Making data work for you

Residential Estate Security Handbook 2018 Security Services & Risk Management, Residential Estate (Industry)

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in our security solutions. These installations allow for data to be collected from systems which include access control, alarm and CCTV or any other electronic security intervention. This data is recorded over time. Electronic monitoring of security manpower also produces volumes of data; this could include guard and vehicle tracking. All this valuable information resides in the system databases and is growing as the system is used.

Glenn Allen.
Glenn Allen.

In most cases the data is ignored by those managing the security operation, until a security incident occurs. At this point, many hours will be spent retrieving information for the incident report. It is not always easy because the format in which you are able to access the data may not suit the parameters of your particular search. It may also involve matching up CCTV images and access control information.

At this point it is hoped that all systems are operating on exactly the same time value, so that manually shifting the time block for each group of data to match events, is not necessary.

This reactive approach to data use is not ideal. It begs the question: is the investment in technology giving the correct return? Is there a proactive approach to this problem?

There is and it is mostly ignored, however this is the area in which it would be much better to operate. Now the question becomes: How do I make use of data to improve the security solution?

Some examples

The access control system: If correctly set up, there should be data available which shows every transaction and includes the following information:

• Date

• Time

• Location

• Direction (in or out)

• User details

• Type of user (resident, visitor, contractor etc.)

This information can be extracted into a spreadsheet and some analysis done. This analysis can be any of the following:

• Identify booms and turnstiles which are most often used.

• The peak activity times at each access point.

• The time of day when vehicle flow is low enough for the closing of gates.

• The number of times any boom is lifted by the guard i.e. there has been an override of the system.

• The number of times access has been denied by the system and the user who has been denied access.

The electric fence: If correctly set up, there should be data available which shows every transaction and includes the following information:

• Type of alarm.

• Location (zone of alarm).

• Time of alarm.

• Operator response (not manually entered, but from a predetermined set of reasons for reporting purposes).

• Time of operator response.

• Time of operator follow-up (if applicable).

This information can be extracted into a spreadsheet format and some analysis done. This analysis can be any of the following:

• Alarms for zone per alarm type.

• Average alarm count per zone per alarm type.

• Count of contributors to alarm (weather, vegetation, etc.)

• Operator response time (per operator for appraisal purposes).

The same statistical data can be applied for all the other systems, such as thermal camera alarms, visitor entry info, etc. This information is also vital for maintenance planning, problem prediction as well as planning of future upgrades of the systems.

The problem often is that in order to analyse the data, you most often have to go and retrieve information from the relative system’s standard reports (if they even have reports available) and it is not simply automatically sent to you – you need to go and get it yourself. Even if it is sent to you via email or similar, it is not always reader friendly and most often presents large amounts of data incorporating thousands of transactional data entries which requires further analytics to determine the anomalies. Although further analytics is possible using tools like pivot tables, graphs and the like, this is often a tedious task.

Also, most often the data is not presented in a user friendly, live easy to read view, highlighting almost in real time as systems go beyond the normal parameters to predict possible problems and allow for rectification of problems prior to failure. It is also most likely that the standard reports don’t provide the summarised data you may require to make informed decisions and timeously act on equipment that is beginning to fail or problems as they arise.

Modern businesses employ business intelligence (BI) tools and modern security managers should begin to employ security intelligence (SI) tools that should have the ability to represent current and historical security system data in a user friendly manner in real time so that all security personnel and management can, with relative ease, view the current health and statistical information on a dashboard for instant checks on how their entire system is performing at the exact time. Not only should it present the current status quo, but should also present the exceptions so that they can be addressed as and when they happen.

Intelligent security solutions

Derek Lategan.
Derek Lategan.

In residential estate security, mitigating risk is top priority. “Residential estates often make the mistake of installing the latest technology and thinking that their estate is secure,” says Derek Lategan, MD of Excellerate Services. “Even the best systems available used by inadequately trained managers and staff members will not achieve the results that are required.”

