Security people talk in code. Seriously. Guards throw around acronyms and technical terms like everyone just naturally knows what they mean.
We’ve sat in meetings where clients nod along as we explain SIA licencing and BS7858 vetting. Later they admit they had no clue what half those terms meant. Just didn’t want to look stupid asking.
You’re paying for security services. You should understand exactly what you’re buying. What these terms actually mean in practise, not just on paper.
This isn’t every security term that exists. Just the ones that come up constantly when you’re talking about keyholding, alarm response, and protecting your property. The language you’ll hear in sales pitches, read in contracts, and need to understand when comparing different providers.
Some of these might surprise you. They don’t always mean what common sense would suggest.
If you need a company to manage keys, alarm response, and emergency callouts for your building, see our keyholding service page to understand how it works day to day.
Terms You’ll Hear When Buying Keyholding Services
1- Keyholding
Security company stores your building keys and sends guards to your property when alarms go off or emergencies happen. Guards let themselves in, check what’s wrong, sort it out, lock up again.
2- Alarm Response
Guard physically drives to your building after your alarm triggers. They inspect everything, figure out if it’s real or false, secure your property. Not just someone watching remotely.
3- SIA Licence
Legal requirement for working security in the UK. Shows the person passed training, took exams, and cleared background checks. Without it, they can’t legally do keyholding work.
4- BS7858
Serious background vetting that goes deeper than normal checks. Criminal records, past jobs, identity verification, the works. Way more thorough than basic screening.
5- Response Time
What you pay each time a guard physically comes to your property for an alarm. Separate from your monthly fees. Usually somewhere between £75 and £150 per visit.
6- False Alarm
Your alarm went off but nothing’s actually wrong. Dodgy sensor, staff error, cat walking past a motion detector, wind rattling a door. Happens constantly. Costs you money each time.
7- Verified Alarm
Someone checked through cameras or audio before sending guards that it’s actually a real problem. Cuts down false alarm callouts and saves you money.
8- Key Cabinet
Locked storage at the security company’s office where they keep your keys. Good ones are electronic with tracking. Bad ones are just metal boxes with physical locks.
9- Control Room
Where monitoring happens. People sit watching alarm systems for loads of properties, coordinate guard responses when alarms trigger. Should be staffed all day every day.
10- Mobile Patrol
Guards driving around in cars checking multiple properties on a route. Different from keyholding but companies often offer both together.
11- Site Survey
Before they start, security company comes to look at your building properly. Photos, notes about doors, alarm setup, layout. Should always happen first.
12- Access Protocol
Written instructions about how guards get into your building during responses. Which door, what codes, where to go inside. Prevents confusion at 3am.
13- Escalation Procedure
What guards do when they find something beyond their pay grade. Who they call, when they call police, when they wake you up. Should be clearly documented.
14- Secure by Design
Police-approved standards for crime prevention and security. Some contracts mention it to sound professional. Doesn’t always mean much in practise.
15- Intruder Alarm
Standard alarm system detecting unauthorised entry or movement. Door sensors, motion detectors, glass break sensors, all that kit triggering when someone’s where they shouldn’t be.
16- Zone
Section of your building covered by specific sensors. Alarm tells you “zone 3 triggered” so guards know to check the warehouse not the office.
17- Armed/Disarmed
Alarm switched on or off. Armed means sensors are active and will trigger. Disarmed means they’re inactive, usually during your business hours.
18- Tamper Alert
Alarm screaming because someone tried messing with the system itself. Cutting wires, smashing sensors, trying to disable it. Big red flag that it’s a real break-in.
19- Panic Alarm
Button staff press when there’s immediate danger. Robbery, violence, serious threat. Creates priority response, guards come fast.
20- Hold-Up Alarm
Panic alarm specifically for when someone’s threatening your staff. Often silent so criminals don’t know it’s been triggered. Guard and police respond urgently.
21- Duress Code
Clever alarm code that looks like it’s switching the system off normally but secretly alerts security you’re in danger. Used when criminals force you to disable alarms.
22- Forced Entry
Someone broke in by smashing, kicking, or damaging your doors, windows, locks. Evidence is obvious. Broken glass, splintered wood, bent frames.
23- Perimeter Protection
Security around your building’s outside edge. Fences, gates, external sensors. First defence line before criminals even reach your walls.
