Physical Security

Physical Security

Physical Security is all around us today. Every organization will have some sort of physical security. This could be anything from locks on doors and windows, fences around their organization, alarm systems, etc. Physical security is known as the action in which an organization can take to help protect themselves as well as their assets against those who want to steal or sabotage your organization. There are three different types of levels of physical protection. These levels are known as “your outer perimeter, your inner perimeter and your interior. If you can implement two or three forms of security at each level, then you will more than likely have an effective physical security system (Deutsch, 2013).
Core concepts of physical security are known as the outer perimeter security, your inner perimeter, and finally you’re interior of your organization. Outer perimeter is known as your property and within your property lines in which you own. When an organization wants to secure their outer perimeter, they will put up fences to secure their organization within the fences. The goal of outer perimeter security is to be able to control who you want to walk and drive on your property. Fences are not the only outer perimeter security you may put up, armed guards who patrol the inside of the fence line as well as the outside fence line is considered outer perimeter security as well. “In deciding what type of perimeter security to implement, you need to weigh the risk of an intruder entering your property with the cost of the available physical security measures” (Deutsch, 2013). “Rather an event is intentional or accidental, physical security can find way to protect a business from the events. Physical Security is much more than just protection of networks and programs. Physical Security can protect all business assets from intrusion and detect any threats” (University of Phoenix, 2008).
Inner perimeter security as well as interior security consists what is on your organization and what is inside. Inner perimeter security is known as the wall, windows, and doors to your organization. On these doors, and windows will of course have locks, which is one way of protection. Alarm systems are also known as a type of inner perimeter security. Locks on the windows and doors will guard against intruders trying to gain access, alarm systems will alert the alarm company if the intruder is able to break in through a window or a door. Interior security is known as the last level of security for your organization. This would consist of the inside of your organization. The inside of an organization may have security cameras, which are a highly effective way to keep intruders out, and from breaking in. The interior can be monitored at night by motion detectors, as well as night vision cameras. “Electronic access control systems can also be employed to control the flow of traffic within your facility and prevent unauthorized people from gaining access to protected areas (Deutsch, 2013).
The core concepts of security assessments are known as the assessments of weaknesses in security within your organization. Security is known as different forms of protection for your organization, security assessments will make an assessment on what kind of security you have for your organization, and will rate the overall effectiveness of the security in which you have. An assessment can also help show the different needs that the organization needs when it comes to the overall security of the organization. Security assessments will also not only give you internal threats that can happen but also the external threats as well. Finally security assessment can also be a great program within your organization. It can educate the employees about different threats and risks on the inside as well as the outside. Once employees are educated about these risks, they can be involved in the assessments themselves, and help protect the organization as well.
The core concepts of basic physical control is the overall protection of the organizations assets from threats from people from within as well as those from without. All organizations will evaluate threats they feel they may come upon within the organization. The evaluation can encourage an overall change in the organization when it comes to security. They will want to change any security features they may have that are actually weak, and will most likely do no good if a threat were to happen to the organization. A type of basic physical control can also be what is called access control. This is a concept that will actually limit those in the organization from gaining access to different parts of the organization. Also access control can keep track of employees are where they go when they swipe their badge to gain access. This will help protect the business if something was to go missing, or a person was able to gain access into a place where they should not be. Backups are also one of the basic physical controls, backups will make it easier for the organization to restore any and all information that they may have lost from either a natural disaster, or someone possibly trying to sabotage the company and deleting information.
“By now it is apparent that security is like the theory of continuum mechanics, which deals in the problem of mathematically describing the geometry of elastic. So many infinitely changing variables exist that is, at times, seem overwhelming” (Bakto & Terry , 2013). Securities is built of many core concepts, and are designed to not only keep our businesses safe from the inside out, but also keep the employees safe as well, as they are considered to be the greatest asset to the company.

References
Bakto, A., & Terry , M. (2013). Threats to physical security. DOI: www.giac.org/cissp-papers/167.pdf‎
Deutsch, W. (2013). How to secure your building and property. Retrieved from http://bizsecurity.about.com/od/physicalsecurity/a/What_is_physical_security.htm

University of Phoenix. (2008). Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, SEC410 website.