4 Tips For Securing Your Business Perimeter

For as long as there has been an idea of property ownership, humans have been guarding perimeters. The objective of a parameter is to clearly and precisely identify the limit of a piece of land.

A perimeter should also deter unauthorized people from accessing your property. This has been traditionally done using walls. Historically, the bigger the wall, the better the defenses. In modern times, boundaries are most likely to be drawn using fences using materials like wire mesh.

When properly installed, the appearance of your perimeter will do half of the work for you in terms of ensuring the security of your organization.

Whilst not as imposing as a castle wall and a moat, fences can be made to look imposing enough to discourage trespassing (topping your metal mesh with razor wire). In a business setup, your perimeter is often the introduction to your business as well as your first line of defense against trespassers.

It is important to remember when installing effective security perimeters, that all installations should be done with the safety of the general public in mind. Certain warnings and signs must be displayed to avoid harming innocent passersby. In the event of installing anti-climb barriers, for example, ensure that they are following government regulations. If armed security is monitoring the perimeter, appropriate signage must be in visible places.

The following tips listed in this article have been compiled to give you a quick overview of some of the points that should not be overlooked when establishing a secure perimeter for your business.

1. Limit Access

It is important as a business that access to your offices and property is limited and monitored carefully. One easy way of doing this is by organizing your landscaping and pathways in a specific manner. The human brain subconsciously follows routes that seem well established, making pedestrian traffic more predictable and easily monitored.

Have security personnel at the gate. They should take note of the car type, registration plate, and names of all visitors that pass through. Some businesses may go so far as to generally restrict entry to only those that have set appointments with the business. This is usually done by businesses that deal with sensitive information.

When limiting access to upper floors by security systems on the inside, it is wise to consider the various ways a trespasser may enter through the exterior of the building.

Manage your trees and shrubs (mentioned in the 1^st point) as they may serve as ‘footholds’ or stepping stones to get to higher floors.

In the event of a perimeter breach, you should have the ability to delay the approach of an intruder and be able to capture them. Internal security measures, such as keycards and biometric locks, make this possible.

2. Invest In Quality Doors And Locks

Nowadays, a business may share a building with numerous other businesses (office parks for example) hence the perimeter of the business includes the front doors to the business. Invest in good-quality doors that are sturdy and can’t be kicked down (preferably metal or hardwood).

The locks on your doors should have a deadbolt as this makes it harder for thieves to lock pick the door with their conventional methods. Doors that are opened from the inside by pushing the handle down are not recommended. Your windows should either have sensors on them or invest in burglar bars to restrict access via windows.

3. Increase Visibility

This is a versatile point. There are many ways to increase the visibility of the surroundings of your business’s buildings. These ways include:

• Trees in the vicinity of the office buildings are being pruned. Trespassers should not be able to climb inside trees if the lowest limbs near the ground are cut off. (An argument against this is that increasing the number of trees reduces trespassers’ visibility, denying them the opportunity to scout the area)

• Limit the number of shrubs and hedges. Keep varieties that do not grow too huge and have limited visibility if necessary. Large hedges can also cause blind spots, which should be avoided.
• At all entry points to the property, bright lightning must be placed.

4. Install Security Cameras

Installing security cameras around your perimeter and on your property is a great investment, even if it is usually costly. In the event of theft and other suspicious activity on the premises, security camera footage will help you gather evidence and help you understand what has happened.

When choosing to install cameras, make sure to research which type of camera footage is admissible in court as to certain footage and camera types (doorbell cameras for example) that may be deemed unreliable by the relevant authorities.

5. Data Security

With the onset of Covid-19 and most businesses operating online, there has been discussion of the new perimeter of the business landscape.

Cybercrime is an ever-increasing threat to business security. Many businesses have had to install a network perimeter that works as a buffer between their internal network and the internet. There are different types of network perimeters that can be installed. Some of them are:

• Firewalls – a firewall is a hardware, software, or a combination of the two that is designed to act as the first line of defense in a network. It monitors outbound and inbound traffic and blocks certain traffic depending on the security policies you decide to put in place. Types of common firewalls include a proxy firewall and a virtual firewall.
• Intrusion Detection System – this system monitors and detects threats to your system and notifies you accordingly. An advanced version of this would be the intrusion prevention system which not only detects but prevents breaches from occurring within the system autonomously.
• Border routers – all data filters through the border routers. Whilst it is not an airtight system, it is a good stopgap measure.

Conclusion

The ultimate goal is to create a perimeter that is incredibly difficult to penetrate. While these tips do not cover every possible technique to secure your perimeter, they are a solid place to start. Always speak with a specialist who can provide extensive advice on what steps to take in your situation.