Best Physical Security Software

Physical security software tools connect the disparate systems and functions that handle security and surveillance. These platforms go by several names depending on their use case, most commonly corporate security software or physical security information management (PSIM). Some common components of physical security include intrusion alarms, CCTV, building management and lighting control systems, suppression systems, motion detectors, RFID tags, GIS maps, computer-aided dispatch, and access control systems (such as ID keycards).

Physical security solutions serve a wide range of government sectors and industries that are concerned with ensuring employee and visitor safety and maintaining a secure space, from small businesses that manage security personnel to enterprise companies that have multi-layer security systems to monitor employees and facilities. Security departments and third-party security companies also utilize these tools to manage operational tasks such as guard scheduling, dispatch, and daily reporting. By connecting surveillance hardware with information systems, these platforms offer increased control over incident management, threat awareness, dispatch communications, and activity reporting.

Physical security systems are highly adaptable, and help identify and resolve any potential threats proactively before they escalate. By aggregating data from multiple sources, these platforms automate a number of monitoring and alerting tasks that are vulnerable to human error. Not all physical security solutions offer total integration with disparate products; notably, some may lack the ability to connect multiple safety and surveillance systems at a data level.

The most complete physical security software products have six key capabilities:

• Collection: Independent device management software collects data from disparate security devices and systems
• Analysis: The security platform analyzes all collected data, activities, and alarms to identify real-time priority for addressing threats or incidents
• Verification: The system operator receives information about relevant situations in a fast, digestible format to verify threats
• Resolution: The system operator receives instructions depending on the type of threat, and those instructions are informed by the organization’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) to resolve the situation
• Reporting: The security platform tracks all relevant information for compliance reporting, future improvements, and any necessary investigative analysis
• Audit trail: The security platform tracks all interactions with the system, notably response times and any system changes made by each individual operator

Key Benefits of Physical Security Software

• Protect an organization’s assets and facilities from threats
• Expedite security personnel mobilization and dispatch
• Centralize surveillance hardware into one viewing hub
• Improve incident management and threat response procedures

Any organization or business that has personnel and assets to protect should use some type of physical security solution. These systems minimize or entirely prevent any damage as a result of intruders, environmental threats, or related hazards, and assist businesses in monitoring employees for inappropriate conduct. Businesses should have some basic physical security system in place to minimize their liability in the event that harm comes to their employees. This becomes even more imperative for businesses and organizations that are open to public visitors, such as museums, hospitals, zoos, malls, or school campuses.

Particularly, enterprise businesses have been under scrutiny for their resistance to adopt new technology that could enhance the efficacy of their security departments. Physical barriers and guard officers no longer offer enough peace of mind to protect large organizations from breaches that can lead to extreme loss and harm. Additionally, physical security breaches often translate into figurative harm to an organization’s image and reputation, weakening public trust and leading to potential loss in revenue.

There are simply too many components for security operations to manage without a dedicated system. Physical security solutions allow users to gain a comprehensive view of their facilities, increasing surveillance intelligence and improving incident response and threat detection. Security camera footage can be viewed from a central hub, allowing operators to identify potential situations and dispatch personnel to de-escalate. Security departments can manage guard scheduling and dispatching with ease to ensure total coverage.

These tools enhance situational awareness, often visualizing security personnel locations, confirmed incidents, and alarm notifications. Businesses can configure these tools to monitor employee actions such as internet browsing history or email communications. As an added benefit, these tools increase data security indirectly by ensuring the safety of hardware assets that house an organization’s sensitive data. Overall, physical security software allows organizations of all kinds to improve their safety and security processes and ensure the protection of all personnel and assets.

While any organization stands to benefit from physical security solutions, there are certain entities that face more pressure to manage their security operations effectively.

Government — Government agencies, perhaps more than any other entity, must protect highly classified information and maintain strict security clearance protocols. From smaller local facilities like the DMV to large government campuses like the White House or the Pentagon, physical security solutions ensure the safety of high ranking government officials as well as all collected citizen data. Transportation agencies also utilize these tools to monitor passengers for fare dodging, violent behavior, and other incidents that require law enforcement response.

Educational institutions — K-12 schools and college campuses need physical security solutions to manage access control systems and security personnel, ensuring all guests are accounted for and no intruders compromise the safety of students and staff. Additional integrated tools like metal detectors, intruder alarms, student ID cards add additional layers of preventative security. For college campuses, dedicated security departments use these tools to ensure campus-wide guard coverage and quick dispatch to respond to threats. Additionally, system operators can send out emergency notifications to students’ cell phones for campus-wide threat alerts.

Museums — Cultural institutions and zoos host hundreds of visitors daily. Physical security systems help coordinate security personnel placement and communications, track all incoming and outgoing visitors, and ensure the safety of visitors and collections. Motion sensors and alarms help museums protect their collections from theft or damage, such as visitors leaning in too closely to paintings. More elaborate systems can remotely lock doors to certain wings, ensuring thieves cannot escape.

Healthcare — Hospitals need to ensure the safety of staff and patients, as well as securing all their patient health records. These tools provide total surveillance of medical facilities, help stationed security personnel communicate and mobilize as needed, and verify the identity of all hospital visitors. Similar to government agencies, hospitals need to manage personnel clearance for restricted areas, and physical security solutions help operationalize surveillance cameras, ID cards, motion sensors, and intruder alarms to keep uncleared staff out. Additionally, patients can be easily monitored for emergencies that require medical or law enforcement dispatch.

Retail — Retail outlets and malls must monitor visitors and ensure their safety, while also protecting physical property and merchandise from damage or theft. Integrated tools like metal detectors, RFID tags, and surveillance cameras offer layers of theft prevention for stores. Security operators can monitor all facility activity from a centralized interface, often a full-scale video wall to track all camera footage in key areas, and dispatch personnel as needed.

Third-party security companies— Contracted security personnel for businesses or events rely on physical security solutions to schedule personnel, monitor their location, and manage any identified incidents. In this function, these tools offer administrative support more so than security, ensuring security providers are fully prepared to offer contracted services.