Excellerate adopted a proactive approach to the management of estate security risk by developing a Risk Management Strategy (RMS), which is consistent with the principles outlined in ISO 31000 standard. With this strategy in mind, Excellerate conducts a high-level evaluation of the estate and proposes appropriate considerations for the enhancement of safety and security measures on the estate, taking into account both internal risk factors as well as the surrounding area.

Regular audits of the RMS are conducted to ensure effective performance against desired outcomes. Each audit seeks to identify smarter processes and better use of current resources, resulting in efficient and productive operations that are flexible and responsive which in turn allow estates to enjoy significant cost savings.

The scope of the audit consists of the following activities:

• Surveying the physical facilities;

• Surveying areas of interest surrounding the estate;

• Reviewing security organisational structure, management and staffing levels including job descriptions for each post;

• Reviewing existing security plans, policies and procedures;

• Reviewing physical security technologies as well as their level of integration with one another.

A growing trend in residential estate crimes is for a crime syndicate to move into a house in the estate for a certain period. During this time, the suspects monitor the behaviour of the other residents, workers and security. The suspects then initiate crimes before moving out. A common way to combat this trend is by placing informants within the environment to gather intelligence.

“In the final analysis,” says Lategan, “intelligent criminals can only be thwarted by intelligent security solutions.”



Credit(s)




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

AI augmentation in security software and the resistance to IT
Security Services & Risk Management Information Security
The integration of AI technology into security software has been met with resistance. In this, the first in a series of two articles, Paul Meyer explores the challenges and obstacles that must be overcome to empower AI-enabled, human-centric decision-making.

Read more...
Smart intercoms for Sky House Projects
Nology Access Control & Identity Management Residential Estate (Industry)
DNAKE’s easy and smart intercom solution has everything in place for modern residential buildings. Hence, the developer selected DNAKE video intercoms to round out upmarket apartment complexes, supported by the mobile app.

Read more...
Understanding the power of digital identity
Access Control & Identity Management Security Services & Risk Management Financial (Industry)
The way we perceive business flourishing is undergoing a paradigm shift, as digital identity and consumer consent redefine the dynamics of transactions, says Shanaaz Trethewey.

Read more...
What you can expect from digital identity in 2024
Access Control & Identity Management Security Services & Risk Management
As biometric identity becomes a central tenet in secure access to finance, government, telecommunications, healthcare services and more, 2024 is expected to be a year where biometrics evolve and important regulatory conversations occur.

Read more...
More than just a criminal record check
iFacts Security Services & Risk Management
When it comes to human-related risks, organisations and their most senior leaders focus on a narrow set of workforce risks, the potential risks that human workers pose to the business.

Read more...
Tech developments lead hologram growth in 2024
News & Events Security Services & Risk Management
Micro-lenses, micro-mirrors and plasmonics are among the rapidly-emerging optical devices that have evolved on the back of holographic and diffractive technologies, and are seen as part of the natural evolution of optical science by R&D teams.

Read more...
Are you leaving money on the table?
Editor's Choice Security Services & Risk Management
How many customers have you helped since starting your business? Where does most of your new business come from? If the answer is not from your database’s existing customers, you might have a problem.

Read more...
Reliable access management for famous film location
Paxton Access Control & Identity Management Residential Estate (Industry)
The Royal Connaught Park features a private swimming pool, health and fitness suite, outdoor tennis court and onsite parking, with over 100 residents coming and going every day.

Read more...
The business value of ChatGPT
Security Services & Risk Management Risk Management & Resilience
Transparency, policy and integrity. It is critical for organisations to have a line of sight into processes and procedures that clearly define employee use cases when it comes to ChatGPT, says Lizaan Lewis, Head of the Legal Department at Altron Systems Integration.

Read more...
Ring announces second generation indoor camera
Smart Home Automation Surveillance Residential Estate (Industry)
Introducing a removable manual privacy cover, Ring's latest indoor camera provides customers with increased privacy, control and peace of mind when it comes to home security.

Read more...