What Is Physical Security?

Physical security refers to the measures and controls used to protect physical assets within an organisation. This might include people, hardware, software, data, and networks. You can maintain physical security by restricting access to places or networks, creating protections against environmental hazards, or increasing security monitoring. Discover more about the importance of physical security and how to maintain it successfully.

Why is physical security important?

Physical security is important because it protects people, equipment, and facilities from potential harm. You can think of it as the first layer of protection against potential threats, keeping unauthorised people away from sensitive information and places. While some organisations limit physical security to the front door, you can layer physical security measures and safeguard against several types of threats. This approach, often termed 'defence-in-depth,' relies on the concept that multiple layers of security work together to ensure that if one layer fails, the others will prevent the threat from progressing. In collaboration, these layers create a safer physical environment, decreasing risks to the business, organisation, individuals, and information. 

What are examples of physical security?

Examples of physical security include CCTV cameras, traffic surveillance cameras, smart sensors, and other devices used to ensure the safety and security of a given area. Physical security also includes the personnel overseeing these devices and implementing additional security plans. 

How to maintain physical security

You can layer physical security in multiple ways. Some common types of physical security measures employed within an organisation include:

Access restrictions

You can put access restrictions in place to limit who is able to enter certain areas, including spaces that may contain protected equipment and information. You can achieve this by using locks, security guards, key card systems, biometric systems, or other methods. In case a breach occurs, provide lockdown controls and an alarm system to indicate the compromised state of the building.

Surveillance systems

Install surveillance systems, such as video cameras, to monitor the premises and detect suspicious activities. These systems can serve as both a deterrent and a means of recording evidence in the event of an incident.

Disaster management systems

Protection against natural disasters such as heatwave fires, wind storms, floods, and seismic activity can be critical in certain areas. This can involve flood defences, fire suppression systems, data backups, and building reinforcements.

Physical security assessments

Arrange for a physical security specialist to test security systems regularly to ensure adequate protection for your company. This can also act as a 'test run' for your company to assess how you respond to security threats and what areas may need improvement. If testing reveals any challenges with procedures, your organisation can take the opportunity to refine policies and therefore strengthen preparedness for real events if and when they occur. 

What is a physical security specialist? 

A physical security specialist investigates unusual activity to identify threats in specific areas. This may involve job responsibilities, such as setting up and maintaining video surveillance systems, overseeing the design and implementation of new security systems, and making ongoing recommendations to improve current infrastructure.  

How to measure physical security

Regularly assessing how well your response plans, risk management strategies, and security measures hold up under pressure is part of the physical security analysis process. Given this, take into account the following when you routinely evaluate your degree of physical security:

• Keep an eye on any access attempts: Analysing any instances of unauthorised access can help you find any underlying problems with your security systems.

• Improve your response time: Keeping a regular record of how long it takes security to respond to alarms can help you pinpoint areas that require improvement. Faster response times are necessary to handle any possible fallout from a breach.

• Tell your team: Use surveys to determine how well your team comprehends your security protocols. Employees with expertise can act as an additional line of defence.

• Regularly check your surveillance systems: Ensure that every key area surrounding the premises is adequately monitored at all times. To make sure all of your security cameras are operating correctly, for example, test them on a regular basis.

By monitoring these standards, you can identify any potentially problematic areas and modify your physical security procedures as needed.

Learn more about security on Coursera

While physical security focuses on safeguarding your assets and property through measures like access control, surveillance, and secure facilities, prioritising the protection of your data remains equally critical. For instance, you could build the skills you need for an in-demand role in cybersecurity in as little as six months, including how to provide end-to-end customer support, ranging from identifying problems to troubleshooting and debugging.

Consider learning more about information protection and how to better manage data with the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate or the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate, both of which are available on Coursera.