Twenty-five years later, September 11 remains deeply personal for many of us in New York. People in our own community lost friends, colleagues and loved ones that day, and we want to acknowledge them as we mark this anniversary.
Working in security also shapes how we think about the anniversary. We spend our days working with equipment, technology and physical spaces, all with the goal of helping protect the people who use them.
A new national study published this week points to a disconnect between what people expect from physical security and what many existing systems actually provide. The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults found that only 21% believe physical security has significantly improved since 9/11, while 73% consider upgrading physical security technology at least somewhat urgent.
The study also found that 43% believe a standard badge or key-card system already logs who entered, through which door, and alerts security in real time when something unusual occurs. A badge reader at the door can give people confidence that an entry is secure, even when the system behind it has limitations they may not realize are there. We see versions of that assumption in the field.
A lot can change in a building over the life of an access-control system. Companies grow, offices are reconfigured and the number of people moving through a space can increase. Doors and hardware wear over time, new technology becomes available and the risks an organization needs to address may be very different from when the system was first installed.
This is one reason we look at the entire security environment rather than focusing on one piece of technology. At Summit Access & Security, that includes access control as well as the doors, locks, glass, entry points and other physical components involved in securing a building. Newer technology can only do so much if another part of the entry point creates a vulnerability.
Organizations also need to understand exactly what their existing systems can and cannot do. That doesn’t necessarily mean replacing everything. It means knowing where there are gaps, whether the technology still fits how the building is being used and where an upgrade could improve security.
September 11 will always carry particular meaning for New Yorkers and for our own community. For those of us who work in security, this anniversary is also a reason to look closely at the places we help protect and make sure the systems in place are doing what people depend on them to do.