Over the past several years we’ve seen an increase in attacks focused on public spaces. There is no safe-haven in today’s societal landscape that would allow any public service or business to conclude that they are not a target. Hospitals are no exception.

Thwarting a terrorist attack through intelligence gathering or law enforcement techniques is always preferable, but securing our buildings and infrastructure is increasingly seen as a necessary line of defense in any coordinated anti-terrorist program. In particular are the vulnerabilities presented by open public space. These spaces are where you find the true exploitable “soft targets” that threat actors like to take advantage of.

Increasing Terror Concerns:

While the threat of terrorist attacks has increased over the last several years, so has the ability of security professionals to mitigate the physical, economic and social damage, as well as loss of life, associated with these events in a cost-effective way. By learning from past experiences, taking advantage of advancing technical capabilities and using state-of-the-art technology, the design community has been able to respond to the increased need for security.

More Bang for the Buck: 

Hospital administrators want to get the most out of the money they are spending on security. Establishing the foundation by outlining threats and vulnerabilities to the facilities creates a list to mitigate. This can be used to find the technology that will best address the security considerations. Hospital security professionals should be able to link the purchase of specific security technology to the risk they are looking to address. Some security technology platforms, such as video-analytics, can assist security teams in addressing a variety of concerns. More than ever before, security technologies can provide more situational awareness for hospital staff.