Commercial Alarms – Integrated Business Security Solutions
All businesses need to protect their property from unwanted visitors, including professional criminals such as burglars and safe-breakers, and opportunist criminals such as vandals. The premises to be protected may range from shops, small offices and small workshops, up to large complexes with long perimeters and many possible entry points. Commercial alarms are one means of protection, and these may be integrated in a comprehensive security solution with other protective measures, such as physical security systems, CCTV monitoring, and regular security guard patrols.
Clearly a business needs to protect itself from intruders. These may include professional criminals who are interested in stealing inventory, equipment, cash etc, and opportunists who might include vandals who will enter any property which seems badly protected and may cause considerable damage. Businesses must also consider the risks from insiders, such as dishonest employees and on-site contractors. However all security costs money, and businesses need to balance the amount which they spend on security, the amount which they spend on insurance, and the likely costs of a breach of security.
Advice from an experienced security contractor or consultant can be invaluable in determining the level of protection required. These expert advisers can balance the cost of different security measures versus their known effectiveness, both in detecting intruders and in deterring them from even trying to enter the premises.
The contractor or consultant may carry out a review of existing arrangements and a risk assessment, and will then identify how security may be improved in the most cost effective manner. This can include the deployment of numerous systems and technologies, such as visitor management systems, conventional (photo) and advanced (biometric) ID systems, closed circuit TV systems (CCTV), electronic access control systems, perimeter security and gate entry barriers.
Visitor management systems are now much more advanced than conventional paper based records. Electronic based systems can give improved confidence about who is on-site, who they are supposed to be with, how long they are expected to remain, and precisely when they left. Additional security can be provided by modern biometric ID systems. These use physical characteristics which are unique to each person (fingerprint, palm print and iris) to provide cost-effective and reliable identification of people entering the site, or entering secure areas. These technologies provide a level of technology which is impossible to fake.
Physical and perimeter security is also vital for many businesses, and modern organisations may deploy many techniques to detect and deter intruders. CCTV system is a modern day staple in security installations, but it can present a confusing number of options. Suppliers can offer a range of systems varying in size from single camera to multi-camera/multi-site systems, and the cameras may have many features including night vision capabilities, digital recording and wireless and IP transmission.
Perimeter security systems include high fences and secure barriers, which provide high levels of deterrence. Commercial alarm systems using technologies such as vibration and inertia sensors, and magnetic anomaly detection units, give a high likelihood of detection if the fences or barriers are breached and false alarms are very rare.