When you think of security and crime prevention, what are the first things that come to mind?

Security guards? Alarm systems? CCTV cameras? German Shepherds?

Would you be surprised if I said that perhaps one of the first things you should be looking at is trees and plants, and the role they play in either encouraging or deterring crime?

In this article we are going to explain why you should take another look at the greenery around the workplace and we share a visual example of one of our latest projects which may provide some useful learnings!

When it comes to security for bigger business and how to best manage building security in 2016, the question we most often get asked is – What are the best practices in security?

It’s not an easy question to answer off the cuff because security best practices relate to security that appropriately addresses the risk profile of the property.

Here are some tips to help your security profile stay in top shape.

Twelve months ago, I wrote an article on CCTV called “Don’t Buy The Hype”. The article talked about some of the often and outrageous claims by CCTV vendors and the emergence of 4K cameras.

In this article, we assess 3 different camera manufacturers, show you some real-world results and highlight the differences in camera performance.

We also outline the 3 most important questions you need to ask before even considering 4K CCTV, particularly for external applications.

The findings will interest you.

In 2016, companies on a global scale will be more exposed to security risks than ever before.

While 2015 was a high-risk year, we somehow managed to get through it unscathed, either by good management or simply good luck.

However, in 2016 businesses of all sizes will face two single security threats that have the potential to financially cripple businesses if the proper risk management strategies are not in place.

Police believe that the series of bomb threats received at several Australian schools since Friday is the work of overseas hackers. Dozens of schools in NSW, Canberra, Victoria and Queensland have received the same automated phone message warning of a device on school grounds. Security expert Luke Percy-Dove, said from what has been reported, the

Duress systems have featured heavily in each of the risk assessments we have completed recently. The most common factor with all of them has been how poorly they have been considered being implemented. And this is a real concern.

We have developed a quick checklist to help identify what you need to do for your system to perform better.

Security guards are an expensive resource.

Here in Australia, it costs well over $300,000 a year to have a 24/7 security presence and much more for larger sites where multiple guards may be required.

The latest App by Gallagher which is specifically designed for the Apple iPhone, immediately allows security guards to be more mobile and spend more time on patrol performing security functions.

Watching CCTV may sound like good fun for some, but soon enough it becomes quite mundane.

The challenge with actively monitored CCTV systems is ensuring that operators remain focused at all times.

Research indicates that after 12 minutes of continuous video monitoring an operator will often miss up to 45% of screen activity.

The next generation of these devices are now coming to market with a much higher level of intelligence.

What the manufacturers are doing now is adopting the principle first explored by Dick Tracy in 1946 and more recently by Apple, by making 2-way communications wearable in the form of a duress smart watch.

The term “convergence” has become a bit of a buzz word in security as a result of physical security technologies becoming more akin to information security technologies and the cross over between the two disciplines.

This was always going to happen and as a result, we are seeing a noticeable shift in the global physical security market.