How to make your building more secure

Security is one of the top concerns for commercial building owners. Vandalism, theft, and unwanted intrusions can pose a threat to the safety of your tenants, Whether you have a one-story office building, high-rise residential tower, or a multi-building industrial facility, you have the responsibility to protect your premises and tenants from harm. Hiring security guards is effective, but it can be prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, digital building technology provides several ways to improve building security without breaking your budget.

Use CCTV to monitor your premises

Closed circuit television video surveillance (CCTV) is one of the most effective, cost-efficient ways to improve building security. A CCTV surveillance system that combines several types of CCTV cameras with a CCTV recorder will enable you to monitor your building without the expense of hiring physical guards. A single guard can monitor the cameras for your entire facility, or you can hire a monitoring service.

Install an elevator access control system

Elevators present one of the prime areas of vulnerability in multi-story commercial buildings. Installing an elevator access control system that uses cards and readers to control who can take elevators to reach various floors, will improve the security in several ways. If you have different tenants or different departments on certain floors, elevator access control allows you to secure access to only those who belong on each floor. In buildings with parking garages, elevator access adds an extra level of security by ensuring that only authorized personnel can reach the building from the garage.

Elevator access can also be customized by time of day. For example, you can set the system to restrict access according to a set schedule so the general public can reach floors that house commercial offices during business hours, but only authorized personnel (such as a cleaning service)can enter them at night.

Use access control to prevent unauthorized intrusions

Access control can significantly improve the security of your building by restricting admittance to certain rooms, floors, or even the entire building so only approved personnel can enter. Installing a card reader, RFID scanner, or biometric scanner in your lobby can provide a first line of defense for your building by preventing transient traffic from entering your lobby. If you have more than one tenant, access control can protect each company’s premises from unwanted intrusions by rival firms. This technology can also be used to restrict access to sensitive areas on a room-by-room basis, to protect critical areas such as data control centers from physical intrusions. You can terminate an individual’s access at any time, to protect your tenants from irate former employees.

Upgrade security in your garage

Garages are sometimes overlooked as areas of security risk. Make sure your garage has a license plate camera in place to monitor entrances and exits. Installing monitored CCTV cameras that have a clear view of every corner is a critical step towards providing safe access to transportation for your employees. Combine CCTV technology with elevator access control to prevent unwanted intrusions.

Install a comprehensive building security system

The best way to improve the safety of your tenants and premises is with a comprehensive building security system. These systems combine CCTV cameras, a CCTV recording solution, motion detectors, lighting, elevator access control, access control, and monitoring to ensure the safety of your tenants and premises.

If you are interested in improving the security of your building, call on the experts at Advanced Control Corporation. As one of the top building management system companies in South Florida, we have helped thousands of local building owners protect their facilities with customized commercial building security automation solutions.