Exclusive: Three phases for security success

Eng. Arif Aljanahi, Head of Security Engineering Dept., SIRA outlines the best practices for building a successful security system.

What makes a security system successful and effective?

This question is often on the minds of all individuals and security companies when planning to build a security system and taking the best practices to ensure its success. A successful security system consists of three phases: The planning phase, the implementation phase and, finally, the audit phase.

The planning phase

The planning phase is the first and most important phase in best practices for building a successful security system.

During the planning phase, you must first understand the nature of the project and determine the final purpose, its nature and uses – whether commercial, residential or unique buildings. Second, project managers must abide by (SIRA) the Security Industry Regulatory Agency’s Preventive Systems Manual and understand all requirements.

Third, conducting a risk assessment of the site and precautionary measures and then determining the requirements of the security system. Fourth, following the best practices when connecting and installing cables, with forward-planning for future expansions by making additional allocations. Fifth, simulating the visibility of the cameras.

Sixth, the plans must be approved by the institution through the security plans approval service. Finally, the security consultant implementing the project must be present during the evaluation process by SIRA after the project implementation phase.

The implementation phase

The implementation phase is the second phase of building a successful security system.

In order to avoid the challenges that security systems projects may face in the final phase of the project – such as the lack of a budget, sudden changes to the project and the lack of effective planning for variables that lead to a decrease in the quality of the security system – it must be ensured that standards and regulations are adhered to when implementing the security system project and ensuring that all implementing parties are familiar with the specifications required to ensure the effective operation of the system.

The audit phase

The last and third phase is the audit phase and the contractor must use the approved objectives of the project to compare with the plan.

First, the prior review of all the requirements of the security system, second, the preparation for the audit phase by the completion of the approval and sealing of all plans on the site by the consultant and the requirement of the presence of the parties in charge of the project of contractors and consultants, providing all simulation methods to display the models on the site, loading all equipment related to the project in the electronic portal of SIRA and finally making sure that all changes are made to the approved plans of the project.