Condortech Services, Inc. is Springfield’s Top Rated Local® security consultant for schools, businesses, government offices, and health care facilities. As such, our top priority is keeping your business or organization safe against any and all threats. One important distinction that should be understood by all of our clients is the difference between proactive and reactive security.

Reactive security means being prepared in the unlikely event of a security breach, either in your network or your physical building. Reactive security measures include the sounding of alarms, sealing off of sensitive areas with automatic locks, and the implementation of contingency plans designed for a specific set of emergency circumstances. Reactive measures are needed to protect your organization when unauthorized individuals have gained access by breaking into the building or hacking your network. They are a necessary piece of any company’s security puzzle, but it would be preferable if those breaches never occurred in the first place.

Proactive security is used to prevent invasions from ever happening in the first place. Automatic access control with sturdy locks that deploy at the touch of a button or on a schedule based on building hours can keep intruders from gaining access to your building. Fortifying windows and identifying potential access points are other ways in which a security consultant can help you to take a proactive approach to protecting your facility.

The administration of Jefferson High School could not have installed a security camera system at a better time. Almost immediately the benefit became apparent. One student was caught “mooning” a group of others in a common area, and was immediately escorted to the office. His parents were called, and when his mother came to meet with the principal, she swore up and down that her precious son would never do anything like that. It was Principal Blind’s great pleasure, at that moment, to show her video evidence to the contrary.

If you run a school, health care facility, or other business, there’s only one thing you should expect: the unexpected. If crimes are committed, people are injured, or property is damaged or stolen, you may be accused of somehow allowing the transgression to take place. At times like this, the importance of a reliable security camera system cannot be overstated. Conflicting interests and opposing viewpoints can make it almost impossible to determine the truth simply from the oral accounts of witnesses and participants in an incident. However, with a surveillance system recording everything that happens to video, it’s easy to zero in on the time and place of the incident and figure out exactly what happened.

As modern facility security systems become more and more sophisticated, businesses and organizations now have a wide variety of options for allowing access to authorized personnel. As Springfield’s trusted security consultant company, Condor Tech wants our clients to understand these different options so that we can help you maintain, install, or upgrade the best integrated security system for your needs. Here are a few examples of the ways in which you can provide building access:

Keypads & Codes

Authorized personnel are given a unique number to input on a keypad at an interior or exterior door. The length of the code could be as few as 4 digits, but shouldn’t be longer than 8 to allow for memorization. Your security system can keep track of what codes are used at which doors, and when they were used. Codes can be easily reset or assigned when needed, making it a fairly easy system to administer.

Keycards

Individuals are given a card to “scan” at the entryway. Depending on the cost, this could either be a barcode that’s read by a laser, a magnetic strip that operates like a credit card, or proximity card that uses radio waves to send a signal to the door’s security interface. In each case, a unique code is associated with each card, so all of the same tracking features are available. One drawback is the possibility of the keycard coming into possession of unauthorized personnel, allowing them all of the same access to your facility.

Nobody understands the importance of airtight building security better than Springfield’s Condor Tech. For years we have been installing, upgrading, and maintaining building security systems in places where failure is simply not an option. Here is a list of several areas in which you will need to devote attention and resources to make sure your facility is absolutely secure.

Access Points

Doors, windows, fire escapes, and rooftop entryways can all serve as an access point for unauthorized personnel to enter your building. Locks should be maintained and controlled to make sure that only your team members can get through to their specified work areas during specified hours.

Detection

Internal and external lighting should be available to make it easy to detect anybody at night who is in the building or attempting to enter it. A security camera system can also make it easier to detect intruders and provide evidence in the case of a criminal trial.

Reaction

Does your building have an alarm system to alert you and the authorities in the case of an intrusion? What triggers the alarm? Do you have a contingency plan laid out for any type of possible break-in that could occur? These are all important questions that any business or organization should consider.

CTS offers integrated security solutions and security systems in Virginia. Twenty years of experience allows us to exceed all expectations with the security solutions we can provide for you. Our goal is to provide you with an efficient and effective system that you can rely on for protection. We truly put you first. If you’re still not convinced, continue reading to see just how we can help you.

• From a design and engineering aspect, we work with you to assess and determine a security system-architecture based on your specific security needs, statement of objectives, and statement of work. We’ll also build and design a system with redundant and continuous operations capabilities. We’ll do this by utilizing both hardwire and wireless communication for ground sensors and mobile units.
• From a project management and assessment standpoint, we’ll always provide up-to-date project status reports to your management group and points of contact. Our program managers will oversee and coordinate management logistics and technical aspects of the security tasks and orders received from you, the client.
• From an installation and implementation standpoint, we offer a fully managed planned installation program of selected products and systems, from planning process to complete installation We make sure each installation is monitored by a team of experts so that it’s completed in a timely and cost efficient manner.
• Once everything is designed to your specific security needs and installed, we’ll make sure that you and your team are 100% trained and that you have constant support from us.

In today’s business world, terms like convergence, synergy and integration are used so frequently that it’s easy to dismiss instances where they actually are occurring. Integrated security systems are a case in point. Behind the growth in security system integration projects is the realization by leaders, managers, school principals, healthcare executives, and more that the risks their organizations face pose catastrophic threats.

Security system integration refers to the trend within a growing number of organizations to merge physical security applications, such as access control, and logical security applications, such as biometric identification programs that allow employees to use the corporate network, into a single, comprehensive system.

There are a number of benefits to integrating the different elements of an organization’s physical and logical security system.

• Firstly, it provides a more comprehensive approach to security that’s less vulnerable to incidents and better able to respond if one occurs.

• An integrated security system also offers the benefit of better protection against the reality that you can perpetrate physical threats logically, and logical threats physically.

