Quick answer: Use Q4 planning to check whether access controls, visitor processes, monitoring, and escalation still match your facilities and holiday staffing. A physical assessment tests how those controls work together.
Office occupancy, leased space, and on-site infrastructure can change over time. A physical security review should reflect the way each facility is actually used today.
What changes when occupancy changes?
Hybrid work and changing schedules can leave a different mix of employees, visitors, cleaners, and contractors on site. That changes who notices unusual access and who responds to an alert. Evaluate your own facility rather than relying on broad assumptions about remote work.
What You Should Be Thinking About Now
It’s important to constantly evaluate your security threat landscape as it’s likely always in flux. How has your office changed since the COVID pandemic? Are you still in the same office? Do you still have the same on-site workforce? What on-prem infrastructure do you still maintain? How is access to that infrastructure monitored? Are anomalous events reported on (e.g., the data center door being forced open)? What CCTV footage do you have of your office space? What is the retention period for that footage? Is it still enough now that events might not be detected for days if no one comes into the office?
Is a Physical Penetration Test Right for You?
When staffing, space, or site use changes, reassess the risks created by that change. If it’s time to reassess your physical security posture, we’re here to help. Contact a team member using our contact form and we’ll have a chat on us to discuss if physical security testing is right for you.
A practical seasonal review
- Remove obsolete access permissions and check contractor access periods.
- Confirm who receives alarms when normal staff are away.
- Test door condition and reporting of unusual access.
- Review evidence retention against the time it may take to discover an event.
Frequently asked questions
Why review physical security when office attendance changes?
Staffing changes can alter visitor handling, supervision, and detection. Reassess actual access patterns and response responsibilities rather than assuming fewer people means lower risk.
What should a Q4 physical-security review cover?
Review access permissions, visitor procedures, door and alarm condition, camera coverage and retention, escalation contacts, and readiness for holiday staffing changes.
