This year, CNN reported a steady increase in ‘smash and grab’ crimes in US cities. Property crime is a serious consideration for commercial real estate investors. Providing your tenant with property comes with the responsibility to ensure their safety during their tenancy.
Luckily, modern security technology is helping CRE investors to access simple security technologies that improve the user experience in their properties while maximizing security. Read on to learn about the top four security technologies CRE investors use.
Integrating Cyber And Physical Security
The cloud has taken the world by storm since the beginning of the pandemic. The cloud is the reason why businesses have been able to remain profitable and shift to remote working models during the height of the pandemic. The cloud is also revolutionizing the security sphere.
Since cloud-based security allows users to operate security tools and view security information remotely, it has become popular for remote or part-remote building managers, system administrators, and security staff.
However, cloud-based security isn’t just physical. You’re making physical and digital security tools by hosting your physical security information on the cloud. Since the cloud is vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and attacks, you can no longer consider physical security separate from cybersecurity.
To keep up with the changing demands of physical security, you should consider merging your IT and physical security teams. By combining both teams, you will encourage:
- Better communication – each team will have a better understanding of the overall security picture, not just the physical or digital alone.
- Automations – by merging both teams, you give your IT team the chance to upgrade your physical security system with automation and AI. For instance, the team could establish AI and analytics for your security system, notifying security staff when a threat is detected in the data.
- Reduced workload – by handling all of your security under a single umbrella, you can reduce the workload of each team and perhaps identify an opportunity to downsize your security staff.
Adoption Of Touchless And Hygiene-Based Technology
Since the pandemic, CRE investors have been tasked with finding new ways to ensure the health and safety of their tenants during their occupancy. The spread of germs and overcrowding are new health and safety hazards that CRE investors must address with technologies and innovations.
For frequent touchpoints in the property, such as elevator buttons, door handles, and handrails, you can apply antimicrobial surfacing to prevent the spread of germs. You can provide hand sanitiser at regular intervals in your building. Or, you can increase the workload of your cleaning staff to ensure that all touchpoints are cleaned regularly.
Security technology, too, is adapting to provide tenants with a more hygienic way to enter the building. If your tenants need to touch a pin pad or access reader button to enter the building, this will encourage contact with touchpoints and thus spread germs.
Leveraging IP access control remedies this issue by allowing users to enter touchlessly using access credentials stored on mobile devices. Users do not need to press a button when entering the building. They can trigger the motion sensor on the access reader by waving their hand over it. The motion sensor will detect this action and begin remote communication with the mobile device via Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular. By using three methods of communication, the reader ensures entry on the first attempt.
Touchless access technology reduces the number of touchpoints users must frequently come into contact with upon entering and exiting the building. It also increases the convenience of entry, allowing users to enter with their hands full – holding their morning coffee or boxes.
Integrating Technologies
With cloud-based security comes the potential to incorporate a wealth of software integrations that improve the function of your security system.
Visitor management software streamlines the visitor check-in process in your properties; you should consider investing in visitor management software. The software implements digital surveys for your visitors to fill in before entering the building. Once they have filled the form in, visitors will receive temporary access credentials to enter the building, which will be revoked when they leave. Visitor management software helps provide more accurate visitor logs without manual intervention.
Automated Building Management Triggers
You can automate building management systems based on access control events. Suppose you integrate occupancy management software with access control. In that case, you will gain more insight into when your spaces are used, and you can plan building management such as heating and HVAC around these figures to conserve energy during slow hours.
You can also integrate your access control system with building management systems to switch devices, heating, and lighting off in rooms when they are unoccupied. When a tenant enters the space, it will come to life.
Summary
To provide more security for your tenants, you should consider investing in these cloud-based solutions as a CRE investor. You can provide your tenants with more convenience in their everyday lives and introduce more stringent security measures. The remote operation features of cloud-based security technology make it a versatile solution for modern CRE.
