What is Physical Security and How Does it Work?

The conversation today about security often revolves around cybersecurity. There’s no doubt that securing your digital and virtual assets is important, but you still need to focus on physical security. Cloud and virtual environments are essentially still hardware that can be compromised if a facility gets breached.

Your properties and people are also more at risk than you might think.

Over the past five years, 60% of companies have experienced breaches in their physical security. Physical security threats and criminal activity at commercial properties, such as break-ins, theft, and property destruction, are on the rise across a wide variety of industries.

What Is Physical Security?

Physical security is a critical aspect of overall organizational protection that focuses on safeguarding people, property, and valuable assets from physical threats. The physical security definition includes the use of various measures, technologies, and procedures to prevent unauthorized access, theft, vandalism, and other forms of physical harm or loss.

Key Physical Security Measures

Besides natural surveillance, there are several key components to mitigating physical security threats. Layers of security are required to implement physical security plans.

Perimeter Security

Perimeter security is your first line of defense in physical security. It includes fences, gates, barriers, and other measures designed to prevent unauthorized access. Effective perimeter security helps to deter potential intruders and delay their progress if they attempt to breach the perimeter.

Surveillance Systems

Cameras and surveillance systems play a crucial role in physical security, providing real-time monitoring and creating visual records of activities. This can help you spot potential physical security breaches and help with investigations, preserving evidence of criminal activity for law enforcement.

These monitoring systems can be powered by AI and provide automated system alerts to reduce false negatives. However, you still want 24/7 monitoring by security personnel.

Products like Mobile Surveillance Units (MSU) are a perfect example of how humans and machines can work together for better security. For example, a roaming guard can only be in one place so they might miss a perimeter breach. But an MSU watching your perimeter is always on. So, if there is a perimeter breach, it can immediately alert the guard to the situation to respond.

Access Control Systems

Physical access control systems regulate who can enter specific areas within a facility. These systems can range from simple lock-and-key mechanisms to sophisticated biometric scanners. Access systems ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive areas, thus reducing the potential risk of internal threats, theft, or sabotage.

Intrusion Detection Systems

Intrusion detection systems are designed to identify when an unauthorized entry has occurred. These can include motion sensors, glass break detectors, and door/window sensors. When triggered, these systems alert security personnel, allowing for a rapid response to potential threats.

Components of Physical Security Controls and Systems

Your physical security methods can help deter criminal activity and provide security personnel with better situational awareness.

Physical Barriers and Deterrents

Physical barriers are tangible obstacles that prevent or delay access to a protected area. These can include walls, fences, gates, and bollards. Deterrents, such as visible security cameras or warning signs, discourage potential intruders by increasing the perceived risk of detection.

Electronic Security Systems

Electronic security systems include a wide range of technologies used to monitor, detect, and respond to security threats. For example:

• Surveillance cameras
• Motion detectors
• Alarm systems
• Access control systems
• Intrusion detection sensors

These systems work together to create a comprehensive security network.

Procedural Controls

Procedural controls are the policies, procedures, and guidelines that govern how physical security is maintained. This includes protocols for visitor management, employee identification, key management, and incident response.

Effective procedural controls ensure that physical security measures are consistently and correctly implemented.

Environmental Design

Environmental design in physical security refers to the practice of designing spaces to naturally deter criminal behavior. This concept, known as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), involves strategies such as:

• Natural surveillance: Natural surveillance provides clear sightlines to make it difficult for threat actors to approach your facility covertly.
• Natural access control: Clearly defined entry points limit the number of places intruders can breach your facility.
• Territorial reinforcement: A clear delineation between public and private spaces helps to control access to sensitive areas.
• Lighting: Using natural or artificial light to improve visibility and eliminate hiding places.

Overview of the Core Elements of Physical Security

Physical security planning requires careful consideration of your physical security controls. So, let’s take a look at some of the core types of access control.

Perimeter Defense

Restricting access and constant monitoring of your perimeter with video surveillance are key to stopping an intruder and attempts to breach your facility.

Fencing and Gates

Fences and gates form a clear boundary and can be equipped with additional security features like barbed wire or electric fencing for high-security areas.

CCTV Surveillance Cameras

Perimeter CCTV security cameras provide continuous monitoring of the property's boundaries, allowing security personnel to quickly detect and respond to potential threats and potential attacks. Video feeds aid security teams and law enforcement with valuable insights.

