A comprehensive security plan for your property should have at least three layers, according to ECAMSECURE.

Layer 1: Secure the perimeter

The key to effective security is to make it as difficult as possible for thieves and vandals to cause harm on your property by creating a highly visible outer layer.

Fencing and access control

Secure the perimeter to ensure access is controlled and to prevent no after-hours vehicle access. Fences should be sturdy, at least six feet high and secured at the bottom to prevent anyone from slipping under them. Control access to buildings and parking lots on the property by using entry managers and employee ID badges.

Signage

Letting people know that they are being monitored is a powerful and cost-effective deterrent. Signs should be clean and bright, indicating that security is a priority and not an afterthought. Dirty, dented, or poorly maintained signs send the wrong message.

Lighting

Illuminate remote areas such as stairwells and side entrances to ensure the safety of people using them and to discourage intruders. This will also enhance your security team’s ability to detect suspicious activity.

Photoelectric sensor beams

Photoelectric sensors transmit beams of light that move from transmitters to receivers, which are arranged around the perimeter of your property. When an intruder walks through the beam, they block the transmission to the receiver, thereby triggering an alarm. These systems are especially useful for warehouses auto dealerships, or other commercial properties.

License plate recognition (LPR)

License plate recognition tracks vehicles when they enter and exit properties. As a component of access control, unapproved vehicles can be denied entry. This system can also be used during entries of other areas on commercial properties used to store valuables.

Layer 2: Reinforce the inside of the perimeter

The next layer monitors and reinforces the outer layer, using technology that serves as the eyes and ears of your commercial property’s security system.

Alarms

Leverage audible alarms and silent alarms linked to a comprehensive system of strategically placed sensors and actively monitor them to ensure rapid response to unauthorized intrusions. Emergency exit door sensors should be connected to alarms so that a siren is triggered in the event of an emergency evacuation.

Guards

Dedicated security personnel can ensure an immediate response while waiting for local law enforcement, who might have other priorities. Trained to handle best- to worst-case scenarios, security guards patrol and monitor your property, provide assistance to visitors in need and investigate suspicious activity.

Surveillance cameras

Camera technology has become very advanced and diverse, with different functionality and form factors available to meet specific surveillance needs. Use different types of cameras to fit each situation, such as wide-angle lens cameras focused on storefronts to monitor and deter etching, vandalism and unwanted gatherings. Cameras should be leveraged to monitor activity, especially at loading docks, front doors, lobbies and other entry points.

Radar-guided cameras

Radar surveillance technology detects intrusions and wirelessly directs connected cameras to point at the site of intrusion. The system is smart enough to distinguish between real intrusions and other movements that may set off false alarms, ensuring something like tree branches blowing in the wind won’t trigger an emergency response. Radar guided cameras are a cost-effective option due to their long range and versatility.

Mobile surveillance units

Mobile surveillance units are a highly visible deterrent that can be moved around based on changing business needs, such as a special event or project. They work particularly well in high-crime areas and when it comes to focusing on emerging problems like dumping or vandalism. Supplement the units by pairing them with lights, two-way audio communication and license plate recognition cameras to both deter and document thieves’ activities.

Virtual Guard Platform

ECAMSECURE’s Virtual Guard security services combine traditional video surveillance, two-way audio and rigorous guard protocols to deliver an efficient and cost-effective remote system. Virtual guards can perform remote patrol, assist with access control, serve as virtual escorts to staff and visitors on your property and provide alarm verification, in addition to several other duties—at a fraction the cost of an on-site guard.

Layer 3: Proactive 24/7 monitoring with rapid response

The final layer integrates high-tech monitoring capabilities into your security plan.

Proactive monitoring

Maintain 24×7 surveillance coverage along with dedicated virtual guards and video verification to ensure full-time monitoring, incident response and reporting.

Video analytics immediately alert virtual guards to any issues, which they can then verify and address as soon as possible. In the event of an intrusion, the guard can work to ensure that unauthorized persons leave the property using pre-recorded messaging, two-way audio communication, strobe lights or sirens.

Thermal imaging

Track intruders via their heat signatures without responding to false alarms such as those triggered by animals on the premises. This technology is also useful for detecting fires and potential overheating of equipment or buildings.

ECAMSECURE SmartView

SmartView is a video intrusion detection system that is monitored for immediate video verification of an alarm or alert, resulting in a priority police response to the verified security issue.

Advanced analytics

Detect intrusions and other security threats in real time by using analytics software, including audio analytics and predictive video analytics to capture signs of break-in, violence or aggression and other problems. Facial recognition software can be used to alert your security team to the presence of a known offender or disgruntled former employee before they cause any harm, thereby allowing your team to take an effective proactive approach.

For more information, visit: ecamsecure.garda.com

This article was originally published in the bumper September edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.

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