Physical Access Control (Area Control)

Physical safeguards for ISs are necessary to minimize the potential for problems caused by certain threats. The level of physical protection is directly related to the sensitivity and cost of the IS. These are the minimum requirements for physical safeguards for each of the data level categories. There may be instances where the minimum is not enough protection, but in general, a selection of the following physical requirements should be followed when planning for and/or installing ISs, Networks and computer resources.

Signs, locked doors, cipher locks

ID cards and/or badges

Access log

Closed-circuit TV

No unauthorized unescorted entry

Only a part of the responsibility of Physical Access Control is shared by the user at NRL. While the user may believe that all of the physical security needs are being handled by resident security at the lab, that is not wholly the case. The user is responsible for personal area security. This may include matters such as locking your office door after business hours, ensuring that any visitors to your area go through a checking in process, even if it is only a line of sight procedure, or an actual written log.