Strengthening Campus Protection: Modern Strategies for Safer Environments

Campus safety has never been static, and today’s threat landscape is more complex than ever. From rising concerns around violence and mental health to the challenges of large, open campuses and increasingly complex technological systems, schools, universities, and corporate environments face challenges that are both evolving and intertwined. In this environment, institutions must move beyond reactive measures and adopt proactive strategies that safeguard people, maintain trust, and ensure operational continuity.

In a webinar hosted by Global Guardian, “Strengthening Campus Protection: Modern Strategies for Safer Environments,” security leaders in the corporate and education sectors discussed how policy, technology, and training must converge to meet these challenges head-on.

Moderated by Chuck Costanza, EVP of Client Engagement at Global Guardian, the discussion featured Dale Buckner, President and CEO of Global Guardian, Brian Katz, CEO of Safer School Solutions, Michael Hoffman, Director of Safety, Security & Emergency Management at Keller ISD, and Brandon English, President of Asset Security at Global Guardian.

The discussion centered on the notion that campus safety is no longer a matter of installing a camera or locking a door. It’s about integrating people, protocols, and platforms to shift from a reactive posture to resilient readiness. Institutions must bolster preparedness with real-world strategy while preserving openness, innovation, and community trust.

Redefining Campus Threats

The modern campus environment presents a broader and more diffuse spectrum of risks. This past year, a series of high-profile shootings, violent protests, and targeted acts of violence have had a visible impact not only on K-12 education but on higher-ed and corporate campuses as well. These events have amplified anxiety, disrupted operations, and forced institutions to confront a more complex and less predictable risk landscape. Campuses face new challenges including mental health crises, insider risks, lone actors, and the spillover effects of digital radicalization and online conflict.

A 2025 RAND study highlights rising concerns over student mental health and postsecondary exposure to school shootings, complicating campus threat assessment. Higher education institutions have also seen a rise in frequency and scale of campus protests in recent years, adding greater complexity to the threat assessment landscape.

Technology also introduces new exposure. Connected systems—including smart-building sensors, Wi-Fi-enabled locks, cameras and IoT devices—bring efficiency but also introduce vulnerabilities. Research on Narrowband-IoT and other low-power networked technologies demonstrates that without coordination between cybersecurity and physical security teams, these systems can become soft entry points for threat actors.

These intertwined trends have changed not just the operational reality but the emotional climate of campuses. People are walking into classrooms and workplaces with heightened sensitivity, shaped by the year’s violence and unrest.

As Dale Buckner framed it, “If someone is willing to die for their cause … you cannot stop everything. The definition of success is minimizing that damage.” In practice, that means shifting the campus security paradigm from preventing every possible incident to minimizing impact through faster detection, containment, and recovery.

Taken together, these forces are reshaping the meaning of safety itself. Security is no longer an isolated department; it’s an operational mindset that must be woven through policy, culture, and technology alike.

Crafting a Welcoming yet Secure Environment

One of the greatest challenges for educational and corporate institutions is preserving the atmosphere of openness, learning, and community while simultaneously fortifying security. Security needs to run effectively—but largely in the background—so it doesn’t impede the mission of education or innovation.

Drawing on lessons from both his time at Google and in education, Brian Katz explained, “the first point of contact, whether a receptionist, office manager, or front desk staff, sets the tone for how people experience safety.” That interaction should feel like hospitality and customer service, not interrogation or confrontation. The goal is to de-escalate and to make sure visitors feel respected and at ease while safety protocols quietly operate around them.

Practical strategies for this tactic, sometimes known as “invisible security,” include:

• Access-control systems that grant smooth entry to authorized individuals while flagging irregular activity.
• Embedded visitor-management protocols that integrate security into daily operations rather than isolated checkpoints.
• Front-line staff training to empower personnel as both ambassadors of hospitality and partners in safety.
• AI Analytics to flag potential threats and detect early-warning signals that can be missed.

A simple but powerful way to think about campus safety is to ask the questions: What are you trying to protect? Who might harm it? How might they do it? From there, the work becomes less about chasing every new tool and more about using that orientation to run regular, honest assessments. These assessments set the baseline, expose gaps, and ultimately drive your priorities for policy, technology, staffing, and training. As Brian Katz said, “It should be a constant cycle,” rather than a box to check once a year. He continued, “It should be this constant state of assessment that's going on. And the testing and training is to determine if that system is working.”

The best environments are those where people feel so secure they no longer think about security. By embedding security into the culture and design of the campus, institutions and corporations preserve community connection while enabling rapid and precise responses to incidents.

Technology’s Role: Smart Systems & Human Oversight

Technology is a powerful enabler, but it cannot operate in isolation. AI, analytics, and automation are most effective when integrated with established protocols, human judgment, and ongoing training. Brandon English, President of Asset Security at Global Guardian, emphasized, “We tune our AI to have fewer false positives, but we always want verification. We absorb some false alarms because if you go too far the other way, you don’t know what you’re missing. You could be tuning out an actual event you need to respond to.”

