Security Barriers Vs Security Gates: Which Is Best For Your Business

Physical security is essential to a wide variety of businesses across a number of different sectors including retail, industrial, leisure, airports, and more, yet many businesses are unsure of which physical security system is best suited to their needs.

When it comes to physical security and access control systems there are two main considerations: security barriers and security gates.

It is worth mentioning that both systems have their own unique benefits, and it is recommended that you have multiple physical security systems in place including multiple security barriers, gates and even CCTV systems.

However, each system is better suited to a certain type of business and understanding your needs is essential when picking a security system.

With that being said we are going to delve into the uses and benefits associated with both security gates and barriers, allowing you to make a more informed decision about what your business needs.

Security Gates

Security gates are one of the most popular forms of access control due to their strong and robust nature making them effective at restricting both vehicular and pedestrian access to your business premises.

Security gates also come in a range of different types each with their own specific uses including:

Security gates are more useful for restricting access to your premises than anything else as they provide a strong deterrent to any would be criminal looking to gain access to your premises.

Their larger size also makes them better suited to larger more industrial businesses in sectors such as ports and harbours, airports, and large industrial sites.

What are the benefits of security gates?

Aside from access control and acting as a strong physical deterrent, security gates do provide a range of additional benefits to your business including but not limited to:

Aesthetic appeal – security gates can often add a greater aesthetic appeal to your business and the majority of security gates can be fully customised in both size and colour.
Legal compliance – in many cases having security gates is necessary to ensure legal compliance with relevant legislation.
Return on investment – regardless of what you are protecting, the presence of a security gate will safeguard any valuable inventory removing the possibility of have to replace stolen assets.

Security Barriers

Security barriers are perhaps Newgate’s most popular physical security product due to their strength, reliability, and flexible nature, all of which helps make them an effective addition to your business security.

Similar to security gates, security barriers also come in a range of different types each with their own specific uses including:

It will come as no surprise that your business will likely not require all the types of security barrier as some have very specific uses. Height restriction barriers, for example, are mainly used for car parks and have no additional uses outside of that.

The main advantage of security barriers over security gates, however, is that they are better suited to a range of businesses no matter the size as they are more flexible in terms of size, shape and uses.

What are the benefits of security barriers?

Similar to security gates, the main benefit of security barriers is access control as they also provide a strong deterrent to would be criminals looking to enter your premises.

However, with that being said, security barriers also come with a range of additional benefits to your business including:

Traffic control – security barriers are often the ideal solution for helping manage traffic flow on business premises due to their robust and flexible nature.
Aesthetic appeal – as is the case with security gates, many security barriers can be customised in both size and colour ensuring that they blend seamlessly with their surroundings.
Flexibility – sue to the wide range on offer, security barriers are better suited to a number of different businesses regardless of the sector in which they operate.

Ultimately, choosing the right access control security solution for your business will depend entirely on your specific business needs and security requirements and it is, therefore, recommended that you conduct a full risk assessment before purchasing any security solution whether it is a security barrier or gate.

Key considerations when choosing a gate or barrier

When choosing whether to install a security gate or barrier, it is important consider a number of variables that can affect your decision. These variables include things from available space to the type of premises you’re trying to secure.

Risk Assessment

Before installing any security gates or barriers, you should carry out a full risk assessment to help decide what the needs of your business are. Whilst gates can swing or slide open, barriers can lift, and so you need to look at what obstructions there might be in order to identify what will work best for your specific situation.

Budget

One very important consideration for all businesses is the available budget that you have to spend. Gates can sometimes be the more expensive option, but much of the cost will depend on whether you have selected an automated solution or a manual one, as electrical systems and access control will all add to the cost.

It is important to also think about the cost of maintenance, as these will need to be checked and maintained by a qualified professional at least once a year in order to keep them in good working order and to ensure that they are safe.

Vehicle Traffic

When choosing a gate or barrier, you also need to think about the kind of traffic that will be passing through it each day. Think about whether you are expecting a lot of heavy goods vehicles or whether most vehicles are likely to be cars, as this could affect which type of barrier or gate that you choose.

You also need to take into consideration how frequently vehicles are coming and going, and therefore the speed that your gate or barrier will need to open at in order to cope with demand as this will make it easier to choose something suitable.

Flexibility

As barriers can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, it can mean that they are a more flexible option for your business. If you have a difficult space to try and restrict a range of vehicles arriving, then barriers can be a better way to meet a wider range of needs for your business. They can stretch across different widths, are not affected by changing gradients and are not impacted by different road surfaces, so they can work almost anywhere.

Entrance Space

When deciding on whether to opt for a gate or barrier, you need to take a look at the entrance in which they will be located and see how much space you have available. You may want a swinging gate that opens like a door, but you will need plenty of clearance on either side of the gate in order for it to open. These will also need even ground beneath them in order to open fully without catching on an obstacle.

Sliding gates or barriers do not require this and will instead slide to the side of the entry. However, this again is dependent on the amount of space that you have available to the side of the entrance. These will often be put into tracks which run across the entranceway to allow them to open smoothly and safely. Sliding gates can sometimes be nosier than their swing counterparts, so it is worth taking this into consideration if you are in a quiet area or have deliveries at unsociable hours.

Rising security barriers only need space above them, making them a suitable choice for a wide range of businesses. These will lift in order to let traffic through and can be extremely heavy duty.

Regardless of which physical security solution your business requires, here at Newgate we are sure to have something to suit your requirements. If you require any information about our range of security solutions, please contact the team at Newgate today.