This blog post will discuss the top security threats to a manufacturing plant, and how a commercial security system can help to reduce those risks. Manufacturing plants are an important part of the country's economy. A lot of money, resources, and time go into making the plant run smoothly to keep up with demand. As such, it becomes a target for potential threats to access valuable parts of the facility that could cause lost production or worse yet, environmental damage. These can be classified as the top security threats to a manufacturing plant.
There are many threats to your manufacturing plant that can be addressed by having access control, video surveillance, and an alarm monitoring service in place. These systems will reduce or eliminate access to areas where theft could occur. This access should be controlled by access cards or employee badges so that access can be tracked. Install video surveillance equipment to monitor access control, sensitive areas, and any other place where theft might occur. Establish alarm monitoring services that will contact the police if necessary, in the event of an emergency or attempted crime.
The access control system for the facility is what keeps unauthorized people out of the building while allowing access to authorized personnel who have access cards, mobile or keypad credentials. Without these, people can enter the facility without being tracked. This makes it highly vulnerable to sabotage or intellectual property theft.
Video surveillance plays a vital role in access control to the facility as well as providing valuable information for an incident response whenever alarms are triggered. This video footage will show what is happening, where it is happening, and who accesses the area during an event. Without this, access or sabotage can happen without being detected.
Access control and video surveillance are powerful tools in access control, but it's what you do with this information that counts. A commercial security system will need to have a response plan that includes access control point protection, access enforcement, environmental protection, and incident reporting. All of this is needed for a strong defense against access control threats.
Insider threats - an employee who is disgruntled or a spy for a competing company
There is always some risk for internal abuse. Insider access to the facility, as well as access to sensitive information, remains a significant security threat. Security access controls can be designed and installed according to performance requirements and business rules that determine access rights and privileges. These access control methods must be reviewed regularly to ensure both compliances with company security policies and access rights are proper.
Certain access controls can help reduce internal threats, including access control systems with the ability to limit access to only one person -- the rightful owner of a company's access card. This is commonly known as "One Person, One Card" access control management. Other access controls might require an additional form of identification, such as a personal identification number (PIN), or access to an employee's smartphone or biometrics. The access control must also be integrated with access card issuance, access authorization, and deactivation, along with access revocation when an access right is no longer valid.
Alarm management services can act as early warning systems, sending notifications of potential security breaches directly to security personnel. If access control is the locks and keys of your facility, then alarm management services are the eyes and ears, protecting access to your facility by notifying security personnel of potentially unauthorized activity. Whether access occurred or not, the appearance of unauthorized access can trigger an immediate response from law enforcement authorities.
Unauthorized access to sensitive areas
An access control system is key to protecting your facility from unauthorized access. It will monitor access through doors, windows, loading docks, and gates. The access card reader will allow you to see who has accessed each area whether they are authorized or not. This may be especially helpful when trying to locate the source of a problem in your building. With access control, anyone will be able to access an unauthorized area at any time and you'll be able to see who did access the area, when they accessed it and why. Unauthorized access to a sensitive area can result in loss of product, theft of property, and sabotage.
Inadequate perimeter protection
The access control system is a physical security measure to manage access to your plant and keep unauthorized people out. It includes the access control for all access points such as doors, gates, and turnstiles. Alarm monitors are used to alert on-site personnel that certain conditions have been met or breached; this can be related to temperature, access, or other physical security concerns. Video surveillance is often used in conjunction with access control to monitor access points and areas of concern.
One risk that may be overlooked in this area is the threat of internal employees having access to keys for all access points; proper procedures need to be put in place for tracking who has access to access control keys and access points. The access control system needs to be made a priority when implementing a comprehensive security plan for your manufacturing plant, which will greatly reduce the risk of an outside threat entering your property.
To implement a proper access control system in your manufacturing plant, you need to first decide how many access points are needed, determine access credentials, enforce access policies, and create exceptions. By doing this, you will be able to access the digital access control system for your plant which allows access control, alarm monitoring control, video surveillance control, and reporting.
Conclusion
The security of an entire manufacturing plant is the responsibility of all employees in the plant. A manufacturing plant needs access control, video surveillance, alarm monitoring in all areas with access to sensitive assets. Employees need to be informed about access issues and how they can help protect their company assets.