Your organization depends on execution of proper employee access in order to maintain effective security of your facility and data. Different members of your staff may have varying levels of clearance depending on their position in your agency. Identification, authentication, and authorization all play a role in granting access to qualified individuals, but the terms are often easily confused. Our security consultants want to help you understand the role that each one serves as an essential piece of your security system. Here is a brief primer to help you discern the difference.

Identification is the process by which an individual claims to be a user on a system or network. Before a user can gain access to a system, they must provide their username, fingerprint, or other identifying information to the system. The system then matches the identifying data with the profile for that user.

During authentication, the system verifies that the user is in fact the person they claim to be. A password or other secret or unique information must be provided to check against the data in the user’s profile. Identification and authentication are easily confused, because both often happen simultaneously. During a standard login, for example, the username identifies the user and the password serves to authenticate them. In the case of a fingerprint scan or other biometric input, the information provided can be used for both identification and authentication.

As threats to businesses, organizations, and agencies become ever more sophisticated, the security industry has responded in kind. The term “integrated” is being applied to security systems with greater frequency. You may wonder what it means. At the most fundamental level, integrated security is aimed at addressing the two basic types of threat: physical threats to your building and property, and logical threats to your data and network. Consolidating defenses against both into one department offers opportunities for increased efficiency and innovative solutions.

Protecting against both physical and logical threats means combining your physical and logical security measures. Your network responds to the building’s security system, and vice-versa. Many larger organizations and government agencies are making use of global credentials that allow employees access to both facilities and computer networks. Here are just a few examples of how integrated security is being implemented:

• When an individual gains access to a facility, the system recognizes their authorization and unlocks only the physical areas and computers for which they have clearance.
• Unauthorized entry to the building can trigger the security system to immediately secure the data system from any on-site access.
• A change in someone’s employment status registered in the HR department automatically grants or disallows access to facilities and networks.
• The triggering of an alarm can lock inner doors to seal off areas of your building and/or lock your network down. Depending on the type of alarm, those with higher clearance will still be able to move through the building and access the network.

A good security camera system is vital for your Virginia business, but if all you are doing is recording your space while problems occur you aren’t getting the most out of your system. This is how most businesses utilize their security camera systems; they set them up and only refer to the footage after something bad has happened. Condor Tech takes a proactive approach to security footage with our video management and analytics service, helping increase security while reducing loss within your business.

Our technology analyzes your security footage and provides valuable feedback on traffic counts, dwell times, performance tracking, the reduction of false alarms, and more. With our system, you’ll be able to respond immediately to events on your site and send help when needed with a much faster response time. Our system is so powerful it can even help refine your floor plans, supply chain management systems, and more. This is complete control over your facility, and so much more than a simple camera on the wall.

Our security experts are ready to design and install your new camera security system in your business based on your needs and the needs of your business. Then we’ll teach you how to take control of the security of your facility in a proactive, cost-effective way that’s user friendly. Our team will continue to be available for your questions, too, ensuring you are always getting the most from your security system. Give our team a call today or contact us through our website and learn more about our Virginia security camera systems and we’ll get to work on your new system.

For some businesses, putting a deadbolt on the door and a surveillance camera on the wall is all the security system they need. For our customers, their Virgina security systems need to be top-rated systems that help them manage access to their facility 24-hours a day. When customers come to us, they get the cutting-edge technology they need to keep their building, their employees, and their businesses safe. We offer controlled access systems tailored to your needs.

When you decide it’s time to set up a world-class Virginia security system for your building, just give us a call. One of our security experts will visit your site and help you determine what kind of access system is best for your facility. We’ll take into account factors such as:

• Where your business is located
• How much access your employees or customers will need
• The type of business you have
• Your budget for a top-rated security system

Once we have answers to these questions, we’ll match you to a security system that’s perfect for your building. We’ll then install your system and teach you how to use it, so you are confident that the people who need in your building are getting in and everyone else is staying out. This is technology that goes beyond the lock-and-keys of yesterday. Today’s technology will allow you to change access at a moment’s notice and never worry about a lost door key again.

While you security professionals are adept at spotting and dealing with suspicious behavior, it can be difficult to keep a vigilant eye on every corner of your business. Even with security camera systems and roaming guards, one of your biggest assets to security is your daily employees. We are not suggesting that they learn to become security experts, but teaching your employees to identify suspicious activity, as well as the proper way to contact security is a skill that anyone can learn.

To help you company remain nimble and secure, it is important to teach your employees including security staff to identify the following suspicious behavior. Should they see something, it is vital that they report it to the professional security personnel according to your predetermined security protocols. If you have not set up security procedures, contact Condor Tech to learn more.

Running

While running doesn’t seem suspicious at first, there is always a reason somebody is running. Do you recognize this person? Do they look scared? Are they looking around as though somebody may be chasing them? The context of the running is important to identifying a threat. Teach employees to ask why they are running.

Regardless of your location, there is always a chance of a security breach, and without proper planning the intrusion may result in irreplaceable loss of property, monetary loss, or loss of trust with your customers. To help prevent such losses proper security planning and equipment is a must. With over 25 years of security system experience in both the public and private sector, we are able to give advice that makes a difference. By addressing the four tiers of a quality security system, you will be on your way to a robust security plan.

Prevention – Preventing intrusions is the first step in a robust security system. Condor Tech offers a variety of equipment to prevent unwanted visitors, including access control systems, door hardware, and intercom systems. Security booths are also available to add human security that are able to better assess and respond to security issues.

Detection – If someone is able to make it past your intrusion prevention tier, detecting the intruder is of utmost importance. A security camera system allows you to monitor your entrances, exits, corridors, and more in order to detect suspicious activity and obvious intruders. This human detection, coupled with one of our automated intrusion detection systems makes for a thorough detection tier for your security system.