Nine Points of Security Concern

A building’s security is very important. It is the foundation of protecting important assets such as machinery as well as documents stored in the building. The people working or living in such buildings need protection as well. To accomplish this, nine points of security concern are noted. These points are general function of the building whereby one considers who uses the building and when they use it and for what purpose and who has access. One then makes recommendations based on factors considered (Fennelly, 2012). Such factors include hazards associated with the building or its occupants such as theft, use of police, security officers and what they can do to improve security. Physical recommendations that include lighting, windows, doors that make the building more secure physically. Locks and equipment that need to be bolted down. Application of alarms and whether they are effective to the building’s security. Availability of storage facilities for items that need special attention. Adequate trespassing warning signs and lastly use of custodians in a security effective manner.

Planning and Administration

The most effective and efficient method of installing any security measures in facilities involves advanced planning and monitoring. A physical security program should include the following at the minimum, a survey, reassessments, continuous awareness and action procedure. From the physical security survey, a manager determines the extent of a facility protection. The first line of defense is the perimeter protection followed by the interior controls. However, the security cost should not exceed the cost of the items being protected. The major objective of planning for facility protection is for efficient security and operations of the assets (U.S. Department of the Interior). Other things to consider when planning for physical security of any facility include building location and building configuration. Configuration include entrances, access controls and offices location. Any security plan should have a contingent plan to be applied in times of emergencies such as fire, natural disasters and terrorism.

Physical Security Risk Assessment

Physical security though often forgotten is important in the overall protection strategy. This makes risk assessment very challenging. The risk assessment of physical security normally is triggered by an event like robbery. Some of the tools used in assessing the risk include law enforcement, available crime data and the geographical location. However, depending on the level of technology and automation in the facility, reports and spreadsheets may also be accessed. Again, the crime statistics are also compared with the data from other facilities in the same area. (McGlasson, 2008).  To argument reports from law enforcement agencies, commercial reports from big companies such as raptor can be used in validating what the agency asserts about crime in the area. In a risk assessment, everything should be documented however trivial it may seem. In addition, as with logical security, physical security needs constant vigilance. It is important to perform a penetration test to access the physical security risk. This will help in determining the weaknesses and improve on them.

The most important lesson I learnt this week is that physical security as other elements of security is important. One should start by realizing the security concerns of the facility. With the security concerns, advanced planning and monitoring should be done. To make changes and improvements, risk assessment should be done regularly given that crime evolves with the advancement of technology. Physical security should be taken seriously to make the overall protection efficient and up to the task.

REFERENCES

Fennelly, L. (2012). Effective physical security (4th ed.). S.l.: Butterworth-Heinemann.

McGlasson, L. (2008, February 12). How to Perform a Physical Security Risk Assessment. Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/how-to-perform-physical-security-risk-assessment-a-694/op-1

U.S. Department of the Interior. Physical Security Handbook 440-2-H Chapter 3. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2015.

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