Does Your Company Need A Virtual Security System

“Virtual security” is no longer a science-fiction fantasy that resembles Minority Report-like scenes, but a real-life, proven solution to protecting your company in an increasingly high-tech, criminal-savvy world. With a virtual security system, images of drivers, driver’s licenses, license plates, and seals are easily captured, stored, and retrieved in a secure server. The system also takes human error and ill-intent out of the picture (a machine at the site cannot fall asleep, be bribed or harmed) and offers 24/7 electronic monitoring via cameras, computers, and phones that feed into a central command center. Beyond these many advantages, a virtual security system can save your business as much as 50 percent in security costs. So, how do you know if your company is the right fit for a virtual system? Check out the following scenarios to find out.

1. YOU DEAL WITH LARGE VOLUME: If you have more than 100 visitors going through your gate each day, a virtual system can help by speeding up the entry/exit process compared to a traditional guard. Some entries can be automated and the system can “remember” routine drivers/visitors to the facility.

2. YOU HAVE MULTIPLE SITES: If you have two or more sites, or one site with a separate inbound and outbound gate with human guards at each, security costs can be eliminated by sharing virtual sources among the sites/gates.

3. YOU HAVE TRAFFIC-PATTERN FLUCTUATIONS: If your gate activity and scheduled deliveries/pickups are steady between 7-9 a.m. and 5-7 p.m., but minimal the rest of the day, this leads to onsite guard downtime. A virtual system helps reduce costs by sharing a guard resource with other sites that have different schedules.

4. YOU HAVE HEAVILY-REGULATED GOODS OR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Consider air cargo, for instance. After 9/11, the US government changed the way the transportation industry handles business. Strict requirements are imposed by TSA, CTPAT and other agencies regarding documentation of who enters and exits a facility yard that handles air freight. A virtual system ensures that documentation is captured each and every time, electronically stored in a secure database, and made available for the customer for review in the event of an audit. The pharmaceutical, food, chemical, and energy industries also have their own sets of standards and requirements that can benefit from this procedure.

5. YOU’RE IN A HEAVY UNION-REPRESENTED CITY OR STATE: Due to mandatory union breaks, you incur additional costs for security guards, from wages to providing a guard shack, water, and meals. A virtual system eliminates those needs.

6. YOU’RE BASED IN A REMOTE AREA OR IN ONE PRONE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: It can be a challenge to find reliable guard service in hard-to-reach areas, such as at a remote oil derrick pump or gas pipeline access station. Likewise, in areas of the country where blizzards and other extreme weather conditions are common—such as New York and Minnesota—guard “call-offs” are common, leaving your site vulnerable.