Perimeter Security: Physical or Virtual

The first line of defense for any premises is the perimeter fence. This not only prevents unauthorized ingress into the premises, keeping security of the establishment it also defines the boundaries of the establishment. As we all are aware, perimeter is generally secured by erecting a perimeter fence, in the form of a wired fence or a concrete wall fence. It is a well-known fact that most organizations feel more secure with the presence of a physical perimeter fence around their premises.

Why Perimeter Security. Perimeter security ensures that:

a.      All ingress/ egress of persons, material and vehicular traffic into the site is tunneled through the perimeter gates.

b.     Unauthorized/ unhindered ingress into the premises is detected, identified and checked at the perimeter itself, thus, preventing potential harm/ damage to the site.

c.     Adequate monitoring of the movement of employees, workers, visitors and vehicles moving in/ out of the site.

d.     Prevents theft and pilferage activities by suspicious persons.

e.     Company/ Govt regulations may insist on having a perimeter fence.

Though physical securing of perimeter through wall/ fence is the most effective method of securing the perimeter, there still remain gaps where security breaches are likely to take place in the form of malicious intrusions, thefts and acts of sabotage by illegally crossing the fence.

There may also be circumstances precluding erection of a perimeter physical fence. In such cases, usually, organizations resort to secondary means such as placement of guard posts and patrolling by security teams. However, these methods are not as foolproof as organizations may want them to be. Therefore, it becomes paramount to reinforce the perimeter security with other methods and prevent occurrence of such breaches.

On the technology front, highly efficient and cost-effective alternate means of securing the perimeter available which ensure that perimeter security is reinforced and gaps identified are covered.

Factors deciding Perimeter Security. Most of the times, a perimeter fence, especially a walled fence, is built around an establishment to secure and isolate it from external interference. However, there may be cases where some factors make it imperative for the organizations to look for alternative/ additional measures for securing its perimeter. Organizations, in such cases, go for a mix of walled/ wired fences, accentuated by provision of patrolling and sentry guard posts. These decisions are based on multiple factors some of which are given below:

a.   Geographical landscape around the site. For example, presence of a waterway next to the boundary may provide natural obstacle to enter/ exit the site.

b.       Presence of populated areas nearby.

c.       Blind spots available which cannot be covered by physical security measures.

d.       Security situation including law and order situation of the area/ region.

e.       Presence of other establishments nearby.

Additional Protective Measures for Perimeter Security. The advancement in technology has also overwhelmed the security domain and a host of measures are available in the security technology to supplement human resources and achieve near zero error security in a cost-efficient manner. Though physical perimeter fence remains one of the most effective methods to secure the perimeter, technology has started to play a major role in ensuring all round and 24x7 surveillance of the perimeter achieving similar security objectives. Also, no alternate perimeter security technology/ system can be installed in isolation and has to be a combination of physical security and technology platforms/ systems at places. Following are some of the security technologies which may be adopted as a combination depending on the perimeter security requirement of an organization:

a.       Video Surveillance. Cameras, especially cameras with analytics, have become a major tool to identify between friend and foe. These may be in the form of video surveillance cameras along the perimeter of a site linked to alarm system and facial recognition, cameras with number plate recognition and so on. The COVID pandemic has also ushered in the era of cameras with thermal/ temperature detection capabilities. Such capabilities, along with related analytics, are a major 24x7 source of perimeter protection.

b.   Geofencing. This is applicable more within the premises but with the intent to segregate different work areas such as process and non-process areas. These aim to prevent unauthorized access/ permit only those authorized to access particular premises/ buildings. Any unauthorized access triggers a security alarm and security diverted to resolve the situation. However, these are limited to premises where there is a clear and distinct identification of authorized persons through access badges. Also, it carries the risk of large number of false alarms in case of movement of stray animals.

c.       Illumination. Illumination is highly effective during dark hours and night time and acts as a deterrent for any unauthorized access. However, same has to be enforced along with other measures specifically for daylight hours as illumination is ineffective during this time.

d.     Radars. Radars act as a motion detector between two places along the fence and are mostly used along with the wired fences to detect moving or crawling intruders at different ranges. These can be integrated with other technologies such as CCTVs to zoom the cameras at the potential intruder, automatically illuminate target area, generate alarm and redirect QRT/ security personnel to the point of intrusion.

e.  Drones. Drones are not exactly a supplement to perimeter fence, however, are highly effective in covering a potential intrusion as and when detected. Additionally, drones can be used to monitor blind spots which cannot be covered by other means stated above. Also, drones are not static, therefore, can be deployed in multiple scenarios along with other technology platforms.

A robust and dynamic perimeter should be a combination of physical measures and technology put together. Also, this should conform to the particular requirement rather than “One size fits all” solutions. A suitable combination of perimeter security measures not only ensures effectiveness but also provides for cost optimized solution while guaranteeing the security interests of the organization.