Skip to content
Knighthood Documentation

Site Security Planning

Knighthood will assess whether the physical environment meets the security requirements of your organization, and use site-specific risk assessments to help you:

  • Prepare site-specific security plans
  • Include security requirements within other site development plans

Planning Process

Physical security measures are more expensive and less effective if introduced at a later stage. Therefore, Knighthood will evaluate your security requirements in consultation with your chief security officer (CSO) at the earliest stages of planning new sites or buildings, or alterations to existing buildings.

Site Security Plans

Knighthood will consider security measures for new buildings and sites as early as possible, preferably during the concept and design stages. A site security plan documents measures to counter identified risks to your organization’s functions and resources at the site. Knighthood will prepare site security plans for any:

  • New sites
  • Greenfield sites
  • Facilities under construction
  • Facilities undergoing major refurbishment

For each site security plan, Knighthood will ensure that your physical security measures:

  • Provide enough delay to allow planned responses to take effect
  • Meet business needs
  • Complement and support other operational procedures
  • Include any necessary measures to protect audio and visual privacy
  • Do not unreasonably interfere with the public

Inclusions

In your plan, Knighthood will document answers to the following groups of questions.

Location and Ownership

  • What is the location and nature of the site?
  • Does your organization have sole or shared ownership, or tenancy of the site?

People

  • What hours will your people work at the site?
  • Who else will visit the site (for example, the public, service providers)?
  • What hours are you open to the public or other visitors?

Protectively-Marked Information

  • What protectively-marked information will be stored, handled, processed, or otherwise used in each part of the site? Which protective measures will you need for that information?
  • Which protective measures are needed for sensitive discussions and meetings (including those that involve protectively-marked information)?

Whole Site, Areas Within the Site, Scalable Measures

  • Which protective measures are needed for the site as a whole?
  • Which protective measures are needed for certain areas within the site? For example, part of a floor that will hold information of a higher classification than the rest of the site.
  • How will you scale your security measures to meet increases in threat levels?

Protection of Plans

Remember that your site security plans contain valuable information about your organization’s security and operations. Assess the impact of any loss or harm to your plan and apply a protective marking if necessary.

Briefs and Contracts

Knighthood recommends including all relevant security measures from your site security plans in building design briefs and requests for tender and contracts, so they’re included in the completed facilities.