The types of risks that businesses are facing today are unlike anything we have seen in the past. The rise of active shooter events, terrorist incidents, cyber-attacks, and the like have created a need for stronger, more comprehensive physical security plans that include buy-in from multiple departments across an organization.
And, with threats that are faster-occurring and far more dangerous than ever comes the greater potential for liability issues. When an event occurs, companies have the burden of proving that they had all necessary security measures in place to keep their staff and visitors safe. If unable to provide adequate proof, a company could see crippling judgments, hefty fines, loss of status and reputation, disruption to productivity, and changeovers in staff and management. The integrity of the entire business operation is at risk.
Mitigating risk and liability starts with controlling access to the entry points of a facility. In fact, a regulated mandate that is of major concern to the security professional is the requirement to restrict physical access to a building. Several regulatory standards specifically call out tailgating as a clear violation of compliance.
How to Address Tailgating at Entry Points
An enterprise will often deploy several solutions to secure an entry in an attempt to mitigate risk and comply with regulations. Methods often include combinations of the following: putting locks on doors or gates, using access control systems to control electronic door locks, posting security officers at key locations, or monitoring entrances with security cameras.
Although seemingly comprehensive, each one of these approaches has weaknesses.
An access control system can manage who can open a swinging door, but once open, anyone can freely enter or exit. Adding security cameras doesn’t necessarily ensure security; it often just makes it possible to replay what happened after the fact. Employing security officers is expensive, and they may have a limited impact as they can be distracted, misled or overwhelmed.
There’s only one way to effectively secure an entry from the risk of infiltration.
Security Entrances Reliably Reduce Liability
Security entrances reduce liability by demonstrating a plausible degree of effort to prevent infiltration. They provide the most effective way to allow passage of authorized people, while serving as a deterrent or actual blockage for unauthorized people. And, they never get distracted or overwhelmed during busy periods. Security entrances are a proactive step towards protecting the personal safety and security of staff, visitors and anyone else in the facility.
That said, security entrances are available in a number of different models and each varies in its ability to mitigate risk and comply with regulations. For example, some types deter tailgating, some detect it when it happens and raise an alarm, and others prevent it all together. These differing capabilities impact how integrated technologies work, metrics, staffing, and the bottom line. Sadly, most people in the industry call all types of entrances “turnstiles” which adds to the misunderstanding that they all work the same. It is critical that both security consultants and end users know and understand the capabilities of each entrance type and how they fit into a comprehensive physical security plan.
Download a free comparison guide to learn the critical differences between security entrance types and their impacts to organizations.
There isn’t a day that goes by where the internet and news stations aren’t buzzing with the latest attack. Organizations must take these threats seriously and deploy measures to effectively prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to their employees, guests and data. Security consultants have a unique opportunity to communicate the reliability of security entrances in mitigating tailgating, and provide their clients with peace of mind.