect your assets, you need to convince the bad guys or any unwanted criminals to risk expending the resources on an attack that is not likely to succeed. Fortunately for you, a simple method to help secure your office is through the use of the 4 Ds. A detailed analysis is required to determine the correct controls, correct implementation, and cost.

Utilizing a layered approach to security means that there are several hurdles that the bad guys need to overcome to get to your “bearer bonds”. The more challenging it is for someone to gain access to your resources, the less likely they are to spend their resources in getting them. (Ken Daniels, 2018). A well-structured protection plan will have four overlapping and intermixed rings of protection such as:

• Deter
• Detect
• Delay
• Defend

Deter

The examples of security deterrents layer are:

• Warning signs such as “CCTV in Operation” or “Premises secured by RGM Security.”
• CCTV cameras that are visible from the outside of your perimeter.
• Security lighting and motion sensors.
• Fences such as electric, fences with barbed wire on top, high fences, razor wire, rotating spikes, anti-climb paint or thick bramble bushes.
• On-site security presence.
• Gates and controlled access.

The deter perimeter is the farthest one from the location of the assets and is often a mix of physical infrastructures such as warning signs, CCTV cameras, fences, security guards and access control. The security objective on this perimeter is to deter the criminal from even attempting to break into your building. Signs saying “no trespassing” or “area under surveillance” also aid in communicating a deterrent message to unauthorized persons. With exterior CCTV coverage, you can see if there is any suspicious activity happening around your premises.

You can also use the barbed wire fence with a gate protected by an armed guard or a simple hedge to keep intruders off of your property. This will provide a deterrent control as well as protection from trespassers. The height should not be so less so that anyone can climb and not too high so that it becomes too difficult for the maintenance personnel.

Trimming plants or trees away from your premises denies bad guys the hiding places they love to use. They love these hiding places because it lets them see you, while you can’t see them. Security lighting is lighting that intended to deter or detect intrusions or other criminal activity on a piece of real property. Its presence will also increase the feeling of safety. It can be used inside and outside of your facility to reduce risks and increase the safety of your assets. When you’re designing a site, consider what you need to achieve with your security lighting such as:

• deter unauthorized entry
• help guards conduct patrols
• illuminate areas with CCTV coverage
• provide employees with safety lighting in car parks.

Detect

The examples of the security detection layer are:

• CCTV cameras
• Motion detection devices or infrared
• Security lighting
• Employees
• Entrance and exit screening post
• Alarms

The detection perimeter’s security objective is to monitor large areas of space to accurately detect possible unauthorized intrusion in time to respond appropriately. Surveillance camera technology, especially megapixel cameras, is very effective as an accurate detection tool. Important objectives are the timely notification to security personnel and having the ability to digitally or optically zoom into the area where the intrusion was detected. Motion detection devices can be set up, so any detected movement will activate lighting or CCTV. Make sure any lighting you use meets the illumination requirements of any CCTV systems you have installed.

Motion lights provide an excellent visual alarm when someone or something triggers them. Not only does a motion light alert you, but because they are easily visible, they also deter bad guys. The motion sensors, light sensors or heat sensors can be placed at a location which requires extra protection. Besides that, you need to train your employees about specific activities that should be considered suspicious and how to report this to the appropriate authority would be the outermost level of detection.

Background checks and searches are valuable in screening potential employees, contractors, truck drivers, and visitors before they enter the facility. Intrusion detection systems, surveillance cameras, alarms, and frequent, random inspection rounds by security guards make up the innermost level of the detect ring.

Delay

The examples of security delay layer are:

• Locked doors and windows
• Surveillance cameras
• Remote check-in points
• Visitors registration
• Access control system

The delay perimeter’s objective is to slow down an active intrusion enough to force the intruder to give up or allow the security team to respond. Delaying someone’s access to the inside of your building utilizes many of the tips discussed earlier. Techniques such as reinforcing the door will increase the time for any criminal takes to open. Likewise, a locked window makes the bad guys have to break it to enter. Surveillance cameras can be used inside the delay perimeter to provide situational awareness and measure the effectiveness of the delay countermeasures.

Typical delaying tactics include remote check-in points; verification of identity and purpose of visits; searching of person, parcels, and vehicles; multiple layers of fencing or other physical blocking devices such as tire shredders and “jersey barriers”; and locked doors with advanced access control systems.

Defend

The defend perimeter is typically a security personnel response that attempts to apprehend the intruder. Surveillance is used at this perimeter to record the apprehension and determine the effectiveness of the response. This final perimeter often includes the involvement of law enforcement and typically overlaps the other perimeters.

Why you should outsource? It eliminates the time required to hire and manage trained personnel. If a patrol or station officer isn’t performing, you just need to request a different officer from the supervisor who was assigned onsite. Replacing an in-house officer would likely be time-consuming and expensive compared to what you get from outsourcing. Atalian’s highly skilled teams will work closely with your organization to create an integrated security strategy, utilizing trained security professionals, supported by the very latest software and technologies to ensure your colleagues, visitors and assets safe and secure across a variety of sectors.

Atalian Global Services ensure our clients can have all the protection needed for their premises such as airport safety, sniffer dog detection, video surveillance, access controls, intrusion alarms and manned guard services, 24 hrs. support and more. Atalian offers the best security service that is tailored to your specific needs and provides a suited package for you. Do contact us for a free consultation today!