Business Security Information

There are four basic principles of security that should be used no matter if you are looking at physical security or computer security issues with your business.  When you are planning security for your business, base all your decisions on these four principles.  If you do not incorporate all four of the them, your security measures have a higher chance of being defeated.  Any security system can be beaten, but thieves are looking for the greatest amount of return with the lowest risk.  If you use these principles correctly, you will increase the risk criminals must take to be successful.  In most cases, the thief will choose an easier target down the road.  Many businesses rely on security alarm systems, also called intrusion alarm systems, which notify of someone trying to break into a building.  Security alarm systems by themselves, however, are not a deterrent to criminals, especially against professionals.  They are important but should be incorporated into your overall security plan.

Principles of Security

There are four basic security principles that you should follow no matter if you are planning security for your physical sites or for your computer network.

1. First, you must slow the criminal down.  You must improve the physical or logical security measures you have implemented so that it takes longer to get through them before they reach their objective, such as the contents of your safe.
2. You must know they are there.  This is usually the purpose of any security alarm system      and where it comes into play.  If you slow the intruders down but give them all the time in the world because you don’t know they are trying to break in, they will beat your security.
3. You must have an adequate response.  The local police departments are usually the responders  to security incidents related to your physical site. This principle must be applied differently when looking at computer networks.
4. Lastly, any security must be layered.  In the physical security arena, this principle has been around for quite some time but is fairly new to computer security.  Businesses must not depend on just one security measure for protection.  For example, if I have glass entrance doors to my business which are locked at night, a layered approach may be that I have metal bollards (pipes set in the ground) that prevent someone from driving a vehicle through these glass doors and security film on the glass to make it harder to break the glass doors.  There are three layers: the doors and lock, the bollards and the security film.  The principle of layered security can be used and built into all of the other three principles of security.  I will write more regarding these principles of security in other articles.

Security Alarm Measures

Security alarm systems serve a vital role in your overall security plan.  To help increase the success of your security alarm system, make sure you follow these measures:

• Alarm sensors should be located so they can detect the intruder when they are first attempting to gain entry, not after they have already gained entry.
• Make sure you select the correct alarm sensor for your business.  There are a variety of alarm sensors that can be used in a security alarm system with each having a different purpose.  Also, each sensor has a variety of advantages and disadvantages..  Make sure an assessment of your needs is done before any system is selected or installed.  This assessment should take in to account the environmental (weather and other conditions in the area) conditions that may affect the function of the system.
• Position what you are trying to protect so it forces the intruder to enter the area the alarm sensor is protecting.  This way the sensor will detect the intrusion while or hopefully before the intruder is able to gain access to what they are trying to steal.
• Test the security alarm system when it is first installed and periodically thereafter to make sure that the system is functioning correctly and that all sensors are functioning and positioned correctly.
• Have the security alarm system monitored by a central monitoring company.  The security system does no good if it sounds an alarm, but no one is notified to respond to the alarm.
• Protect the phone line against attack because it is currently the most popular method to transmit the alarm signal to the monitoring company.  Comlok and Linesafe are two companies that I know of that produce devices that help protect your phone lines.  There was one called lineprotect, but it appears to have gone out of business; their website is not longer active.
• Backup your security alarm signals’ transmission method.  One of the most popular methods is that of a cellular backup system.  Another method that I have seen on occasion is the use of a radio signal which is setup to send the alarm signal to a neighboring business where the signal is sent out via their phone line.  Sending the signal over the internet connection (IP) is also used.

A security alarm system should be only one piece of the security puzzle.  If you only depend on a security alarm system to protect your business, you are not adequately protected.  Remember to evaluate any security you want to implement against the four noted security principles.  If you are lacking in one of the noted areas, you run a higher risk of having a security incident.

Related posts:

1. False Alarm Fines for Business
2. Security Camera Systems
3. Physical Security