Fall is here, and for many that means a season of cooler weather, leaf peeping, and don’t forget the pumpkin spice lattes. More importantly, these signs of the season mean a time change is nearly upon us—bringing along security implications.
On Sunday, Nov. 3, clocks will fall back an hour as daylight saving time ends. And while the immediate impact felt by most will be an extra hour of sleep (who can blame them?), facilities managers must consider the fact that this can have a big impact on their physical security posture. It’s important to regularly check physical security processes to make sure defenses are fine-tuned year-round, and the fall time change provides a great opportunity to do just that. After all, something as simple as the sun setting earlier can mean big changes for your organization.
Security Checkup
Unsure where to get started? Read on to find out three steps you can take this fall to make sure your physical security strategy is operating at the top of its game—and if it isn’t, identify and fix issues for the months ahead.
Lighting
The time change means that the days are getting shorter. This is music to the ears of thieves who love to work under the cover of darkness. With the sun setting earlier, facilities managers must account for the physical security impacts. Not only does the time change mean it gets darker an hour earlier starting Nov. 3, but Weather.com reports that some areas of the country will continue to lose more than an hour of daylight until the winter solstice on Dec. 21.
With facilities getting darker earlier, lighting is more important than ever. Facilities managers can reassess their lighting by walking through their sites at night to get an idea of which areas are well lighted and which areas need to be illuminated. And because many lights are set on timers, remember to reset those this time of year so that lights come on earlier with the setting sun.
Winter Tune-Up
Physical security is not “set it and forget it.” Yet, for many, that’s exactly what ends up happening. Once set up, security tools like cameras and locks can often be forgotten. This time of year serves as a perfect reminder to check in and review anything that may need fine tuning.
This could mean cleaning off surveillance camera lenses that have collected dust or grime throughout the year. Or, maybe there’s a malfunctioning lock or two that need replacing. Identifying and fixing these issues now will make all the difference should a security incident occur over the winter months and beyond.
Holiday Prep
Believe it or not, the holidays are just around the corner. That means a lot of folks will likely be taking time off to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and other days with family and friends. However, physical security cannot take a day off—no matter the festivities taking place.
Ensure that your staff’s holiday schedules are updated and that whoever oversees security is aware of these plans. It’s also crucial to communicate who is designated as the “on call” employee to your security monitoring provider in the case of a security incident. Should a problem arise, this will be the person contacted in case you’re off. And they’ll need to be easily accessible since seconds matter when it comes to securing your facility.
Don’t Let Security Fall Back with the Time
The fall and winter months can be a busy time of year. But your physical security strategy doesn’t have to suffer as a result. It’s never a bad time to reassess physical defense, but the time change offers an opportunity to double down and make sure cameras, physical barriers, and more are working as intended. And if you discover they aren’t getting the job done, it’s also a chance to identify weak spots and reach out to security professionals for a second opinion or a helping hand before it’s too late.
Jeremy White is the founder of Pro-Vigil, a provider of AI-enabled remote video monitoring solutions.