5 Surefire Ways of Killing Your Building Security
Making sure your building’s security is in the toilet isn’t all that hard, really, and anyone can do it. Not that we think you want to, but that’s what people keep doing, anyway. Here are the 5 most common reasons why your building security might be in the red – are you guilty?
5: Thinking “Pretty” is more important than “Secure”
This is a good one. Making sure that your lobby is pretty is important, right? And the general entrance area too, for that matter. Why do we need to put up all those ugly CCTV cameras and access control installations, when all they do is to draw away from the pretty marble back wall you’ve got in there?
Look, hiding your cameras takes about 50% off its worth. Why? Because people can’t see’em anymore, and so the deterrent value in them is gone, absolutely gone. Now, would you do something like that to anything else you own? No, you probably wouldn’t. All those bushes you’ve got growing lush along the walkway and the wall outside? Pretty… but also perfect hiding places for robbers and other pesky critters of that kind. Also, those things obscure cameras more often than not.
Pretty is good, but don’t deteriorate and compromise your corporate security for it.
4: Letting the “big boys” slide
That sounds weird, but what I mean is that there’s usually a tendency to let the bosses get away with more than the rest of the employees. Not wearing their badges visible? That’s okay… everybody knows who they are, right? Wrong. It sets both precedence and can create frustration.
Letting the boss use the main entrance after hours, when all the other employees have to go out the back way? Wrong. But his car’s parked out there? Doesn’t matter. Security rules and regulations have been put in place for a reason, and they have to apply to everyone. Any “boss” who refuses to understand that, should probably find somewhere else to work…
3: “Post orders” without planning
This is kind of terrifying, both because it happens so often, and because it’s like putting a soldier in a battlefield without letting them know who the enemy is. Okay, so that’s an extreme comparison, but it’s kind of true. Careful analysis of the daily requirements for each post (even if there’s only one) and careful analysis of the progress and changes needed in the post orders and training is always necessary, and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Also, please, please avoid the famous “knee-jerk” reactions that are so common with security managers. They don’t help, and the only thing you’ve achieved is making someone feel like they’re five years old, and breeding frustration. Which, as I’m sure you understand, isn’t a good thing.
2: Not taking charge of the “important” rooms
For many businesses, it can be hard to distinguish what rooms are more important. Is it the storage area? Cash handling areas? Something else? In most cases, it comes down to server rooms, cash handling and perhaps your mail room. Securing those areas is vitally important, but most companies fail to log access, restrict the number of employees with access, and fail to follow up on both perceived and real breaches.
Analyze which areas are “high priority”, analyze which employees need access to those areas and take action, people. It’s not that hard.
1: Overdoing it. Overdoing it. Overdoing it.
Overdoing security is almost (almost) as bad as underdoing it. Why? Because overdoing security will cost you more than it will save you, and it will put unnecessary difficulties into your processes that don’t need to be there.
Analyzing what your building needs is key here, and you have to take into account your risk level. It’s very true that we do go on a lot about planning here, and that’s not without good reason. If you fail to plan, you plan to get robbed and probably beaten about the head a good deal as well…
Like this? Think you have tips and tricks about security that we should know about? How about putting together an article for SnallaBolaget? We like guest posts, and a couple of extra back links is always nice, right?
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I liked the article.
I’ve always followed one simple phrase – Plan the Work, Work the Plan. And yes in that order, throw in a repeat once in a while and your set.
Thanks, Michael.
That’s very accurately distilled – Plan the Work and Work the Plan. Repeat. I like that a lot.