When I read about violent attacks in the news, it makes me worried about my safety on campus and in my off-campus apartment. I think I would feel a little bit better if I knew more about what to do to protect my apartment, and if I knew more about what my school was doing to protect me on campus. Experts, can you teach me a bit about security measures?
In your off-campus apartment, make sure to protect points of entry with locks. Deadbolts offer a far more secure choice than simple door knob locks, so the extra few bucks spent will be well worth the investment. Hire a locksmith to make sure that the job is done right. Then, consider wiring your home with an alarm system.
Alarm systems make great crime deterrents, and they can give you, your family, and the authorities sufficient warning in the event of an emergency. Keep your systems up-to-date, replace locks when you lose a key, and always be on the lookout for any suspicious activity.
When in public and semi-public places like your college campus, you’re relying on the security systems put in place by the people that run those spaces. A great security measure that campuses can take is to invest in more modern, cloud-supported security and surveillance systems. The experts at Verkada recently posted an article on school security systems breaking down the specific features and functionality these systems can provide to make campuses safer, including:
- Hybrid cloud surveillance solutions
- Cameras that notify personnel if they go offline or detect tampering
- Motion-search capabilities that allow administrators to surface relevant footage without hours and hours of screening
- The ability to send live camera streams to law enforcement and EMT professionals via SMS or weblink
- End to end encryption to make sure that cameras viewed and used just for their intended purposes.
It’s worth asking your school administration if they’re using traditional DVR/NVR/CCTV solutions, more vulnerable to attacks, or if they’ve upgraded to a more modern wireless camera security system.
With more available artificial intelligence and smart technologies, security systems can now anticipate threats before they happen, tracking individuals through a space, and performing other key crime prevention and enforcement tasks faster than would be possible with outdated human-controlled systems.
Enterprise security systems, such as the ones used by hospitals, schools, or other large institutions also control points of entry and make sure that an unauthorized person can’t make their way into the monitored environment. Between alarm systems, advanced threat detection software, and constant surveillance, you can rest assured knowing that companies take appropriate measures to ensure the public’s safety.
Major enterprise solutions may be beyond your financial reach, not to mention your security needs, but smart home security products available from home alarm companies exist, as well as those from technology companies. Take a page from the corporate playbook and combine your home’s security measures into a unified system. When your various security measures and devices interact with each other, it makes it easier for them to respond to a threat — and to give you the information you need when you check on your space.
If you take these small steps to ensure the security of your home, you can rest assured knowing that you and your loved ones remain well-protected and prepared for any circumstance that may arise.
