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Tackling the risks

Commercial property owners face a plethora of risks mainly because they deal with a high level of daily activity at their properties and have a large area to monitor and control. Investing in a complete, tailored, risk and security solution offering, comprising both technology and manpower, is the only way to ensure a commercial property is adequately secured, says Russell Downing, MD of ADT Business Solutions.

With crime remaining at a consistently high level, many companies are reassessing their security solutions and looking for a more holistic solution to their needs. Downing believes there is great potential to grow the commercial business locally. “The days of simply providing a security quote are a thing of the past. Like the residential security market, the commercial market is now also adopting a far more pro-active approach to security.”

Commercial security solutions have become increasingly sophisticated and involve a full risk assessment of a customer’s needs. This is to establish direct losses and consequential potential losses so a customised package and product can be developed to address that customer’s specific needs.

Some of the main risks commercial properties in South Africa are facing include intrusion and burglary, fire and smoke, employee and customer safety, protection of high value assets, and employee and customer theft. “What also needs to be taken into account is the knock-on effects should these risks not be addressed such as shareholder dissatisfaction, reputational damage, an increase in insurance premiums and the possibility that competitors take up market share. To adequately protect against these risks, an holistic solution is the only way to ensure an optimal success rate,” says Downing.

ADT’s approach is generally to harden from the inside out by offering an integrated solution starting with access control into specific areas using sophisticated biometric verification backed by CCTV. This is supported by security guards or loss prevention officers, as they are now referred to, backed by a pro-active control room to manage the situation.

“Access control and off-site monitoring technology has developed dramatically in the last few years. Providing an integrated remote monitoring system is without a doubt the direction in which the security industry is headed. ADT has therefore partnered with suppliers to provide customers with the latest remote monitoring technology that includes CCTV cameras linked to onsite devices that transmit data via the Internet to ADT’s monitoring control room. “The key to successful remote monitoring is having the reaction services in place to respond when an incident occurs. Keeping customers in the loop is also crucial and customers can link in to the system via the Internet and view the data at any given time,” says Downing.

The system works on exception-based monitoring. When an out-of-ordinary event is picked up, a trigger is sent instantaneously to the control room where the operators have a full view of the client’s site layout. The system also links with the alarm system, passive infrared detectors, beams and the electricity mains. “Should there be a power failure the system will send an alert to the operators.”

Perimeter protection includes CCTV cameras and detectors. The CCTV cameras operate at 25 frames per second. The footage is high quality and can be used as evidence in court. Should the perimeter be breached, on-site controllers in a secure area and remote operators are immediately alerted and the customer contacted. “What is even more effective is the audio challenge feature where the operators have the ability to speak directly to the intruder via a speaker horn located on the premises, letting them know that a response team is en route. This has proved to be a highly effective deterrent. The operators even have access to devices such as lighting, sirens, and smoke and pepper spray systems,” he adds.

Fire protection is another major aspect that businesses need to address. “A major fire can put a commercial property out of business. Whether it is the fire itself or the extinguisher used to extinguish the blaze, a fire can totally destroy products, data, assets and back-ups that are often irreplaceable. The cost to company can be devastating when not handled correctly.”

Security today has gone so much further than just protecting against robberies, it has become more about assessing and understanding risk, offering insights and information on market trends and behaviour, and coming up with the most appropriate solution.

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