Physical Security Risks

Physical threats have existed for as long as man has inhabited Earth. In ancient times, a castle simply was not built at any indiscriminate location; careful planning was required. Exterior defenses (such as motes, channels, walls, and barricades) were needed to hold back the marauding hordes. Guards and towers had to be strategically placed to ensure the safety of the castle's inhabitants. As strangers approached, procedures and policies were needed to distinguish between friend or foe and then to pursue the appropriate action with that friend or foe. You had to know when to lower the gate or to boil a pot of hot oil.

In the modern world, a variety of threats to premises security exists. These can be divided into three broad categories: natural disasters, man-made threats, and emergency situations.

Natural Disasters

Natural disasters can come in many forms. Although natural disasters are not something we can prevent, we can develop plans that detail how we would deal with them. As an example, organizations planning to establish a facility in Houston, Texas, might not need to worry about earthquakes; however, hurricanes are an imminent possibility. Therefore, a good understanding of the region and its associated weather-related issues are an important security consideration. These are some of the natural disasters organizations must deal with:

Man-Made Threats

Man-made threats are another big concern when thinking about physical security. Not much can be done to prevent floods, hurricanes, or tornados, but man-made threats can be reduced. Man-made threats include terrorism, vandalism, theft, and destruction of company property.

Emergency Situations

Unlike natural disasters or man-made threats, these are the events that just seem to happen, often at highly inopportune times. Although they're inconvenient, these situations don't usually lead to loss of life. Emergency situations include communication loss, utility loss, and equipment failure.

Service-level agreements (SLAs) are one good way to plan for equipment failure. With an SLA in place, the vendor agrees to repair or replace the covered equipment within a given period of time.

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