Security gates (including both pedestrian and vehicle gates) are an essential feature in any secure perimeter. They enable you to access your site or premises for legitimate visitors while simultaneously preventing intruders from gaining access. Here at Zaun, we offer a broad range of security gates to suit our clients’ needs. However, even the best gates aren’t impregnable. In today’s blog, we’d like to look at some of the security risks associated with access gates and show you how you can negate them.
1. Loss of keys or passwords
Manual security gates require keys, and electronic ones may be operated using passwords. Both types of gates suffer from a single shared flaw: you will have to provide all the employees who use the gate with keys or let them know the password. Giving many employees keys or passwords increases the chance that a key or password will be lost or given away to the wrong person. If a would-be intruder comes into possession of a key or password, your gate’s security could be compromised. Luckily, it’s straightforward to address this problem. It would help if you considered changing the lock on a manual gate semi-regularly (perhaps once a year) or changing the password for an electronic one very regularly (possibly once a month). It would help if you also made it as easy as possible for employees to report lost keys.
2. Wear and tear
Security gates are built to last. However, after many years of use, even a well-made gate can exhibit signs of wear and tear. Most notably, rusting at key points can make a gate susceptible to brute force, enabling intruders to break in. However, you can protect your gates from the effects of rusting with protective paints or other finishes. In addition, if rusting does occur, you may be able to have the gate repaired. Of course, it’s worth noting that this problem is doubtful to occur until you’ve had a security gate for several years.
3. Lack of other security measures
It’s tempting to depend entirely on security gates, but this can leave you vulnerable. It would help if you never underestimate the tenacity of prospective intruders. We recommend including CCTV cameras and an alarm system at your entry points to supplement the gates.
We pride ourselves on the quality of gates here at Zaun. However, if you follow the advice in today’s blog entry, you can make them even more secure and ensure that they serve as ideal complements to your security fencing.
