It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the spring who reaps a harvest in autumn
– B.C. Forbes
It’s finally time to open up the windows, dust off the cobwebs, and compose the many tasks that make up our spring cleaning to-do lists. In the security world we refer to this process as Preventative Maintenance. Just like we switch out the batteries in our smoke detectors – seemingly simple care given to our physical security systems keeps everything running smoothly and prevents the potential of an incident from taking place.
As a Security Integrator, we encourage our customers to schedule preventative maintenance services twice a year – in the spring and in the fall. With better weather and milder temperatures these seasons allow for more effective and timely work completed by technicians. In a nutshell, our trained technicians will head out to a customer site and run through a checklist for that location – depending on the type of equipment on site, we might also pair this with an additional checklist coming directly from the manufacturer. The person performing the work will also make notes of any issues they see that might require additional repair; so this is also a great opportunity to identify problems you would have been unaware of otherwise.
Typical PM tasks include –
♦ Checking all physical equipment – turnstiles, access control systems, video surveillance, intrusion detection systems
♦ Test all connections going to the main control center
♦ Clean all equipment by wiping it down and removing any dust build up
♦ Lubricate gates, turnstiles
Benefits –
♦ Your equipment will last longer. Just like getting your car oil changed – regular maintenance is critical in the overall performance of your appliances
♦ Catching bigger issues early – Imaging the technician notices a cracked globe on a camera which at the time only requires replacement of the globe; but had the issue gone unnoticed, moisture would have made its way inside the camera and the entire camera would need to be replaced at a much higher cost
Happy Spring Everyone!