Page 33 - Campus Security & Life Safety, May/June 2019

torically been owned by the architects and engineers and consultants who plan and design buildings, and the contractors and construction companies who build them. For these groups, security is not part of the educa- tion process for their disciplines, nor is it a fundamental consideration factor for them during the design and construction process.
Security Entrances:
Better Than Swinging Doors
Security entrances can solve many of the problems of entry while offering numerous additional benefits. Unlike standard swing- ing doors, a security entrance, such as a turn- stile, security revolving door or mantrap portal, is designed to allow entry of only one authorized user at a time. Some types of security entrances require local supervision and operate as a deterrent, while others work in such a way to prevent any type of tailgat- ing. Regardless of type, compared to a swing- ing door, they are definitely a physical secu- rity upgrade due to their ability to significantly reduce the risk of infiltration.
As the understanding grows for proac- tively developing a safety and security strat- egy in the planning for any new facility or campus, these considerations will become paramount to architects, engineers and con- sultants as well. Facility directors will be hired earlier in the process to oversee and direct that segment of planning, and school curricula will almost certainly change to accommodate a greater recognition of secu- rity and safety needs. Overall, addressing the potential risk profile of a building or cam- pus’s future occupants will become a more basic and foundational element of the pro- cess. However, while this may be beginning to happen now, it is far from prevalent.
Facility directors who are planning a move to a new location in order to accommodate growth or other change must now take a strong position in considering these risk fac- tors in today’s environment. Going further, their professional risk mitigation strategies need to include not only safety and security, but also the potential for corporate and per- sonal liability in the event of an incident. Not only can their finances be severely impacted or destroyed, but ruinous civil and criminal suits can be brought against them personally. In developing these strategies, it is essential to include entry, as it plays such a central role in risk prevention.
In fact, entry should be one of the funda- mental factors to use in determining which
architects, engineers, consultants and other providers to choose in the earliest stages of discussion when planning to build a new facility or campus, or to move to one which has just been built. It must be given equal con- sideration when making a move to an already- existing location, since older buildings are much less likely to incorporate entry solutions designed to mitigate today’s risks. And for corporate executives, managers or stakehold- ers who are not planning a move, now is the right time to consider retrofitting your cur- rent entries and doors to better address the types of risks faced by organizations.
Upgraded Doors Link to Advanced Data
At this moment in the evolution of security solutions, data is beginning to be a much more significant factor in prevention, predic- tion, response and analysis of criminal activ- ity. New players in the security industry are developing highly advanced software to identify the potential for both physical and cyber-criminal activity based on a wide range of information supplied by multiple diverse systems. Much advanced from stan- dard swinging doors with access readers, the future of entry includes both predictive intelligence and accountability, both based on data.
Numerous entry solutions already existing today can provide useful data that ties into
powerful software to make these kinds of pre- dictions. For example, security revolving doors may be integrated with biometrics, ana- lytics and access control to fully eliminate tail- gating and to verify that the identity of the person entering matches the credentials being presented. As mentioned above, these entrances can also prevent or eliminate tail- gating; they can also provide a range of bene- fits beyond security. Because they are “always closed”, they make it easier to maintain and regulate temperatures inside a building, reducing its environmental impact. They can also add prestige to the visual image of the facility, provide a more welcoming appear- ance to personnel, students and visitors.
Keep Making Improvements
The meaning of the word “security” has irre- vocably changed in the past two decades. Organizations, campuses and corporate stakeholders are now at risk in ways that would have been unimaginable 20 years ago. However, by defining a sound safety and security strategy that incorporates entry as a fundamental element, you can optimize your risk profile and make a meaningful improve- ment for your organization, personnel and students.
Tracie Thomas is the Vice President of Marketing at Boon Edam.
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