Top Physical Security Tips To Keep Your Business Safe
Every business needs to be concerned about security, regardless of the size or operation of the organization.
A solid security and emergency management plan could make or break your business, especially when it comes down to averting disasters like crime, vandalism, looting, riots, fire, extreme weather or other calamities.
– Businesses are 4X more likely to be burglarized than homes
– 40% of businesses affected by disasters don’t reopen, according to FEMA
– Employee theft affects 64% of all small business
– The average business can lose up to 5% of its revenue to fraud
Here are the top tips every business should consider when developing their physical security.
Have a Plan
Business size affects the complexity of the plan, but not whether or not you need one. It doesn’t matter if you’re just a solopreneur or have hundreds of employees spread across multiple locations.
All commercial (and even residential if you’re working from home) workplaces need a security plan. That security plan will ensure the protection of the company assets and keep all occupants safe, both staff and visitors. It’s important that the plan works for you, is in place and is understood by everyone it affects. You should coordinate the development and execution of the security plan with a trusted security provider, such as ProNet.
Parts of the security plan may include:
– Defining who oversees security implementation
– Who has access to what & when
– When & What doors, windows, access points are to be locked/unlocked
– Lost/stolen keys or access card reporting & replacement
– Visitor, customer, vendor & other 3rd party procedures
Employees should be trained on their responsibilities and the plan should be easily accessible at any time or place. Scheduled reviews of the plan should be set up on a timetable that makes sense for your organization.
As businesses grow, pivot, merge or otherwise change so too do their vulnerabilities and risk assessment. Technology also changes. New solutions may become available that are more cost-effective options to resolve your unique security challenges.
Secure Your Property From the Outside in
Assume criminals are clever. They’re known to spend time studying their targets in advance. Burglars will be looking for any vulnerabilities, valuable assets as well as obstacles they may encounter. And those intruders will start their homework assignments with what they have access to, starting at the street curb. From there, they’ll work their way inward as far as they can go. Along the way, they’ll take notes on any security cameras, access control systems, intrusion detection and other forms of security that may get in their way or slow them down.
When you get a professional evaluation from ProNet, your inspection will include these considerations along with the latest in high-tech solutions.
Lighting
As basic of a thing as lighting, it’s critically important to illuminate any threats in and around your facility, both literal and figurative. Lighting is critical for two reasons:
– Lighting is adequate as a deterrent. Crooks will sometimes just move on to darker places.
– Lighting can provide powerfully more effective video/photographic evidence in the case a crime was committed.
Lighting should be considered outside of your business including any parking lots, alleyways, entry/exit points, loading docks and outside storage areas.
Lighting should also be considered for the inside of your building. Lights on means people home. Or, at a commercial application, workers are present.
Lights can be on all day and all night or they can be set up to be motion-activated. The advantage of motion-activated lights is that they save energy and also make intruders feel as though they’re being watched, or “spotted” when a bright beam from a floodlight automatically shines upon them.
Video Surveillance
In today’s day and age, security cameras should be a part of every security plan, both inside and outside. The advances in technology and modern-day manufacturing have made video surveillance systems simply too cost-effective to not have them. There was a time when security cameras systems were prohibitively expensive, when only banks had them.
Cameras can both deter crime from happening and capture evidence in the event it does.
Video surveillance with remote monitoring can also verify threats faster and get law enforcement or fire rescue on-site faster with video verification.
Get Started On Your Protection
Physical security threats can interrupt business operations for any organization. Making an investment in some essential equipment and having a strategy in place to mitigate these scenarios will minimize some risk and provide some peace of mind.
After all, you didn’t get into business to focus on prevention, that’s our job. Let us do the security work for you, so you can focus on what you do best.
Worry less, profit more.
ProNet Security proudly serves Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma with 30 years of experience. Complete security solutions including Video Surveillance, Intrusion, Access Control, Fire Alarms, UL 681 and 2050 certified, Cloud-Based Solutions and 24-hour UL Listed Monitoring. From Healthcare to financial institutions, Government, Cannabis, Jewelry and more. 24/7 client support provided.