Security Buildings: Small Structures with a Big Purpose
With all the emphasis on cyber crimes and 'hacking' in television and the news, one aspect of security that can go overlooked is the physical security companies have to put in place. Unlike Computer security, physical security refers to the in-person security measures implemented around a facility.
Physical security revolves around the 4 D's: Deter, Detect, Delay, and Deny . Since 1995, Panel Built has developed security buildings and structures that help with each of these points. This post will discuss the usefulness and benefits of security buildings and how they enforce the Ds of physical security.
Security Buildings Can Act As A Deterrent To Crime
The criminal justice system has tried several ways to Deter people from committing crimes. The National Institute of Justice states that "Increasing the severity of punishment does little to deter crime;" however, "The certainty of being caught is a vastly more powerful deterrent than the punishment" [1]. In fact, this is a prevalent tactic among law enforcement. They state, "A criminal's behavior is more likely to be influenced by seeing a police officer with handcuffs and a radio than by a new law increasing penalties."
Businesses can implement this strategy on their own by installing a security building at the entrances of their facility. Security buildings not only act as an active access control measure and physical security presence at your entryway. Seeing this, would-be assailants are more likely to find an easier business to target (all other things equal). By acting as a deterrent against crime, modular security buildings can instantly upgrade the physical security of a facility and help reduce the overall likelihood of a crime occurring in the first place. For this reason, Deterrence is one of the most important aspects of Physical Security.
Detecting a Threat at Your Access Control Point
Next, if you are unable to deter the threat, businesses need to be able to Detect the danger as soon as possible. As the access control point at the front of a facility, Security Buildings can be designed to help officers actively screen for potential threats. Used in combination with a traffic arm or retractable bollards, officers within the security building can check the employee ID of all incoming vehicles from the comfort of his modular security building. The booths typically come outfitted with an interior workstation with stainless steel countertops, electrical outlets, data outlets, and more.
For many companies, their security building at the front serves as a security hub for the whole facility. In addition to active access control measures at the entrance, security booths can be outfitted with exterior-mounted lighting and CCTV systems to cover the surrounding area better. So, during light traffic hours, the security officers can easily monitor the rest of the facility. These systems allow officers to actively detect suspicious activity surrounding the facility.
After Detection, Delay Them From Reaching Their Target
The third aspect of a successful physical security system is the ability to Delay the threat once recognized. This can be anything that potentially slows down the threat from completing their goal. Companies can set up alarmed security systems from the security building to be activated after detecting a threat. The security alarm lets the perpetrator know that they have been detected, increasing their likelihood of being caught (remember the most significant deterrent). Upon hearing the alarm, the threat will be more inclined to leave the property, knowing that reinforcements would be soon on their way.
Further, the security building themselves can be equipped with Forced-Entry rated windows, doors, and walls to hold off a sustained attack for up to 60 minutes. For high threat level facilities, this can be incredibly helpful, especially if the building also houses firearms, ammo, etc.
In most cases, the threat will not be targeting the security booth but another aspect of your building, either looking for valuable or to cause harm to equipment and people. Delaying the threat further can require upgrades at and around the entrances of buildings and high security areas. This can include introducing biometric or keypad access control systems to gain access to buildings or adding a prefabricated security mantrap to the outside of your building. These tools add extra layers of physical security to delay the threat as long as possible.
Finally, Equip Your Facility With The Ability to Deny the Threat
After delaying your threat as long as possible, businesses can finally implement final steps to deny the threat and/or defend against the threat (depending on application & threat level). In most cases, this means denying access to valuables or employees of the business. Once the threat has been detected, an action plan should be in place for non-security employees to lock down their buildings, rooms, etc. Many of the physical security measures put in place to delay threats should help deny them as well, heavy-duty locking doors with access control features (keyfobs, scannable employee IDs, number pads, etc.).
Security buildings can be equipped further to help defend the facility in high-threat-level facilities. Panel Built's Welded Steel Division fabricates a full line of custom, ballistic rated buildings designed to UL-752, NIJ, & STANAG bullet resistance standards. These standards are used by United States military and other organizations to ensure strict, well-defined levels of bulletproofing. For similar projects, Panel Built has equipped ballistic buildings with retractable gun ports, allowing officers to defend themselves and their facility in a worst-case scenario. Generally, these are security buildings found in military installations or high-level government areas that could be targets of an attack.
Overall, security buildings can serve many purposes in an organization's Physical Security plan. Depending on the size and needs of a facility, security buildings can be a simple, single-person structure, or it can be outfitted with a variety of options and features to create your very own security hub. Access control and physical security tools can be easily implemented into the building design with custom layouts and configurations.
Panel Built's modular security building design is one of the fastest and most easily installed solutions available. Buildings can be delivered pre-assembled or conveniently packaged for quick assembly on-site. Panel Built offers installation all across the United States as a turn-key modular building supplier. If you are interested in boosting your physical security, give us a call at 800.636.3873, send us an email to info@Panelbuilt.com, or let us know in our LiveChat in the bottom-right of the page. We are more than happy to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.