24- Internal Sensors
Detection kit inside your building. Motion sensors in hallways, door contacts on internal rooms, sensors in specific areas.
25- PIR Sensor
Passive Infrared sensor. Detects movement by watching for heat changes. Most common motion detector type. Small white box usually stuck on walls or ceilings.
26- DBS Check
Disclosure and Barring Service check showing criminal history. Basic requirement for security work. BS7858 goes way beyond this.
27- Public Liability Insurance
Covers claims if the security company damages your property or someone gets hurt during their work. Should be minimum £5 million. Check they actually have it.
28- Professional Indemnity
Insurance for when security company messes up professionally. Failed to prevent theft they should’ve stopped, gave you bad advice, that kind of thing.
29- Service Level Agreement
Contract bit spelling out exact promises. Response times, availability, what happens if they miss targets. Actually read this part before signing.
30- Attended Response
Guard comes to your building in person. Not just someone watching cameras remotely. Physical attendance is what keyholding means.
31- Remote Monitoring
Watching your CCTV or alarms from somewhere else. Control room staff viewing cameras, checking sensors. Can happen before attended response.
32- CCTV Integration
Connecting your cameras with the alarm system and keyholding service. Guards can watch footage during responses. Really useful but not every property has it.
33- Access Control
Systems controlling who gets into which areas. Key cards, PIN pads, fingerprint scanners, actual keys. Different from alarms.
34- Lockdown Protocol
Emergency procedure locking down your entire building during serious threats. Everything sealed, nobody in or out until the situation’s resolved.
35- Site Inspection Report
What guards write after attending your property. When they arrived, what they found, what they did, when they left. Should include photos.
36- Emergency Contact List
People the security company rings in different situations. You, your manager, facilities person. Different contacts for different problems and times.
37- Standing Instructions
Your written preferences for how guards handle routine situations. Where to wait after securing, whether to reset alarms, special procedures. Guards follow these every time.
38- Key Register
Record tracking your keys. Who took them, when, why, when they came back. Electronic cabinets track this automatically. Paper systems require manual logging.
39- Lone Worker Protection
Safety measures for guards working alone. Check-in procedures, GPS tracking, emergency buttons. Required because responding to alarms alone is risky.
40- Threat Assessment
Guard’s judgement call when arriving at your alarm. Safe to enter immediately? Wait for backup? Call police first? Based on training and what they see.
41- Secure Handover
Process guards follow when leaving your property. Everything locked properly, alarm reset, keys returned, nothing left unsecured. Should be standard every time.
42- Audit Trail
Complete documented history of everything that happened with your keyholding. Every response, every key access, every incident. Used for reviews and insurance claims.
Get Keyholding That Makes Sense From Guard Mark Security
We’ve provided keyholding across Yorkshire for over ten years. Every term in that table? We use them properly, not just as buzzwords to confuse you.
Our guards all carry current SIA licences. We check. Every single one. Because it’s the law and because unlicensed guards create liability nightmares if something goes wrong.
BS7858 vetting happens before anyone touches client keys. Criminal checks, employment history, identity confirmation. The full screening. Your keys don’t go to people we haven’t vetted thoroughly.
Site surveys happen before we start service. Always. We come look at your building, take photos, document access points, talk through your specific needs. Guards get briefed on your property before they ever respond there.
Insurance covers public liability and professional indemnity. Both. We’ll show you the certificates proving it. Some companies talk about insurance but can’t produce documentation when asked.
Response times get written into service level agreements. We commit to specific timeframes based on where your property is. Miss those times and there are consequences. We take it seriously.
Site inspection reports go to your portal within minutes of guards leaving. Photos, notes, timestamps, everything documented. You’re not waiting days for someone to type up handwritten notes.
Can integrate with your CCTV if you’ve got cameras. Guards review footage during responses, verify threats, gather evidence. Works with most camera systems already installed.
Pricing is straightforward. No surprise fees. No complex pricing structures designed to hide the real cost.
Ring us on 03301755786 to talk about keyholding for your building. Email [email protected] if that works better. We’ll explain everything in normal language, show you what you’re actually getting, answer questions without jargon.
You shouldn’t need a security dictionary to understand what you’re paying for. Now you’ve got one anyway just in case.
