No one likes to think of the business they have worked so hard to build up being at risk, but savvy small business owners know that it’s a good idea to pay attention to detail when it comes to the security of their premises.
Whether it’s a single floor in a shared working space, a retail space, a warehouse, or an office building, ensuring that your base of operations is as secure as possible is the way to keep control of your assets. After all, our business premises usually contain a wealth of valuable things – laptops, company phones, machinery, stock, and even things like unsecured data and legal documents which can be used for criminal purposes.
The needs of each business are highly individual, but as a starting point, here are the factors you need to consider to make your business secure.
Install An Alarm System
Properly alarmed premises are a significant deterrent to potential intruders. Just the presence of an alarm box externally reduces threat and there are now some sophisticated options linked into your video surveillance systems that can detect motion and send an alert directly to your smartphone, security company, or police dispatch.
Not only can this help with getting the right people on the scene as soon as possible to stop any kind of criminal attempt on your business property it can also prove very valuable as evidence should a case come to court.
Assess Your Lighting
It sounds simple, but as most burglary attempts on business premises occur at night, effective outdoor lighting can be a massive step towards your security.
Burglars do not like the risk of being observed, and it draws attention to the area as well as allowing security staff inside to see who is approaching.
Passive infrared lighting systems are activated when someone comes into their field and is not expensive to install, but it could make your premises a lot more secure.
Secure Laptops, Cash And Documents
As laptops are a particular target in most burglaries, it’s worth taking extra efforts to secure them. The risk here is double, as not only is the machine itself valuable, but the data and information it contains can be even more so.
The risk of a data breach is a significant threat and is potentially ruinous to a small business, so fit a laptop lock that can physically anchor them to the table, as well as making sure laptops are encrypted.
If you still used printed documents containing sensitive information, they should be stored securely in a lockable filing cabinet, with back-up copies stored in a cloud-based drive. And if you still have cash on the premises, it goes without saying that you need an AiS approved Eurograde safe – not only will this hopefully keep your cash secured, but it will also work well with insurance cover too.
A lot of threats happen when we get complacent, so make security procedures habitual and part of your daily working routine for the best results.