The Sunday News
Patrick Bhunu
AS business organisations adapt to the changes brought about by information technology, they have faced many challenges on a yearly basis as they try to address potential and actual losses resulting from theft, fraud, terrorism, and natural disasters, among others. The increasing threats towards the attainment of the business objective have in a way opened the eyes of business managers as they have realised how important it is to invest in proactive security measures as a way of addressing the threats.
One of the greatest proactive tools in as far as risk assessment is concerned is the security survey. This is an important tool that should be part of any organisation’s security programme, it is a valued asset if thoroughly carried out. A security survey can be defined as a comprehensive analysis of a company’s physical and technical facilities or premises, systems and procedures to determine the level of resistance to any form of theft, unauthorised access, espionage, vandalism and other criminal acts.
A security survey should be conducted in a thorough, methodical and systematic manner, taking into cognisance that companies differ and as such there is no particular survey format to cover every facility type. It should be done in a way that, after it has been completed, there should be enough information for recommendations and improving the current security setting.
The most common objectives why companies conduct security surveys are the need to measure the security setting currently in place, the identification and quantification of any weaknesses in the current security plan as well as determining the degree of protection that is required.
Before embarking on the task of carrying out a security survey, emphasis should be placed on the identification of the exact assets that the company needs to protect. Most companies seek to protect their employees, customers, suppliers, property and proprietary information. Different companies face different threats, hence the different levels of criticality. Criticality refers to the impact that the loss of a particular asset (employees included) will have on the business as a whole.
When carrying out the security survey, the most critical stage to start with is that of intelligence gathering. This entails the collection of as much information as possible about the organisation, the nature of its operations as well as its objective. This is also the stage where risk has to be assessed or analysed. Risk assessment or analysis identifies probable targets and the possibility and impact of an attack.
During this stage, there is also need to define the threats, such as break-in, robbery, arson, theft, vandalism, unauthorised access or insider attack and it is equally important to identify and define the types of adversaries likely to be encountered.
Having been satisfied with the information that has been obtained during the intelligence gathering stage, those tasked with carrying out the security survey should then focus on obtaining the details of the premises or facility. It is important to note the location where the business premises are situated. This is done bearing in mind that different locations pose different threats to organisations. For example, a business premise situated in the central business district would obviously identify different threats from those of a business in the outskirts of town or in the rural areas.
The other important factor to note is the previous history of attacks on the premise. We have often read or heard of frequent break-ins at certain premises over the years and when such information is availed, it will assist the person carrying out the security survey to consider the degree of possibility of the risk of break-in occurring at the premise in future.
This stage is a structured process that involves observations, interviews with key employees, crime prevention officers and in some instances, wherever possible, insurance assessors. In addition, the boundary or perimeter of the premise should be taken note of, critically analysing its structure, conditions and the presence of any proactive measures, such as alarms, steel gates and bars, electronically controlled access and many others, currently in place.
The final stage, depending on the type of organisation and its threats as I have highlighted earlier, is the walk-through stage. This is actually the survey.
It involves the assessing of the physical vulnerabilities, current security measures and their conditions. A survey is the one that will lead to the security system design stage.
Most surveys are carried from outside going inside, taking into consideration the ABC of risk (Area, Boundary and Contents). This is deemed to be a good practice by some security professionals and I tend to agree with them because working from the boundary moving into the core ensures a layered security approach. This is an approach that is used to protect operations using multi stage security setting.
A survey should also take into account the influencing factors that may compromise the level of security, for example animals or pets that may interfere with the alarm system and trigger false alarms.
Surrounding areas should also be taken note of, particularly the outside of the premise or building to determine what threats may exist. This is important in the sense that most of the attacks that happen to facilities are perpetrated by people who, during the daily course of their duties, have some of contact with the facility.
It is of paramount importance to engage with the local community, where possible, because it is this community that the criminal would need to deal with first in some way. It is through community engagement that it becomes possible for a company to repel or neutralise any form of attack to the premise.
Once a survey is concluded, the information obtained would then be used to design systems, procedures and processes which include adherence to the relevant standard operating procedures as well as the code of ethics of the organisation.
As a parting note, I can safely say a security survey is an important tool that should be of great use to any security professional. It should, however, not be confused with risk assessment which companies should conduct or review on a regular basis.
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