5 security vulnerabilities in a modern commercial building

When it comes to securing your commercial building, you can’t be too careful. Any obvious vulnerabilities in your security will be exploited by criminals, and you may even face issues with your insurance if you haven’t taken the proper steps to make your building secure.

Modern security technology goes a long way in burglar-proofing your building, particularly in protecting the most vulnerable areas of your space. Here are five flash-point areas that thieves will look to exploit, along with ways to prevent this from happening.

Windows

Unless your commercial premises is an office space, a retail outlet, or another building where light entry or visibility is imperative, there should be no accessible windows on the first floor of your building. While the most effective way of preventing first-floor break-ins would be to have the window filled in, a simple and effective solution is to use an anti-vandal screen, such as this one from security experts Bradbury. This is made from perforated steel mesh and will prevent glass from being smashed, which will prevent intruders from accessing your building the window.

Alarm

There was once a time when a building alarm merely consisted of a loud siren in the event of a perimeter breach, but this relied heavily on the kindness of strangers. If the police were not contacted then burglars would still have an easy, albeit noisy, job of breaking into your building. Luckily, modern alarm systems can contact the police immediately, as well as send you a notification of the alarm being triggered either by text or phone call, or through a smartphone app. These intruder alarm systems from ADT have an emergency-response function that can contact the authorities even if the criminals have had the wit about them to cut your phone line.

Door strength

Even if your building is fully alarmed, burglars could potentially breach your door and make off with high-value items before the authorities reach the scene. For this reason, you must be sure to have a strong security door that will withstand battering and vandalism. Purchase a certified door that has been stress tested for peace of mind that your building cannot be accessed by force. Some certified doors will withstand explosions, so you can be sure that they will withstand a hapless thief.

CCTV

If you are still relying on old CCTV technology that is captured by a VHS, you are taking a huge risk. The clarity of the image is the key element in identifying assailants, so a blurry image of the criminal little more use than no image at all. These CCTV systems from Maplins capture high-definition video that can be broadcasted wirelessly to your mobile phone. This makes the footage accessible at an instant, and clear enough for the authorities to use as evidence of criminal activity — exactly what you need.

Access

The first point of entry for a criminal will almost always be the front door, especially if your building receives a lot of visitors or has plenty of staff. If you do not want your building to be open to the public, take steps to ensure that it isn’t. Giving employees and authorised visitors an access key card or ‘fob’ is the best way to prevent random people from walking in. If a key card does fall into the wrong hands, you can instantly update your system so it no longer recognises that card.

With the inconvenience and trauma associated with a break in, it’s important to take steps to ensure that you will never experience one — these security tips will help make that a reality.