In the modern world, everyone is in a rush to protect their digital property. But, especially for businesses, the physical threat of theft is still very prevalent. And, with the new technology criminals have at their disposal, it’s more important than ever to secure your business. In businesses that handle cash or sensitive information, you have to be extra careful. These are key targets for robberies. To help you out, this post will go through some of the best ways that you can protect your business.
In a lot of cases, it’s hard to protect a whole building from break ins. Most small businesses use rented buildings, where they can’t make big changes. So, a change has to be made within the building. For high-value items like jewellery and cash, it’s always best to have a safe. A decently sized safe will cost a reasonable amount. But, you can often pick up old-school key operated safes at auctions for next to nothing.
Most robbers won’t have the tools to deal with any sort of safe. So, as long as it’s well secured and can’t be picked up, your safe should be safe! Just be careful that the safe isn’t visible from the shop front. If people see a safe, they will assume that staff members have keys. This can lead to kidnaps, in very extreme cases.
Of course, if you can change the building, you should. In fact, this applies to all types of business premises, not just shops or stores. Commercial door hardware is easy to come by, and it usually isn’t too expensive. Having locks for staff rooms and other secure areas, that use codes or key cards, will make it much harder for criminals to gain access.
Having heavy-duty hinges and locks on your main doors will make it hard for even cars to get through. The level of protection that you can get from security like this is only limited to your budget. If you want to, you can secure your business like a fortress. Be aware, though; any areas that customers can’t go into should be labelled as such. If you have a staff room that isn’t labelled “Staff Only,” people can plead ignorance if they get caught there.
Traditionally, most shops have shutters that get closed at night. This is a modification that can be made to a building that doesn’t have to be permanent. You can usually remove shutters as easily as they’re installed, so it shouldn’t be a problem in rented buildings.
They make it almost impossible for people without specialised equipment to get in. Even large vehicles will struggle to drive through a good set of shutters and the glass behind. They’re inexpensive, and can even be painted to match the rest of your brand.
When it comes to security, not much beats a proper security system. These are for higher budget companies, though. Usually, a security system will be paired with a security service. The service will monitor your alarms, in case any go off. They are able to contact emergency services to get to the shop before you ever could. Your building will be set up with sensors and detectors in rooms, hallways, windows, and doors.
These sensors will pick up disturbances that can be traced back to an intruder. When you’re open, these systems won’t be active. But, when the business is closed, you set up the alarm to go off if it needs to. These systems will often involve a very loud alarm. This is usually enough to deter criminals before they’re able to do any damage.
CCTV is essential, regardless of your budget. Closed circuit television systems record video using cameras around and inside your building. They record on a loop, usually a few days. Once the loop is over, a new one will start, overwriting the old footage. This keeps a constant record of visitors to your shop, giving you a great deal of opportunity.
When you catch someone shoplifting, you’ll have evidence. If someone breaks in, you may get footage of their face. And, if you’re able to monitor it during the day, you may even catch people in the act. These systems can be built yourself, using a computer. Or, they can be obtained for a low price from a host of websites.
Hopefully, this will inspire you to start making improvements to your business security. Of course, with anything like this, it’s important to do some research for yourself. Finding the best products may take time. So, you need to be patient.