Building Security and Survivability

In addition to your employees and tenants, servers and software, your procedures and processes, you have to be concerned with the security and survival of your facility as much as possible, because your facility encases everything that's important to the continuity of your operations. Take a look through this week's articles for some tips on how to improve your building security and survivability.

Have you done what you can do at all of your facilities to improve your chances for uninterrupted operations? (Item #1)   An audit is conducted to evaluate compliance with specific, measurable criteria. (Item #2)   Is Your Company Prepared Should a Disaster Strike? Will You Be Action or Reaction Oriented? (Item #3)  

Traditional evacuation plans developed to meet the threat of fire are no longer sufficient in work environments where there is a threat, however small, of a terrorist attack. (Item #4)   Inside every office building, factory, warehouse or other work area, someone is in charge of managing the environment where you work and ensuring that the building is safe. (Item #5)   An access control security system allows building management professionals to do more than just control admission to restricted areas. (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. A facility blueprint for survival: Plan for the Unexpected!

Loss Control is about staying in business, no matter what. Have you done what you can do at all of your facilities to improve your chances for uninterrupted operations? This article addresses some of these issues, and suggests strategies to make your company the one that bounces back quickly. "It won't happen to us" has destroyed too many companies; don't let yours be the next!
http://www.disaster-resource.com/cgi-bin/article_search.cgi?id=%2723%27

2. Auditing contingency plans

Implementing a comprehensive contingency management plan may seem daunting, but it is simply an exercise in commitment-with continuous assessment and revision. Where many facility managers err is when they place the plan up on a shelf, never to be looked at again...until years later during a crisis, when they find the plan to be obsolete and useless.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0521.htm

3. When disaster strikes, what really matters?

Disasters have an uncanny habit of occurring at the most inconvenient times, damaging equipment and materials that you can least afford to lose. Knowing what needs to be done before, during and after a disaster strikes can prevent panic, mitigate existing damage to reduce business interruption, and, should the need arise, provide cost effective recovery solutions. You owe it to your organization, employees, shareholders and yourself to plan ahead to reduce business interruption in the event of a loss.
http://www.boma.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Org/Docs/Resources/BMS.pdf

4. Evacuation and shelter planning

Many organizations continue to test their evacuation procedures and muster points on an annual basis but their plans fall short of what is now required to ensure the safety of their staff - and meet their corporate responsibilities.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0460.htm

5. Facilities management guidelines for business continuity professionals

It's important for business continuity professionals to know about certain aspects of facilities management to improve their disaster recovery procedures. Learn about the most important facilities management guidelines and their relationship to business continuity professionals.
http://searchdisasterrecovery.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid190_gci1513378,00.html

6. Building Management: 5 Reasons to Use Access Control Systems for Business & Government Security

Building management is one of the top concerns of property managers and building owners looking to increase business security. Multiple interior and exterior doors, the presence of restricted or sensitive areas and heavy traffic all contribute to increased access control issues. Access control security systems can help solve many of these issues and minimize unauthorized entry.
http://facility-management.bestmanagementarticles.com/a-39761-building-management-5-reasons-to-use-access-control-systems-for-business-amp-government-security.aspx