Security threats are ever-changing. To protect your facilities in this volatile environment, dangerous your physical security system must be audited periodically.
Everyone knows that their facilities are required to have security measures to prevent losses and protect their employees. What most facility/security leaders may not realize is their facilities are more vulnerable to physical security threats than they think.
The prime reason for any failure is the misalignment of what needs to be done versus what is being done. The objective of a review is not finding faults instead of helping the client to benchmark the best practices. Also, aligning the gap between what needs to be done versus what is being done.
The independent physical security auditing helps the client to understand the readiness of their program against ever-changing security threats.
In short, A physical security audit is a visual inspection that highlights the best practices and uncovers significant security issues. It is aligning gap between what needs to be done versus what is being done.
The physical security audits will uncover the actual effectiveness of your existing program: There many significant insights your audit will give you, the following 7 are a significant impact on your business.
#1. Outdated security procedures:
In general, Security Procedures are written during the inception of the security program and forgotten.
Outdated security procedures do not protect your facility against current security threats.
To secure your facilities, you have to regularly update your security procedures based on changing security threats.
So your facility security plan must be regularly (quarterly or semi-annually) audited to confirm that those relevant to current threats and adequately protecting your facility.
#2 Dysfunctional electronic security & design faults:
Often electronic security systems are installed by people who do not have security design expertise. Many times, the installation of electronic security systems is done without assessing security risks.
A physical security audit can reveal any electronic security measures in place are as per design basis threat.
The performance of system response to the security incidents and maintenance schedules of the system to ensure effectiveness.
#3. Unprepared staff:
Untrained staff can reduce your productivity, some times, even put your employees and facilities at risk. Because they do not know what to do and how to respond correctly to security or safety incidents.
All your facility staff needs the training to make better decisions and act correctly during emergencies.
Independent physical security audits will reveal your employees’ actual preparedness to handle emergencies. Thus you will get a fair understanding of which areas needs improvement.
#4. Unauthorized access:
Often facility managers deploy security staff and visitor management systems and assume that access control to their facility is going smoothly. A physical security audit is the best way to know if any unauthorized people had accessed the facility, and the security staff is following as per process.
Uncontrolled access can lead to unauthorized people accessing the facility and, eventually, any security incident. Access control of people, the material is a must in a facility.
Also, based on the physical security audit findings, the best practices can be implemented.
#5 Abuse of policies & procedures:
Organizations hope that employees do not abuse company procedures. But the reality is otherwise. One leaked security information, or one stolen badge, can put your business and operations at risk.
A physical security audit will reveal all such process gaps by employees and other facility staff.
#6 Negligence towards company assets:
Employees’ non-adherence security processes can lead to any extreme security incidents.
Do not let the culture of convenience overriding security processes. If you allow your employees to unauthorizedly open the doors or use short cuts or improperly discard confidential information, it will become a cultural issue.
It will lead to devastating results of severe security breaches and loss of business reputation.
A physical security audit is the best way to know security process adherence and level of employee awareness in the facility security program.
#7 Improper screening of the candidates:
In this volatile security threat landscape, negligent hiring can cost organizations severe reputational risks.
Employee background checks are a must. But often the effectiveness of checks and sometimes checks are being neglected by the hiring department due to the urgency of filling the posts.
A physical security audit can reveal the employee background screening was done effectively.
Conclusion:
In any security program, the prime objective of the audit is the alignment between the existence and implementation of the security policies.
People often fall into their natural tendencies, and operations focus shift to “a person dependant rather than process-driven.” A physical Security audit can align what your policy and procedures with execution.
The Physical Security Audits will give the management the independent, objective, and professional insights into the following things. So the management will have a fair understanding to make informed decisions.
The physical security audits will act as eyes and ears on the ground to the management and for regional leaders they effectively utilized.
Let me know your thoughts from the comments section below what all other aspects you have discovered in your internal/external audits:
P.S. If you are looking for independent, objective, and professional physical security auditing services, Corp Security Solutions can help you. Contact us for no-obligation free consultation to know how we can help you.
