Hi Boox Popular Magazine 2024
Business security is a major consideration for any organization, but it plays a particularly important role for organizations that rely on physical goods and locations to operate properly. Security and safety are also key from a health and safety perspective, with many security measures also contributing to decreased insurance premiums. With this in mind, investing in keeping your physical premises safe is a win-win, but it’s still essential to go about securing your property effectively.
To this end, we have put together this short guide on the five most important methods of keeping your business safe and untouched. There are multiple small changes you can make to assist in safeguarding your staff and business, but these are some of the most important. Hopefully, this list will provide you with the inspiration and drive to fill any threats that might leave your premises vulnerable.
Lock Quality
As with anything, it’s important to get the basics in place before looking at more complex systems. Door locks may seem like they will offer little deterrence from a thief’s perspective, but the truth is that a well-chosen lock can massively affect the overall safety of your premises.
Depending on where your business is based, there are different regulations related to lock quality and strength. For example, in the UK, they utilize British Standards to define the requirements of locks, but in many other destinations, these rules will vary, meaning the lock for your premises might be susceptible to lockpicking or damage.
Consider investing in multi-point locking systems to add an extra layer of safety to your door or, if you have the budget, electronic and magnetic locks can be extremely effective methods of increasing the security of your building’s main access points.
Note that lock quality also matters with ground floor windows as these can often be targeted when by thieves if they are visibly weak.
Access Management
Building on these points about lock quality, general access control is another major consideration worth investigating if you want to keep your premises safe. Access control is an umbrella term used to describe the security measures in place to monitor who can access the premises and when. From a security perspective, it plays a central role in limiting the ability of unauthorized personnel to reach spaces where they shouldn’t be.
There are a host of different access control systems that businesses can use, ranging from remote monitoring systems to key fobs or ID cards. Each of these has its own advantages and disadvantages, with different options working for different businesses, so it’s worth researching the different methods and considering what works for your organization.
It’s also important to note that access control doesn’t just involve initial access to the building. Access control also considers access to different areas within your premises, meaning you can limit free access to key files, resources, or areas that might put your business under threat.
CCTV Security and Remote Monitoring
From the perspective of preventing external and internal threats, few systems are as effective as CCTV security. CCTV cameras are a proven deterrent and assist countless organizations in reducing the risk of crime near their property; however, there are multiple different types of CCTV systems, each with their own advantages worth considering.
Simple CCTV systems will record what happens within your premises and can be looked back at for information. This serves as a deterrent and can help the authorities track down criminals, but does little to prevent theft from occurring once it has started.
Alternatively, you can opt for a remote monitoring approach instead. There are a variety of remote monitoring services available, such as these here, ranging access control options, as mentioned before, to intruder prevention options. Put simply; remote monitoring involves having a security team monitor your CCTV footage 24 hours a day, ensuring that if an incident occurs, it is stopped at the outset.
This is usually handled by external security organizations who have been specially trained to monitor security cameras, though what they do when an incident begins can vary from package to package. Most will inform the account holder that an incident has occurred, then either immediately call the authorities or utilize loudspeakers to try and scare any intruders away.
This can be a great choice for huge, sprawling complexes that are difficult to keep secure or simply for any business that seeks 24-hour protection.
Lighting
A commonly forgotten yet surprisingly important security measure is effective lighting. Bright floodlights are a huge deterrent for potential wrongdoers as they remove the ability to hide from the shadows, allowing them to be easily seen in the act.
This need for high-quality lighting applies to both the outdoors and the indoors. On the outside, bright lights that turn on via sensors can surprise would-be intruders and make them reconsider their actions, particularly if combined with very visible security cameras. On the inside, automatic lights give CCTV cameras a clear and easy method of tracking any intruders, which they will also be acutely aware of. This can also lead to wrongdoers abandoning their crimes in fear of being monitored or found out.
Not to mention that good lighting also helps in the regular everyday working environment.
Employee Involvement
Finally, an essential strategy to incorporate into your business security is the inclusion of the workforce. The more that staff is invested in the organization’s safety and wellbeing, the more likely they are to look after it, be secure, and report anything suspicious or unusual. This is particularly important if there are multiple keyholders within your business, in which case creating a detailed process for locking the building and leaving it for the evening is only benefitted by diligent and careful staff.
Employee inclusion can be achieved in a range of ways. Security-focused training is always beneficial, but even regular reminders and moments of public recognition can help. Whatever you opt for in terms of security systems, keep your staff in the loop, and they will assist in protecting your physical business premises.
Whilst these techniques are far from the only measures you can adopt to keep your premises as safe as possible; they should be close to the top of your list. Whether you choose to start with access control or CCTV cameras, always be diligent during installation and planning, as it’s the fine details that make the difference when it comes to property security.
