The How-to-Guide to Protect Outdoor Assets: Part 1

Welcome to my 2 part series on understanding the best ways to protect your outdoor assets.

In part 1, we are focusing on the different protection options available and whether they are good solutions. In part 2, (click here to read part 2) we walk through the steps to help you decide what protection is right for you and your unique needs.

There are many ways to protect outdoor assets, some of which are effective and some not so much. Some of which are expensive and ineffective and some that are effective and not so expensive.

Our goal is to direct you to the effective and inexpensive choices and hopefully provide the right alternative for your current situation. You are reading this for some reason (at least I hope someone is reading this) whether it be your business, or your home, or your homeowners’ association common area, or you are having problems with vandalism, theft or possibly employee accountability.

Ineffective and Costly Outdoor Asset Protection

1) Guard Service for outdoor asset protection (unreliable, costly, not effective)
2) Video Surveillance for outdoor asset protection (anticipated results can disappoint, after the fact)

The above services could fall into the category of both ineffective and costly outdoor asset protection, which is where we don’t want to go.

Guard service tends to be expensive and is well known to be unreliable. (Think mall cop). There are services they can perform such as parking control and crowd control that requires human interaction but for security not so much. Guard services will only be effective if the theft or vandalism is taking place during guard duty, which is highly unlikely or very expensive for all day/night guard watch. Some guards have been known to fall asleep at night when crimes are perpetrated.

Video surveillance is good to document the activities but this is after the fact, and if not followed up on quickly, could become irrelevant. Also, expectations of facial recognition is rarely obtained because perpetrators will hide their faces and camera positions need to be numerous, and at certain heights.

There are simple ways to protect outdoor areas that are almost free or at very little cost and effort.

Low Cost Outdoor Asset Protection Alternatives

1) Improve Lighting (add lights, make existing brighter, redirect illumination, lighting on timers or motion control)
2) Restricting Access (add fences, improve existing fences, gate locks, barbed or razor wire)
3) Limiting Access (staff level i.e. management, certain age requirements, limit hours of access, limit # of entrances)
4) Signage (warning signs, hours of operation, no trespassing, police response)
5) Landscape Adjustments (clear unnecessary foliage, plant thorny plants around areas of access i.e. fences)

The above changes will provide the perpetrators with harder access, and an area that is somewhat open and visible. Your unwanted guests typically do not like to be visible and out in the open and they don’t want to work hard to gain entry. All you need to do is make them uncomfortable and they will go seek easier prey.

Outdoor Asset Protection for More Challenging Environments

1) Access Control (limits and tracks entry of users, limits by time or authority levels and provides detailed record of activities.)
2) Security Systems (detects intrusion of areas of concern, limits entry and can be supervised to notify upon activation outside of times stipulated.)
3) Video Monitoring (detects intrusion to areas of concern with the benefit of verifying if the event is a real threat by video central station operators)
4) Video Surveillance (documents all activity day/night, deterrent)

The above products and features will provide a more robust level of outdoor asset protection with the added bonus of removing the responsibility from customers and/or employees. Most of the above will involve some cost. What you will receive is ongoing support from operators watching your property, but it is well worth the peace of mind and no hassle operation of these products and services.

In part 2, (click here to read part 2) we will walk through the steps to help you decide what protection is right for you and your unique needs.

Let Best Security Products help you set up an outdoor protection system that brings you peace of mind and protects your assets. Give us a call or email us at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com.