Knowing When to Upgrade Your Physical Security System Is Crucial
It can be difficult to know when it’s time to upgrade your legacy physical security system. While it may seem on the surface to be meeting your needs, there may be hidden risks to using older systems, especially when certain business conditions change.
Security threats are growing each year, and nothing has become more precious to potential thieves than sensitive data stored on-premises.
Let’s take a look at when you should consider upgrading your physical security system to stay ahead of the curve and protect your business.
You Operate Obsolete Analog Systems
If you operate a system consisting of analog security cameras, you might want to consider upgrading to an IP system as soon as financially feasible.
Not only are analog systems reaching the end of their effective operational lifespans – with the accompanying hardware compatibility and manufacturer/vendor support issues – but they’re not scalable for a growing company’s needs.
As well, many no longer support compliance requirements for certain industries, as the image quality and data storage used are not in keeping with today’s standards. And finally, analog systems aren’t suitable for most disaster recovery programs since the data is usually stored onsite.
Your Staffing Levels Grow
As your company grows, so too will the number of people who work at your site. And the more people there are, the greater the need for a physical security system that can both protect their safety and monitor the premises.
A stunning 85% of employees admitted to removing strategy documents and presentations, which could easily end up in the hands of a competitor.
Upgrading to a facility access control system ensures that personnel are restricted to the areas they are authorized to enter, and allows you to easily scale your security measures as your workforce increases.
You Experience High Employee Turnover
High employee turnover rates can be challenging from a security perspective, especially when it comes to having to rekey manual locks. If a staff member departs and doesn’t return their key, it could result in a substantial cost to replace the vulnerable entry points.
A more advanced system such as a keycard or touchpad system eliminates this problem since individuals can be authorized or de-authorized from access with a few keystrokes.
According to Reference for Business:
Sabotage, which can also cost millions, almost always involves disgruntled current or former employees and can take almost any form, from defacing company property to deleting or altering important company data.
Using access control cards for employees that can be easily deactivated makes it easier to keep ex-employees out of the workplace and track the activities of current employees.
Your facility will ultimately be more secure, and you won’t have to worry about taking excessive security measures whenever new hires join or current employees depart the organization.
You Have an Increase in Foot Traffic
Many companies aren’t used to having a growing number of people pass through the premises, especially those who are growing. Unfortunately, this can leave you vulnerable to increased security threats, especially if you’re not as aware of your target potential as you should be.
Your security system should be scaled up in accordance with the amount of foot traffic you have. Whether it’s a stepped-up access control system or a camera monitoring setup, you need to ensure that the people who come and go aren’t doing so without being accounted for. Especially if your data is at risk.
Many organizations require strict security measures to protect sensitive data, from PCI (Payment Card Industry) to ISO (International Standards Organization). As mentioned earlier, your security system has to be robust enough to keep you compliant with these standards in order to be able to do business.
“There’s no point in having thorough lockdown and hard passwords and encryption on your servers if people can just walk in and take laptops,” says Darren Wigfield, a senior cybersecurity engineer at Excentium (via hpe.com).
From intellectual property and data to personal goods, not to mention the safety of employees, if your security system isn’t robust enough to keep an eye on everyone, then it’s time to upgrade.
Upgrading Physical Security Systems – Conclusion
Maintaining an up-to-date and current physical security system can help your business stay ahead of evolving security threats.
If any of these conditions have changed for your businesses, consider replacing your outdated legacy system with an advanced system that will grow with your organization and ensure the protection of your data, assets, and most importantly – your employees – for years to come.
Logixx Security is a leading provider of comprehensive commercial security systems, offering a range of solutions that will help your business maintain security compliances while protecting your premises from unauthorized access. Contact us to learn how we can assess your needs and recommend the right system for your business.