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. 

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."  

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.  

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. 

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.