Our CEO, James Beale recently participated in a podcast with ASIS International. Interviewer Chuck Harold was curious about our recent Building Perimeter Security Survey and had questions. James was happy to answer.
Harold began the interview by asking, “You guys did a survey – the 2022 Building Perimeter Security Survey. What are the key findings from that?”
Beale responded, “Everybody has a general concern regarding the effectiveness of their existing security perimeters measures – specifically as it relates to glass.” The majority of the time security professionals inherit the property they are meant to protect. More often than not, they weren’t involved in the building process. Thus, they step into a situation where they are trying to find the weakest link and strengthen it.
In this particular survey, what we learned was that 82% of security professionals believed that building perimeter security is “very important” or the “highest priority”. For 45%, it is their highest priority, and 37% felt that it is very important. Consequently, we have a lot of work to do.
What we also realized as a result of this survey is that security professionals (on average) have had ten and a half-attempted breaches in the last year. Moreover, the majority have endured approximately ten and a half successful breaches. Whether it is theft or loss of life, one successful breach is too many.
Access Control
Access control is a term commonly used by security professionals to describe the growing issue of who enters a building and why. Human aided breaches are common, and the greatest risk. Whether doors are left a jar or locks fail, these inadequacies allow potential harm to ensue.
The growing concern for “protecting people and property” was another finding in this survey. The two go hand and hand. 69 percent of respondents agreed, or strongly agreed, that protecting people and property is either important or very important when it comes to building security.
Natural disasters
Formerly, natural disasters were an issue for specific areas. However, as climate change grows greater, so do hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. These are issues across the country with areas of concern growing wider annually.
If you consider the wildfires in California, when they are at full force, you have gusts of up to 100 mph. Wildfires are becoming more common on the west coast, where hurricanes have been less of an issue historically. Protecting property and persons from storms and natural disasters is also an ever-expanding issue.
Civil unrest
Our Building Perimeter Survey also revealed that 78% agreed or strongly agreed that protecting people from growing civil unrest is a growing concern. We have talked to property owners and facilities personnel who claim that they have security gates, but they weren’t engaged at the time of an incident. You don’t want to put someone in harm’s way to get to the property and engage it when the time comes.
We realize when you have a natural disaster or civil unrest, you may not always be able to secure the building. What property owner’s need is protection that is in place and working 24/7. That’s where NGS comes in. We can access your building’s perimeter and provide you with the best possible security system for your building.
Inherited buildings
For the conclusion of the podcast, Chuck Harold mentioned a personal experience he had regarding inheriting a building. As a security professional himself, Harold had inherited the Fox Network Center, five stories, complete glass. After 9/11, they suddenly had a new issue to overcome. Bombs became a concern as they had never been in that facility before. Harold then stated, “I believe this is a huge problem and an overlooked issue in building security.”
Our CEO agreed. “You are a hundred percent right. It is.” What NGS offers is a complimentary building perimeter hardening assessment. We will come out and find a solution for you at no charge. Whether it is entry level security film, Riot Glass®, or ballistic, we can provide pricing and get it done for you as quickly as possible. It’s what we do.
The Building Perimeter Security Survey referenced in this podcast can be downloaded for free here. If you are ready to upgrade the safety and security of your building, NGS offers complimentary building perimeter security analysis. You can get started using this link: https://www.filmsandgraphics.com/services/perimeter-hardening/
To listen to the ASIS Podcast in its entirety, click here, or listen below starting at 21:00.
