What is Commercial Security?

Commercial security includes a broad range of solutions from surveillance cameras and access control to cybersecurity to physical security. Organizations are increasingly turning to commercial security services for risk assessments, technological solutions, and security guards to protect physical assets, employees, clients, and customers.

Whether you are a small business owner or an enterprise company with a large campus or multiple locations, commercial security is critical to avoid the three D’s: disruption, damage, and downtime.

Different Types of Business Security Solutions

You can look at commercial security solutions from a physical standpoint and a cybersecurity standpoint. Today, most organizations need to address both to secure their facilities and data. Let’s start by examining the physical security measures that are most common.

Physical Security Measures

Physical security is designed to protect commercial buildings, equipment, and assets. Typically, this includes controlling access, monitoring physical assets, and employing strategies to deter potential threats.

Perimeter Security

Fences, gates, physical barriers, and landscaping can all help funnel traffic into controlled access points, reducing the opportunities for unauthorized entry.

Surveillance Cameras and Monitoring

Most businesses today use CCTV cameras for surveillance and business security monitoring. Coupled with business security alarm systems and sensors, business security cameras can provide a level of security that provides a visible deterrent. The presence of business-grade security cameras alerts criminals that they may be monitored and recorded.

Monitoring services can provide immediate warnings and recording can preserve evidence in case of a crime.

Modern video surveillance systems including smart cameras can be equipped with advanced security features, such as night vision, HD imaging, license plate detection, and AI tools that can analyze movement and alert for suspicious activity, acting as video security experts for your commercial security cameras.

Advanced video monitoring features can include cloud video storage, such as 30-day cloud video recording.

Access Control Systems

A key to commercial security is access control, ensuring those who enter your facility are authorized to do so. Systems include key card readers and biometric scanners. While these commercial security systems seem simple, they can control:

• Identification of users
• Authentication
• Authorization levels and access for specific areas

You can also log entry and exit data for analysis and compliance.

Secure Entry Points

Besides access control, it is also important to ensure all of the potential entry points have the right type of security in place. Doors, windows, and loading docks should be secured, including reinforced doors and shatter-resistant glass. You will want to ensure that you have secure locks and latches and that security protocols are followed.

Access control solutions, such as sensors on doors and windows, can trigger either silent or audible business alarm systems when there is unauthorized access to alert property owners, property managers, and security personnel.

Security Guards and Mobile Patrols

Whether you need to secure an office building, a mall, an industrial park, or a warehouse, security guards from security companies and mobile patrol units can help. Guards can authenticate and authorize access, monitor cameras and security, and respond to incidents. Mobile patrol units can provide an additional layer of security and act as an even more visible deterrent to crime.

Lighting

Threat actors can hide in dark corners and blind spots. Brightly lit entryways, pathways, hallways, and parking lots can make it harder for them to go undetected. Research shows that lighting is an effective deterrent. Well-lit areas have lower incident rates and are an ideal solution as an affordable business security solution to lower your business security cost.

Cybersecurity Solutions

We’re primarily focusing on physical security, but cybersecurity has become a critical part of the commercial security landscape. In fact, 93 percent of organizations report experiencing two or more data breaches in the past year.

Some of the key solutions include:

Network Security

Protecting your digital infrastructure from threat actors has become a growing concern. The AI tools that improve productivity are being deployed by cybercriminals to infiltrate networks on a staggering scale, allowing them to launch more attacks than ever before.

Network security requires a robust, next-generation firewall to control incoming and outgoing traffic along with intrusion detection and prevention systems. Today’s cloud connectivity and an ever-growing number of endpoints demand a comprehensive approach to network security and safety concerns to protect data and limit service interruptions.

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) and the principle of least privilege work like physical access controls, only allowing authorized and validated users to access your internal or internet network.

Data Encryption and Protection

While perimeter defense is important in physical security and cybersecurity, you also have to protect your sensitive data inside and outside your wall. You need military-grade encryption of data at rest (in your system or in the cloud) and while in transit.

Training and Education

While the bulk of physical threats to your commercial property come from outside your organization, cybersecurity incidents often start with your employees. In fact, 88 percent of data breaches are caused by employee errors, such as opening the digital door to hackers or falling for scams that steal credentials. Training and education is a critical factor in preventing cybercrime.

Integrated Security Systems

We’re seeing more instances these days of combining physical security and cybersecurity for commercial security solutions for a greater level of protection, and for good reason.

