Corporate safe rooms — fortified environments that act as a protective refuge in the event of a building invasion or other life-threatening event — are an increasing necessity for people and organizations of all interests.

And, while films and television programs continue to mythologize safe rooms as an indulgence for the super rich or eccentric, actual events tell a different story: safe rooms are – and have been – an integral part of corporate structures and residences worldwide, an otherwise well kept secret that immediately captures the public’s imagination.

Safe rooms are often the key factor between life and death. In most cases, safe rooms are part of an architect’s plans, and a crucial element for security experts when consulting with owners during the critical stages of construction. For not only are executives vulnerable to attack — imagine the very real possibility of a CEO kidnapped, beaten or killed by extremists — the lack of a corporate safe room is, according to global security experts, a huge liability.

Also, corporations do not publicize the existence of safe rooms for obvious reasons: first, executives and their security detail have no desire to broadcast to the enemy the fact these things exist; and secondly, from a purely psychological standpoint, there is no reason to frighten employees and disrupt their day-to-day operations.

And yet, events like 9/11 and the recent Times Square bombing attempt remind us of the global security dangers that confront us. In fact, counterterrorism experts repeatedly warn companies that extremist groups seek opportunities to seize executives.

The question now is not whether the executive has a safe room; the more intriguing question is, “What does a corporate safe room look like? What is inside the ultimate safe-space?”

More sophisticated safe rooms, like the kind built for celebrities or executives (and there is some overlap concerning the essential features in a safe room for a home versus a corporate building), include: doors, walls, floors and ceilings reinforced with bullet and bomb blast resistant materials, wireless communications, coatings to prevent eavesdropping, surveillance cameras, survival items (first aid kits, water, packaged food, self-defense tools, backup generator, and even a kitchen and bathroom) as well as a secure air supply in the event of biological or chemical attack.

Some of these underground safe rooms may also contain a secret tunnel that extends a minimum of four blocks, leading to street level. The purpose of this secret exit is two-fold: it makes it easier to coordinate with a security detail for the evacuation of the executives in an armored vehicle (transporting them to a secure offsite location); and secondly, if a bomb were to detonate in or around the building, there would be noxious fumes, broken glass and the sudden circumstances that characterize life in a war zone. Distancing the clients from the immediate area is key to survival during an attack.

The danger to executives is undeniable, but this threat – while more common for businesses with offices throughout the world – is not exclusively a corporate phenomenon. In fact, the need for a safe space is, increasingly, a lifesaver for colleges and universities across the United States. These facilities, despite their reputation for fostering peace and deliberation, are targets of murderous violence. From campus shootings to attacks against students and faculty, the typical American university is now an environment where a safe room may be the only difference between life and death.

Remarkably, most if not all of the nation’s colleges and universities do not have safe rooms to guard against these shootings. This sort of negligence is unacceptable in an environment where campus violence is predictable. That is, shootings are no longer an anomaly; and failure to have a safe-space for faculty and/or students leaves these people vulnerable to attack. Think of the alternative, a situation where people could quickly enter a safe room and protect themselves from a killer. This scenario is, sadly, still only a hypothetical because colleges and universities have not made a true investment in safeguarding students and faculty from violence.

Additionally, safe rooms have economic benefits for building owners and tenants. These financial advantages are important in an economy where commercial real estate is in a massive slump. According to James Huang of BRC Advisors, a commercial real estate broker and investor, safe rooms can make a building more valuable and attract a more diverse array of tenants.

A corporate safe room is an example of common sense and basic intelligence, a way to protect a brand’s most valuable assets: its executives. Failure to build a safe room is almost a form of negligence, willful blindness in a dangerous world of criminals and terrorists. The good news is that a safe room - the proprietary kind designed by global security experts who recognize the enormity of this issue - can help guard against outside threats. FSM Jordan Frankel is founder and vice president of Global Security Experts, Inc. (www.globalsecurityexperts.com), Atlanta, GA, a designer and manufacturer of corporate and residential security products.