Cost Effective Security

By Brian Ramsey

Whenever there is an economic downturn, companies look at the subject of lowering cost. Inevitably security costs are one of the areas that companies examine in an effort to reduce their overall cost of operation. One of the factors however to be borne in mind is that in an economic downturn more people are out of work and so there are more people who are likely to commit robberies or burglaries. In addition as people are laid off, some individuals may seek to retaliate by damaging company property or removing confidential information/trade secrets. This would indicate that, in a downturn, companies should be looking at improving their security infrastructure. At the same time however, in a downturn, companies need to reduce expenses to conserve cash. These two apparently opposing objectives appear to place managers in a dilemma. The key to resolving this dilemma is to determine if the company has cost effective security.

Cost effective security does not mean the lowest priced security provider or lowest cost security technology. Instead it means the security system that provides the greatest protection of company assets at the most reasonable price.

So how does one go about determining if they have cost effective security or implement a cost effective security system? It begins by understanding that no protection system can be made completely secure. Whenever the value of the protected assets exceeds the degree of perceived risk, there will be takers. To put this in Trinidad parlance, “if people think it is worth their time they will take a chance”. It also requires understanding that any protection system that is conceived can be defeated once the attacker has sufficient time. The key element here is the phrase “sufficient time” and later in this article we will return to this phrase. Protection systems can be designed to eliminate most risks, however no single measure whether physical barriers, alarm systems, guard forces etc can individually achieve maximum security. To achieve the ultimate aim (maximum security), the parts have to be combined in the right proportions. The system must be designed with enough protection to delay the threat until additional protection resources can be brought into play and so thwart the attempt.

Planning for Protection

In planning any protection system there are three basic questions

1.      What is being protected?

2.      How important is it?

These first two questions help determine where the protection emphasis should be and how extensive the protection should be. The third question which should only be asked at a later stage, when the prospective security measures are identified, is;

3.      Do the costs of protecting it outweigh the value?

Protective Measures Identification

After one has identified that something is important and needs protecting, one then faces the task of determining how to protect it. To handle this task one should first list the threats that the facility must contend with. In listing those threats the manager should list them in descending order of credibility, so that the threat that is most likely to occur will be number one and will be the most important threat to deal with. Next the manager should identify the protective measures that can be used to meet each threat. It should be borne in mind that there may be more than one protective measure that can be used for each threat and all protective measures should be identified.

After identifying the various protective measures, a cost benefit analysis should be performed on each protective measure. It is at this point that the earlier third question becomes important, do the costs of protecting the asset outweigh its value. The cost benefit analysis will help to answer this question and help to determine which measures should be retained for further consideration.

Selecting the Protective Measure(s)

In practice one often finds that several protective measures will meet the threat and also pass the cost/benefit hurdle. It is at this point that the definition of cost effective security becomes particularly relevant, where a cost effective security system is one that provides the greatest protection of company assets at the most reasonable price. In assessing benefits one would also look at whether this particular protective measure meets or helps meet any other threats. Where a particular protective measure helps to deal with multiple threats it would rank higher in the selection process.    

As a further means of selecting one would look at what benefit other than protecting against this specific threat, does this measure give me. As an example, an access control system in a security application will prevent unauthorized individuals from entering specific areas, in addition an access control system can also be used to provide time and attendance information for payroll purposes and will also provide information on persons in a facility in the event of emergency evacuation.

At the same time one must remember the earlier premise that any protection system that is conceived can be defeated once the attacker has sufficient time. All protection systems therefore should be layered to provide diversity and redundancy. Layering means that there is a first line of defense and then a second line of defense and possibly even a third line of defense. Redundancy means that if one protective measure fails there is a back up protective measure in place. It is through layering and redundancy that the attacker is denied the time to defeat the protection measures.

While the term layering may make the approach sound complicated and expensive, layering is not necessarily so. To provide a simple example, a facility may have guards at the entrance as the first layer of protection, an access control system on internal doors as the second layer. It may even have CCTV cameras in certain areas with a monitor in another area and these cameras would constitute a third layer but also provide the redundancy in the system. The ability of the security officers to respond to a problem in a particular area because of something seen on the camera monitor would be the bringing in of the protection resource to thwart the threat referred to in the early part of this article.

Some Benefits of Protective Measures

To assist readers we end this article by identifying some of the benefits of various protective measures.

·        Key Benefits of Barriers are;

o       Defines the physical outline of the facility

o       Deters illegal/unauthorized entry

o       Delays intrusion

o       Economizes on the use of security guards

o       Controls & directs the flow of traffic

·        Among the benefits derived from Alarm Systems are;

o       Permit a more economical & efficient use of guard manpower

o       Provide additional controls

o       Can be designed so that tampering is not easily done

o       Through the use of monitoring provide a means of alerting others

o       Provide long term reliable protection for a fixed investment & small recurring costs

o       Can provide protection for more than fire, burglary & holdup

·        CCTV benefits include:

o       Complements the security program by supplementing the guard force

o       Recording of images provides evidence of thief and/or the attack

o       Design can cater for varying light levels

o       When used in conjunction with alerting devices helps pinpoint the nature of the problem

·        Access Control

o       Allows you to have areas that are secured but still permit a reasonable traffic flow

o       Allows you to have various levels of access

o       Can provide a record of entry & exit

o       Enables you to restrict access at certain times or days?

·        Protective Lighting should:

o       Enable guards to observe without disclosing their presence

o       Be used in conjunction with other protective measures

o       Eliminate shadows

o       Be directed into the eyes of the potential intruder

About the Author

Brian Ramsey is a SecTec Associate Consultant.

Copyright © 2009 SecTec Consulting Limited

Web Site Design by Outdoor Business Group Limited
Last modified: 09/18/09