Combining Physical Security and Cybersecurity

While cybersecurity and operational security have typically been managed separately, a unified management structure can improve data sharing.

This is especially important for companies that manage critical infrastructure. Fortinet reports that organizations experienced a higher number of intrusion attempts for operational systems. Nearly a third of companies reporting had six intrusion attempts—three times the number of companies reporting such attacks in 2022—including cyber or physical attempts.

Benefits of Integrated Approaches

An integrated approach using human security guards, video security cameras, cybersecurity systems, and other smart technology results in:

• Improved threat detection: Gathering physical and digital data can reveal patterns or anomalies, helping to improve threat detection and uncover security gaps
• Streamlined management: Enabling unified security operations for administration
• Cost-effective solution: Sharing resources and infrastructure for potential cost savings
• Responsiveness: Allowing coordinated response to incidents

How to Implement Effective Commercial Security

The estimated cost of addressing a single physical security breach averages about $100,000 per incident. That figure does not account for the potential harm to employees, downtime for repairs, or loss of reputational damage that may occur.

Here is an example. A Midwest retail chain experienced a series of break-ins at different locations. Replacing stolen inventory and repairing the damage created significant expenses, but there were other long-term consequences as well. Employees felt unsafe at work, worried about whether they might be injured in the next incident, and turnover increased. As news of the break-ins spread, foot traffic dropped. Customers, worried about their safety, simply decided to shop elsewhere. Not only did the company’s reputation take a hit, but so did its bottom line. It can take years to fully recover from such incidents.

Avoiding these losses requires a proactive approach to commercial security, starting with evaluating your needs and conducting a risk assessment.

Assessing Your Business’s Security Needs

The first step in solving any problem is to understand it. A thorough assessment of your needs and vulnerabilities will form the foundation of your plan and should account for obvious and less apparent risks.

An initial assessment may consider:

• Asset inventory: Evaluating your assets that require protection, including property and equipment.
• Threat analysis: Identifying potential risks for your business, including your industry and location. For example, a retail store in a high-crime area will have different security needs than an office building in a suburban setting.
• Regulatory compliance: Understanding industry-specific security requirements or local regulations that apply to your business.
• Incident history: Reviewing any past security breaches, near-misses, and false alarms.
• Staff and customer safety: Looking for potential security threats to provide a safe environment and in-depth business insights, including the fastest response times.

Developing a Comprehensive Security Plan

After identifying your needs and security gaps, a comprehensive security plan will serve as a roadmap for implementing security solutions.

Let’s take the example of a manufacturing facility. After conducting a risk assessment, they identified their biggest risks as after-hours site security and potential theft of inventory. Their plan might include:

• Installing a more modern CCTV surveillance system with night vision
• Upgrading exterior lighting
• Installing an access control system to authenticate and log employee access
• Developing new security protocols for opening and closing the business each day
• Providing safety and security training for staff
• Adding mobile security patrols for visibility and rapid response times

This is just one example. Your security plan might look completely different. What is important is that you tailor your plan to your unique operation. This requires developing clear objectives and prioritizing risks. Your plan will vary depending on whether you are focusing on employee safety, theft prevention from internal or external sources, or inventory asset protection.

Your plan should focus on a layered security approach so that if one measure fails, another can provide backup. If someone manages to get inside your facility because an employee left a door open, secure access control can still prevent an intruder from getting inside a restricted area without the proper keycard or biometric authorization. Entry sensors, contact sensors, and disturbance detectors provide a broader range of monitoring options for crash-and-smash protection.

Security monitoring plans should also outline the steps to be taken in various situations, including fires or natural disasters, unauthorized access, or a significant security breach. Employees should know when and how to respond to incidents to minimize risk.

When developing your implementation plan, you will also need to identify the specific things you need to do, figure out budgetary needs to make it happen, and create a timeline for implementation. Many organizations opt for a phased approach to adoption for smooth adoption and to avoid overwhelming employees with a large list of new procedures.

Calling in Security Experts

While many companies choose a DIY approach, for a prevention plan to be effective, it requires a comprehensive audit. Professional security consultants and security service providers are trained to analyze your commercial properties and provide a detailed report.

Security professionals will provide you with a prioritized action plan for physical security, building safety, and employee and customer safety. Implementing your plan will improve commercial security, reduce your risk, and limit your liability. Proving to insurance carriers that you have taken proactive measures to enhance security may also lower your insurance premiums. This may not be the case with DIY installation, even for business video surveillance systems.

