Having a good physical security infrastructure in place—access control, video surveillance, security teams, etc.—is only part of your job as property manager. There also must be an ongoing process to keep that system updated and regularly monitored. A good way to make sure your residents, tenants and assets are as safe and secure as possible is to do a Spring Clean—identify any parts of the system that aren’t working at optimal performance, make sure all parts are fully integrated, and, if needed, upgrade to new technologies. This way, risks can be mitigated before there is a serious security breach. Here are two tips to make sure your security system is operating at peak effectiveness.
Tip #1
Check all physical entrances and exits and identify/solve any vulnerabilities to unauthorized entry. This includes:
- Inspecting the locking hardware on all perimeter doors; telephone closet and machine room doors; and suite and restroom doors. Repair or replace if necessary.
- Changing door lock and security system key cylinders if keys cannot be accounted for or are missing.
- Ensuring that all tenants who require after-hours access to the building have security system keys.
- Check access card assignment to make sure that each card can be accounted for or get a listing of unused cards from your Security Provider. If you are a Kastle customer, you can also pull this information directly from your myKastle account.
Tip #2
Assess current security policies and procedures to make sure they refer to clear, comprehensive, and well-defined plans and practices. Again, this is where a Kastle professional can help.
- Review your existing security policies and procedures and update/develop new policy statements to address new risks.
- Ensure your policies and procedures are available to everyone.
- Confirm that everyone understands the policies and procedures with a signed acknowledgement form.
- Review your “call protocols” to ensure that correct contact person is notified in the event of an incident.
If you are interested in spring cleaning your security system, please contact info@kastle.com.