Over-reliance on AI without human evaluation increases the risk of false alarms, compromised judgment, and unwarranted actions. Experts caution that strong and appropriate policies must be in place to guide technology’s use, and personnel must be trained to follow these policies rigorously. All AI-generated alerts should be verified by humans to ensure they are real and accurate

The most effective approach is layered and collaborative:

• Real-time anomaly detection: AI identifies unusual patterns in behavior or activity, alerting human operators before incidents escalate.
• Integrated systems: Surveillance, access control, mass-notification, and analytics platforms must work together to provide a holistic view.
• Human verification: Alerts are assessed by trained personnel before action is taken, reducing disruption while maintaining situational awareness.

This combination of automation and human oversight minimizes errors, ensures responsiveness, and allows organizations to remain alert without reacting to every false alarm. Holistic, people-centered strategies—augmented by technology—produce the most reliable outcomes in complex environments. 

Keller Independent School District Case Study: Putting Students Above All

As it stands, K-12 institutions collectively spend more than $12 billion annually on security guards alone—but without comprehensive strategic planning and continuous evaluation, threats will still fall through the cracks.

Hoffman oversees safety and security for more than 40 schools and 35,000 students in Keller ISD and framed their approach around the idea of concentric rings of security, pushing protections outward so multiple layers can catch a threat.

Hoffman explained that Keller ISD’s security model starts with identifying what they are trying to protect and from what actions, prioritizing students above all. Alyssa’s Law, which requires a panic button in every classroom, was a major driver in revamping their system and securing grant funding to modernize their infrastructure.

At the time, Keller’s communication and security platforms were fragmented. After partnering with Global Guardian, Keller unified those systems and created a badge-activated panic alert, allowing a single tap to trigger campus-wide communications.

He described the district’s new layered approach, which begins with secure classrooms, interior locks, and monthly training for students and staff on standard response protocols. All exterior doors remain locked in compliance with Texas requirements and controlled entry and visitor management support that perimeter focus. Hoffman detailed how Keller integrated multiple systems—TeleCenter, Alertus, Avigilon, and DMP—by developing Application Programming Interfaces so they could communicate. In practice, this means a teacher tapping a badge reader triggers Alertus and TeleCenter, activates message boards, beacons, blue lights, and PA announcements, and initiates access restrictions through Avigilon. The DMP intrusion panel sends a signal to the Global Guardian GSOC, which pulls up cameras and escalates as necessary, providing information to police or other first responders. Each layer supports the others, and that technology is essential for communicating quickly across a wide campus.

This integration is what turns layered security from a concept into an actual, functioning response.

From Compliance to Culture in Campus Preparedness

A resilient campus culture begins with understanding why safety measures exist. When drills, reunification exercises, and protocols are framed as protections rather than mere compliance, staff and students are more engaged. Core practices include:

• Regular scenario-based training: Beyond fire drills, realistic exercises build capability and confidence.
• Explicit reunification planning: Clear procedures ensure families, students, and staff reconnect quickly after incidents.
• Leadership engagement: Senior teams’ active participation signals priority and encourages adherence throughout the organization.
• Continuous feedback: Post-exercise debriefs identify gaps and refine protocols, fostering institutional memory.

These practices embed preparedness into daily routines, transforming policy into practice and creating a workforce that responds instinctively and effectively during real emergencies.

The Road Ahead: Integration, Trust, & Adaptive Security

The future of campus safety rests on integration, trust, and adaptability. For schools, that means a system that connects people, protocols and technology in one coherent approach. Though technology is an enabler, effective programs rely on leadership, policy, and training.

Building a secure campus requires a holistic approach in these core principles:

• Interoperability: Systems that work together to remove blind spots, streamline alerts, and coordinate responses.
• Culture of Trust: A trust-based culture ensures personnel see safety measures as protective rather than punitive.
• Tailored Design: Operation design should be aligned with each campus’s unique physical layout, community needs, and mission.

By combining integration, trust, and adaptive design, institutions can detect incidents early, respond effectively, and recover efficiently. The ultimate objective is resilience: maintaining safety, continuity, and confidence amid dynamic, unpredictable threats.

Watch the Full Webinar for More Insights

Campus security is a complex, evolving domain shaped by technological innovation, human behavior, and institutional culture. With the right blend of preparedness, intelligence, and alignment between policy and people, schools and organizations can move from reactive survival to proactive resilience.

To hear directly from the experts—including operational case-studies, regional intelligence assessments, and hands-on preparedness guidance—watch the full webinar: “Strengthening Campus Protection: Modern Strategies for Safer Environments.” 

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