Outsourcing physical security can be beneficial, especially to small and mid-sized organizations that do not have the personnel or expertise to handle physical security in-house. A dedicated security firm will have the experience and expertise to prevent many types of security breaches and may be able to point out areas in your organization that are not as well protected as you thought.

A third-party security firm will also be able to be more impartial about security than an in-house team might. For example, security guards from a dedicated security firm are more likely to question every individual who enters a secured area, while a guard employed by the organization may be tempted to make exceptions for friends, coworkers, or upper executives. An external security auditor will also be able to see the organization’s security situation with fresh eyes, while an internal security audit may overlook some areas simply because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

The major risk associated with outsourcing physical security is lack of control. Your organization has final responsibility for the security of facilities and resources, but the implementation details are handed off to a third party. If the outsourced security firm cuts corners or does not perform adequate background checks, your organization could be held liable for any damages caused by a security breach. To mitigate these risks, any organization considering outsourcing physical security should perform due diligence:

• Conduct a thorough audit of your organization’s security needs. Vendors are likely to conduct their own audits as well, but you will be better able to choose vendors who can meet your organization’s needs if you already have a good idea of what those needs are.
• Conduct onsite audits of each vendor on your list of potential security partners. The best way to see how they will handle your security needs is to see how they are already securing their other clients.
• Negotiate the details of staffing, background checks, equipment, and service level agreements (SLAs) to protect your organization. Be sure to include language describing the penalties for failure to prevent a security breach and procedures for handling a breach after the fact.
• Remember, a third-party security firm can only implement your organization’s policies. Outsourcing does not absolve your organization from its ultimate responsibility for securing facilities, resources, and data.

Outsourcing physical security can be beneficial, especially for small and mid-sized businesses, but there are risks associated with outsourcing. Conducting due diligence can mitigate many of those risks.