A physical security assessment of residences, offices and industrial sites: premises, access control, video surveillance and security procedures. The objective is to identify vulnerabilities and set out practical recommendations, with follow through on their implementation. Physical intrusion tests are available on request.
A physical security audit is an independent review of how a site is protected in practice: who can get in, what they can reach, what is seen and recorded, and how people react.
Locks and cameras are only part of the answer. A physical security assessment looks at the whole chain: the building, its equipment, the procedures around it and the people who apply them every day. Weak points are rarely where the budget has been spent.
Perimeter and approaches
Boundaries, gates, entrances, parking, delivery areas and the routes used to reach the building. The review looks at how easy it is to approach the site, observe it and enter without being noticed.
Access control
Doors, locks, badges, key management, visitor reception, contractors and access outside working hours. The question is not only whether controls exist, but whether they are applied consistently.
Video surveillance and alarms
Camera placement and coverage, blind spots, lighting, recording and retention, who watches the images, and what actually happens once an alarm is triggered.
Procedures and people
Reception, opening and closing routines, document handling, the circulation of travel information and the reaction of staff to an unexpected visitor. An audit can also target one internal department of a company, as soon as it touches security: the mail room, the intrusion protocol, the security control room.
Sensitive rooms
Executive floors, boardrooms, safes, server rooms, staff quarters and private areas. Where eavesdropping is a concern, the audit can be combined with a bug sweep carried out with our own TSCM equipment.
Residences
A family home, a secondary residence or an apartment. The review covers the property, staff and service access, deliveries, video surveillance and the routines that make a household predictable.
Offices and headquarters
Executive offices, boardrooms and reception areas. The review covers visitor flows, badges and keys, the protection of meeting rooms and the handling of sensitive information.
Industrial sites
Production sites, warehouses and technical installations. The review covers the perimeter, gates and deliveries, sensitive zones, video surveillance and the coordination with site staff.
02 · Method
How the audit is carried out.
A defined scope, a visit on site, and conclusions you can act on.
A confidential first exchange. You describe the site, its use, what concerns you and what is already in place. We clarify the scope, the areas included and whether a physical intrusion test is wanted.
A proposal. It sets out the areas covered, the method, the timing and the deliverable. Nothing starts before the scope is agreed.
Document review. Plans, existing procedures, access lists and previous reports, when they exist, are reviewed before the visit.
The site visit. The auditor inspects the premises, tests how access works in practice, observes routines at different times when relevant and speaks with the people who run the site day to day.
Analysis. Each vulnerability is assessed for its likelihood and for the consequences it could have, so that priorities are clear.
Restitution. The findings are presented to you, in person or remotely, before the written report is finalised.
The visit is organised discreetly. Staff are informed only as far as the scope requires, which also allows the audit to see the site as it really operates rather than as it looks on the day of an announced inspection.
The proposal also states who receives the report and in what form. An audit describes exactly how a site could be entered, so its findings are shared only with the people who need them.
For families and private offices, the review is arranged around the household calendar and the people who work in the residence. For companies, it is coordinated with the person who owns the subject internally, often the general management, the facilities manager or the security manager. See also our pages for families and family offices, corporations and executives and energy and industry.
03 · Intrusion tests
Physical intrusion tests, on request.
Sometimes the only way to know whether a control works is to test it.
A physical intrusion test, also called a physical penetration test, checks whether someone without authorisation can enter a site, reach a sensitive area or leave with information. Praetorian offers it as an extension of a security audit, on request.
Every test follows a written mandate. The scope, the dates, the scenarios allowed and the people informed are defined with you in advance. The test stops as soon as an objective is reached or a risk appears for people or property.
Typical scenarios include:
Entering by following an authorised person through a controlled door.
Presenting as a visitor, a contractor or a delivery at reception.
Reaching an executive floor, a meeting room or a technical area without being challenged.
Measuring how quickly an alarm or an unusual presence is noticed, reported and handled.
Results are reported in the same way as the audit: what was attempted, what worked, what stopped the attempt and what should change. The aim is to strengthen the site and the people who protect it, not to single out an individual.
An intrusion test is never improvised. Without a written mandate and an agreed scope, it does not take place.
04 · Report and follow up
What you receive, and what happens next.
A report written for decision makers, and support for the teams who apply it.
The audit ends with a written report. It is designed to be read quickly by decision makers and used in detail by the people who will implement the changes.
Section
What it contains
Summary
The main findings and priorities, in a few pages.
Findings
Each vulnerability observed, where it is and why it matters.
Priorities
A ranking by likelihood and impact, separating quick fixes from structural changes.
Recommendations
Practical measures on equipment, procedures, organisation and training, proportionate to the risk.
Intrusion test
When one was requested: the scenarios, the outcomes and the lessons.
What audits often reveal
Every site is different, but some weaknesses come up again and again because they grow out of daily habits rather than design:
Doors that are wedged open for convenience, which cancels the access control behind them.
Badges and keys still active after a departure, a renovation or the end of a contract.
Cameras that record but that nobody reviews, or that do not cover the entrance actually used.
A reception or a staff member who accepts any parcel, visitor or contractor without checking.
Sensitive documents, schedules and travel details left visible, printed or thrown away intact.
These points rarely require a large budget. They require someone to see them, explain why they matter and help change the routine.
Follow through on implementation
Recommendations are only useful once applied. Praetorian can follow their implementation with you: answering questions from your teams, reviewing changes as they are made and checking the site again once the main measures are in place. Recommendations stay proportionate: the right measure is sometimes a change of procedure rather than new equipment.
When to review again
A site changes over time: new staff, new tenants, renovation work, a change of use, a period of higher exposure. A further review makes sense after any of these, or before an event that changes the level of risk, such as a family stay, a board meeting or a public appearance.
In France and abroad
Audits and intrusion tests are carried out in France and internationally. Each request is assessed according to the location, the type of site and the timing, and the arrangement is confirmed in the proposal. When protection is needed during the period that follows, the audit can lead into close protection or luxury event security.
05 · Questions
Questions about security audits.
Short answers to the questions asked before a first assessment.
It is a structured review of how a site is protected in practice: perimeter, access control, video surveillance, alarms, procedures and the behaviour of the people on site. It identifies vulnerabilities, ranks them by likelihood and impact, and recommends proportionate measures.
The terms are often used for the same work. An audit checks existing measures against what should be in place. An assessment also weighs threats and consequences to set priorities. The Praetorian review does both and ends with a ranked list of recommendations.
A confidential first exchange, a proposal that fixes the scope, a review of existing documents, the site visit, the analysis of each vulnerability, a restitution of findings, the written report, and then follow through on the implementation of the recommendations.
Only on request. A physical intrusion test is an extension of the audit. It follows a written mandate that defines the scope, the dates, the scenarios allowed and the people informed.
Yes. The same method applies to residences, offices and industrial sites. For a residence, the review covers the property, staff and service access, deliveries, video surveillance and the routines of the household.
It depends on the size and number of sites, the areas included and whether an intrusion test is requested. The timing is set out in the proposal once the scope is agreed.
Praetorian can follow the implementation of the recommendations with your teams, review changes as they are made and check the site again once the main measures are in place. A new review is advisable after any significant change to the site or its use.
English
Français
Español
العربية
Русский
中文