Security pros have the expertise to identify vulnerabilities that might not be obvious to internal teams, providing invaluable insights and business activity analytics.

One example is a hospital that had surveillance cameras, biometric access control, and an internal security staff. They assumed they had a strong security plan. However, an outside security consultant quickly identified a major flaw at the hospital’s loading dock, which had minimal security oversight. Bay doors were often left open in anticipation of deliveries, potentially allowing criminals access. Delivery personnel were often left unattended with access to restricted areas of the hospital, potentially allowing them access to sensitive areas that might compromise patient safety or allow theft of expensive medical equipment or pharmaceuticals.

Regularly Updating and Testing Security Measures

While a risk assessment and initial security evaluation are essential, security requires an ongoing effort. The threat landscape is constantly evolving and criminals are incredibly creative in how they exploit vulnerabilities. Regular updates and testing are important to maintain a consistent security posture.

A financial services firm is a recent example. They put together a comprehensive action plan and installed a cutting-edge security system. However, they failed to update the software and test it regularly. A hacker was able to bypass access controls by exploiting a known flaw in the software. The company had even alerted its users to the flaw and put out a patch. But, the financial services firm had neglected to update the software, allowing the hackers to trick the biometric sensors and enter the facility.

Keeping security systems up to date and testing them regularly is crucial. Even if your advanced technology is updated, employees can become complacent and let security protocols lapse.

Best practices include:

• Scheduling regular security audits
• Staying informed about emerging security threats
• Testing safety and security procedures to identify weaknesses
• Running emergency drills to ensure staff know how to respond properly
• Updating technology to leverage modern security and safety tech
• Reviewing and revising policies as your business evolves
• Evaluating the performance of your security measures

The goal of commercial security is to deter criminal activity and prevent incidents as well as ensure your team can detect, respond, and recover from threats.

Benefits of Implementing Commercial Security

Investing in comprehensive commercial security offers a wide range of benefits that extend beyond basic protection. A proactive and consistent approach to your commercial security can pay dividends over the long term.

Protecting Assets and Property

The most obvious benefit of commercial security is the protection of physical assets and property. This includes:

• Preventing theft and vandalism of inventory, equipment, and facilities
• Reducing losses due to theft or employee misconduct
• Safeguarding intellectual property and sensitive business information
• Minimizing downtime and business interruptions caused by security incidents

By implementing robust security measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of financial losses.

Ensuring Employee and Customer Safety

Commercial security is central to maintaining a safe environment for your employees and customers, including:

• Deterring workplace violence and threats
• Improving emergency response capabilities
• Enhancing overall workplace safety through monitored environments
• Providing peace of mind to employees
• Demonstrating a commitment to customer safety

A secure business environment protects individuals from harm and contributes to a positive atmosphere that benefits everyone.

Reducing Liability and Legal Risks

Effective security measures can help mitigate various legal and liability risks by, for example:

• Demonstrating due diligence in protecting employees, customers, and visitors
• Providing evidence in case of incidents or legal disputes
• Ensuring compliance with industry regulations and standards
• Reducing the likelihood of successful lawsuits related to negligent security
• Potentially lowering insurance premiums

By investing in commercial security, you can protect yourself from costly legal battles and stay compliant with relevant laws and regulations.

Enhancing Business Reputation and Trust

A strong security posture can contribute to a positive business reputation in various ways. For example:

• Demonstrating a commitment to keeping everyone safe
• Building trust with customers, partners, and investors
• Differentiating the business from competitors who may have weaker security measures
• Potentially attracting high-profile clients or contracts that require stringent security standards
• Enhancing brand value

A Layered Approach to Commercial Security

You need a layered approach to physical and cybersecurity to keep your business, employees, and customers safe. From physical security measures like surveillance and access control to cybersecurity solutions, it takes a comprehensive approach.

Implementing effective security measures will require a rigorous risk assessment and action plan, along with a financial commitment to safeguard your assets. As technology continues to evolve—and threat actors get ever more sophisticated—you must maintain a strong security posture and remain vigilant.

GardaWorld is a global leader in security services and security systems. We provide physical security including security guards and mobile patrol units, security consulting and planning, and provide cutting-edge security equipment and technology. We also provide professional installation services and ongoing support. As one of the world’s largest privately owned integrated security and risk management companies, we have a team of 132,000 highly-trained professionals who serve clients across 45 countries.

Contact the commercial security experts at GardaWorld today and let’s discuss your security needs to improve your peace of mind.