A physical security audit is a structured walk-through of your premises that answers three questions: how could someone get in, who already has a way in, and what would you know about it afterwards? You don't need special equipment to do a useful first pass. Set aside an hour or two, take a notepad or phone, and work through the steps below, ideally once after hours when the building is locked up as it normally would be.

Found something that needs fixing? Call (613) 707-4884.

Step 1: Draw the Perimeter

Sketch a simple floor plan and mark every opening to the outside: front and rear doors, overhead and loading doors, roof hatches, windows that open, and any shared doors into neighbouring units or common corridors. Businesses in multi-tenant plazas often forget the shared rear corridor or the demising wall door, which can be the weakest point.

Step 2: Inspect Each Door

For every exterior door, check and note:

  • Does it close and latch on its own every time, including in cold weather?
  • Is there a deadbolt or a latch that can't be slipped with a card or thin tool? A latch guard can help on outward-swinging doors.
  • Are the hinges on the outside, and if so, are the pins secured?
  • Is the frame solid, or is there damage, rot or a gap that would make prying easy?
  • Is there glass within reach of the lock or panic hardware?

Our article on commercial door security covers door and frame weaknesses in more depth.

Step 3: Account for Every Key and Credential

This is where most audits find the biggest risk. List who holds keys, fobs or codes, and what each one opens. Then ask:

  1. Have all former employees, contractors and previous tenants returned their keys?
  2. Can your keys be copied at any hardware kiosk?
  3. When were the locks last rekeyed, and do you know how many copies exist?
  4. Are alarm codes and door codes shared, and when were they last changed?

If the answers are unclear, rekeying is usually the first fix. The office rekeying checklist walks through that process.

Step 4: Check Interior Layers

Assume someone gets past the front door. What stops them next? Look at offices, stock rooms, server or network closets, cash handling areas and file storage. Each should have its own lock if it holds something valuable or confidential, and those keys should be held by fewer people than the front door key.

Step 5: Review Detection and Records

  • Does your alarm cover every exterior door and the rooms that matter, and is it monitored?
  • Do cameras show faces at entrances, or only the tops of heads?
  • Is footage stored somewhere an intruder can't simply take it?
  • Does anyone actually review alarm or access logs after an incident?

Step 6: Check Opening and Closing Routines

Many break-ins exploit habits rather than hardware: a rear door propped for deliveries, a last person who doesn't check the back exit, or a spare key hidden near the door. Write down the closing routine and confirm staff follow it.

Step 7: Prioritize and Fix

Rank findings by how easy they would be to exploit and what's at stake. Quick, inexpensive fixes such as adjusting a door closer, adding a latch guard or collecting old keys come first. Larger projects such as rekeying, high-security cylinders or electronic access can be planned and budgeted. When changing hardware on exit doors, make sure the work meets the Ontario Building and Fire Codes and confirm with the City of Ottawa building official, fire prevention staff or a design professional. Repeat the audit at least once a year and after any staff change or incident.

Next Step

If your audit turned up doors, locks or keys that need attention, our commercial locksmith services cover rekeying, lock upgrades and access control. Call (613) 707-4884 to talk through what you found.