Secure Your Site
they’ve moved in or out,” says Goodman. “They also help facility operators better understand when and how long people are in the lobby or main office in order to optimize staffing and feel confident transitioning to facilities with fewer or no staff.”
Protecting Remote Sites Remote managed properties are gaining in popularity, but is this coming at the expense of security? Not for 10 Federal, which operates 20,000-plus storage units at more than 75 locations across 16 states. “We were one of the first to do remote self-storage,” says Andrew Capranos, president of 10 Federal Self Storage. “That meant having to figure out a lot of things as we went along, includ- ing making tenants feel secure with unmanned facilities.”
One way 10 Federal does this is by
using drones manufactured by Sunflower Labs. The company’s Beehive System is
described as a “flexible drone-in-a-box solution,” and it integrates with 10 Federal’s Rhombus camera system to provide an eye in the sky.
Of course, it’s important to also remember the words of DeBord:
“It takes time to build a reputation, and just one break-in to ruin it.”
“We have a night watchperson in
our corporate office who watches video feeds from all of our properties every night,” says Capranos. “If there is suspi- cious activity, this person can send in a drone for a closer look. If someone is up to no good, having a large, loud drone suddenly flying above them is sure to make them think twice.”
Capranos says that they’re also
testing a new camera feature that communicates directly with the drones. “If motion is detected, the land-based camera lets the drone know, which then launches and flies to where the activ- ity is occurring. This is more than just a crime deterrent too; it allows us to check in on maintenance crews, tenants moving in or out, etc.”
Despite the initial investment, the
technology has paid for itself by greatly eliminating the need for in-person visits and making the customer lifecycle completely contactless, from rental to vacate. “You also can’t put a price on peace of mind for customers,” adds Capranos. “From big kiosks to cameras and drones, the more tech they see, the more secure they feel.”
The Importance Of Perspective While hearing or reading about a self-storage break-in is common, it’s important to remember that there are more than 50,000 self-storage facilities in the United States. With the average facility comprising 545 units, that’s more than 27 million units across the nation. Justin Insalaco, a retired police officer and strategic adviser to Atlas One, has investigated thousands of thefts over the years and believes perspective is important.
“This is most definitely a case of
disparity in the data, as storage facilities are generally considered secure,” says Insalaco. “They make up a small percent- age of overall thefts. As a matter of fact, in North America you are way more likely to be robbed during the transit of property than have it stolen at a storage facility.”
Of course, it’s important to also
remember the words of DeBord: “It takes time to build a reputation, and just one break-in to ruin it. That’s why owners need to be proactive when it comes to security.”
Brad Hadfield is a staff writer and news researcher for Mini-Storage Messenger. He also manages the Mini-Storage Messenger website.
60 August 2023 •
MiniStorageMessenger.com
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