Strong, properly installed security doors are a basic prerequisite for keeping your commercial property secure. A well-constructed and properly installed commercial door can provide some safety. Exterior steel doors are particularly effective at providing this protection. They are durable and resistant to forced entry. Additionally, industrial steel doors can be reinforced with additional features. Deadbolts and reinforced locks are available to further enhance their security capabilities. However, even the most robust security doors can be improved by integrating them into an electronic security system. An electronic security system provides a comprehensive approach. Incorporating a range of technologies and measures to protect your property. By combining secure commercial doors with an electronic system, you can create an effective security solution.
What Is a Security Door?
Commercial security doors aren’t defined by a single style or material, but by how the door system is engineered for forced entry resistance, durability, and controlled access. At a system level, a security door includes the door leaf itself as well as the frame, the reinforcement inside the door, the type of glazing, and the hardware securing it all together.
Typically made of a strong material such as steel, a security door is generally one that is installed to prevent illegal entry to the interior of a property from the outside. It might also be an interior door that’s meant to keep unwanted visitors out of certain rooms.
Industrial-grade security doors can come in various shapes and sizes, and they can be customized to meet specific security needs. Whether they’re made of steel or some other material, such as fiberglass, security doors can be made harder to breach by adding commercial-grade door hardware, such as a reinforced strike plate and door frame to keep the strike plate from being jimmied out of the frame, or a steel plate under or behind the deadbolt.
Where Security Door Systems Are Typically Used
Security door systems are used across commercial environments where access needs to be controlled without compromising day-to-day operations. Typical applications include:
- Storefronts and other high-visibility targets
- Back-of-house retail and service areas
- Office and mixed-use buildings
- Education and healthcare buildings
- Controlled entry points within larger facilities
The right security door depends heavily on operational flow and security requirements, as well as the larger commercial environment.
Common Commercial Security Door Configurations
Commercial security doors can vary in material and design, depending on building type and access requirements:
- Reinforced steel doors are typically used in service areas, utilities, and controlled internal access points.
- Wood security doors are low-cost, easy-to-use, and can be made to match any style of interior design.
- Aluminum security doors can take a beating, are low-maintenance, and easy to use because they’re lightweight.
- Glazed security doors combine impact-resistant glass with reinforced framing systems for an aesthetically pleasing, high-visibility option.
- Hollow metal double push doors can be insulated for exterior use. The hollow design makes these doors super impact-resistant, so they’re a bit more secure than safety doors made of aluminum.
- Multi-point locking door assemblies are used where controlled entry is required across shared buildings or facilities.
Designing a Commercial Security Door System
How do you decide which kind of security doors to choose for your building? Consider these aspects to help narrow down your decision. Also, it never hurts to talk to your local commercial door installers and get a professional opinion.
Take Stock of Your Current Security System
As a business owner, protecting your property and the safety of your employees is of utmost importance. You have likely already taken steps to ensure the security of your property, for example, by installing secure exterior doors or an alarm system. However, it is common to question whether these measures are enough to keep your property safe or if there’s something else you should do. If you do choose to upgrade or replace the system you have now, you have plenty of options.
Tech development has made it possible for security doors to have advanced hardware. This means smart systems make break-ins even more difficult. This partnership between the commercial door installation and security industries has led to the development of a range of advanced security solutions. Biometric systems, access control systems, and CCTV cameras have all become commonplace. But before all of this, you need to decide on an external security door for it!
Commercial Security Door Considerations
When choosing a security door system, the three main considerations are cost, design, and installation.
Cost:
- Initial cost of commercial door and hardware sales
- Commercial door installation costs
- Lifespan of the door
- Ongoing maintenance and repairs
Design:
- Color, size, commercial door hardware like locks and handles, etc.
- Soundproofing abilities
- Insulation options
- Structural stability
- Commercial door fire rating
- Fire cord compliance
- Panic exit devices and hardware (crash bars)
Installation:
- Labor costs
- Material costs
- Downtime for your facility’s operations (if applicable)
- Installation of reinforcement and smart access hardware for the security door
- Integration with your business’s security system (time + cost)
Other Storefront Security Considerations
Commercial Door Hardware Ensures the Security of Your Building
Other extra industrial door hardware to make your entry more impenetrable includes door chains, hinge screws that keep doors from being pulled out after hinge pins are removed, and internal locks, including sliding bolts, hooks, and bars. You can have a security door customized to include practically any specifications you like.
Security doors are integral to any commercial facility, but especially so for small businesses. Between a quarter and a third of burglaries yearly happen to small businesses. Investing in heavy-duty reinforced steel doors at the back entryway of a small business and choosing a storefront door and window system with reinforced, treated, and laminated glass is an investment in the long-term success of your business.
Industrial security doors are critical components of any commercial property’s security system. They come in various sizes, shapes, and materials and can be customized to meet specific security needs. Installing heavy-duty security doors along with extra door hardware can provide an added layer of protection, making it more challenging to gain illegal access to your property.
Integrating Security Doors with Your Security System
To get an integrated protective door system, you can just add smart security features such as remote door lock control and cameras. A security door can also be integrated into an advanced authentication network with digital locks, which can ensure that only authorized personnel are able to get into certain areas of your facility.
By installing door access control systems such as card readers or digital keypads, we can secure a single door or connect multiple doors into the same system. That way, security information for your entire facility, inside and out, can be coordinated. Having such a system will not only help keep your site free of unwanted intruders and property loss, but your employees will also appreciate that they can feel safer in the workplace as they carry out their duties.
Commercial Access Control Systems Can Save Your Business Money
Integrating a secure door into an electronic access control system can provide protection for your business. Smart security features like remote door lock control and cameras can be added to monitor activity and control access. Authentication methods can make it so that only authorized individuals can access certain areas. With this, you can create a comprehensive security solution that helps keep your property and your employees safe.
SACS DOOR & GATE is your Sacramento solution when you need to beef up security for your property. Give our team of commercial door installers a call for a consultation about choosing the right security door, hardware, and electronics to go with it.