Access Control Mechanisms

Physical security controls and access control systems range from simple solutions to a wide array of sophisticated technological solutions.

Biometric Authentication

Biometric systems use unique physical characteristics like fingerprints, facial features, or iris patterns to verify identity. Physical security devices like biometric readers provide a high level of security and eliminate risks associated with lost or stolen access cards.

Key Cards and RFID

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards and key cards are widely used for access control. They can be easily issued, revoked, and tracked, providing flexible and manageable access control.

Internal Security Measures

Your physical security solutions also require internal security measures to protect your property.

Intrusion Detection Systems

These systems use various sensors to detect unauthorized entry into protected areas. Physical security implementation of intrusion detection can trigger alarms and alert security personnel immediately to suspicious activities.

Security Personnel and Patrols

Human security guards and regular patrols remain a crucial element of physical security. Security guards provide a visible deterrent, can respond quickly to incidents, and can make judgment calls in complex situations.

Implementing Physical Security

Mitigating physical security threats requires a strategic approach that goes beyond surveillance cameras, natural surveillance, and security guards. Limiting breach attempts and security threats starts with an assessment of your physical security risks.

Risk Assessment

You should conduct a thorough risk assessment. This process identifies potential threats, vulnerabilities, and the potential impact of security breaches. A comprehensive risk assessment helps in developing a targeted and cost-effective security strategy to mitigate physical security risks.

Security Planning and Policy Development

Based on the risk assessment, organizations should develop a detailed security plan and supporting policies. This plan should outline specific security measures, responsibilities, procedures, and protocols. It should also include contingency plans for various scenarios and be regularly reviewed and updated.

Benefits of Effective Physical Security

Implementing physical security measures will help mitigate physical security threats—whether they are external or internal threats. Organizations that implement controls see significant benefits.

Protection of Assets and People

The primary benefit of physical security is the protection it provides to an organization's assets and personnel. This includes safeguarding valuable equipment, sensitive information, and most importantly, the safety of employees and visitors.

Prevention of Unauthorized Access

Effective physical security measures significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive areas. This is crucial for maintaining the confidentiality of information and the integrity of operations.

Enhanced Organizational Reputation

A well-designed physical security system can enhance an organization's reputation. It demonstrates a commitment to safety and security, which can increase trust among employees, customers, and partners —and reduce malicious intent.

Reduced Insurance Costs

With comprehensive physical security measures in place, you may also see reduced insurance premiums.

Trends in Physical Security

Physical security solutions are continually evolving, driven by technological advancements and changing threat landscapes. These innovative techniques are available now:

• Integration of physical security and cybersecurity: As the lines between physical and digital threats blur, we're seeing increased integration of physical security and cybersecurity systems to aid security teams.
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning: AI is being used to enhance video surveillance, predictive analytics, and anomaly detection in physical security systems, such as security cameras that can identify license plates in video surveillance and alert security teams when they identify an intruder or unauthorized site visitor.
• Internet of Things (IoT) in security: IoT devices are being increasingly used in physical security, providing more data points and enabling smarter, more responsive security systems—empowered with robust data analytics, such as predictive analytics.
• Drone technology: Both as a security tool and a potential threat, drones are becoming an important consideration in physical security planning.
• Contactless access control: Touchless access control systems are becoming more prevalent, helping provide seamless access for authorized personnel and preventing access attempts from intruders.

These emerging technologies are impacting nearly every industry. The future of physical security in banking, for example, is evolving rapidly.

Conclusion

Physical security remains a critical component of overall organizational security. By implementing a comprehensive physical security strategy that includes perimeter defense, access control, surveillance, and intrusion detection, organizations can significantly reduce their vulnerability to physical threats. These layers of security are essential for physical security management.

As technology continues to advance, the field of physical security will evolve, offering new tools and methods to protect assets and people. However, the fundamental principles of physical security—deterrence, detection, delay, and response—will remain constant in your physical security strategy.

Organizations must stay informed about emerging threats and technologies, regularly assess their security posture, and adapt their physical security measures accordingly. By doing so, they can ensure the safety of their personnel, protect their assets, and maintain the integrity of their operations in an increasingly complex security landscape.

As a global leader in security services, GardaWorld Security has a team of highly skilled physical security consultants to protect your business, employees, and assets. With 425 branch offices across 45 countries, GardaWorld Security is uniquely positioned to help protect you. Contact our experts today.