Starting your own business isn’t a walk in the park. It takes a lot of time, funds, and energy to get started, more to launch, and then even more to operate a small store. One security breach can have catastrophic consequences on your growing business.
As a small business owner who doesn’t have the same resources as big corporations, you can’t afford to be lax about your business security. In fact, protecting your business should be a top priority from the get-go. Keeping in mind these necessary security measures can protect your business.
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment determines the strengths and weaknesses of your business establishment. It should be on top of your to-do list at the initial stage of starting your business. Conducting a risk assessment will let you catch security loopholes that you usually don’t notice, such as CCTV blind spots, possible entry points for intruders, and weak locks and door sets.
It also helps you identify the threats and vulnerabilities of your facility, including crime, disaster, and procedural risks. A risk assessment will also address potential risks inherent in your business neighborhood, such as crime rate, types of crime commonly committed in the community, and area foot traffic.
Running a risk assessment should give you a detailed report of all business aspects, from building safety to operating procedures you can work on to tighten your security, as well as provide insight on the safety and security of your business premises.
Pro tip: talk to your building manager or staff who know the area intimately to get valuable insights on the safety and security of your establishment and surrounding area.
Perimeter Protection
Protecting your business extends to the perimeter of your establishment. The stronger the security outside, the better the protection inside. Using the results of your risk assessment, you can install measures to safeguard the surrounding area of your facility.
Start by increasing perimeter visibility. Remove distractions and obstructions that create blind spots near doorways, fences, and building features. Add ample lighting outside, especially at night. Motion light sensors can effectively stop criminals from going through with their evil plans.
The next step is to limit access to your building. Add fences around your property. If your shop is situated in a commercial building, install a collapsible steel gate or rolling steel sheet door on entrances. Make sure to secure possible entry points from the roof and upper floors. With secure steel doors you and your staff would be more protected as it solves all the problems, providing security you can depend on.
Safeguarding Entry Points
Contrary to popular belief, the front door is the favorite entrance intruders use to get into your property. Anyone who knows their way around locks and owns reliable tools can easily break into most doors through lockpicking. Without those, applying force works well too.
That being said, you should never rely solely on door locks to secure your property. Improve the security of your establishment by safeguarding all entry points. First and foremost, make sure to use high-quality door sets. It would take a lot of effort to break a robust, solid door rather than a hollowed one.
Next is to address the weakest area of the whole door set, which is the part where the knob and locks are located. Using a high-quality strike plate and locks makes it harder to kick open a door.
Even the toughest locks can’t keep out all intruders. Installing a door alarm system that will sound off when someone tries to break into the door adds another layer of protection to your establishment.
Cybersecurity
Many business transactions and processes are rapidly becoming digitized to make them faster, more efficient, and more accessible, but digitalization also puts your business at risk to cybercrimes. Cybercriminals are just as rampant as the ones you see in the outside world. Ensuring cybersecurity is a must for all businesses.
Protect your computer with strong passwords, and limit access to sensitive data. Use firewalls and encryption to secure your networks, and avoid connecting to unknown networks as they can be gateways for hackers to get into your system.
You may want to limit and monitor the use of personal devices to access company data and files to cover all bases and train your employees on what they can and cannot do to prevent cybersecurity breaches.
Finally, always keep an effective and secure backup of all your company data in case of unforeseen technical problems and ransomware threats.
Monitoring and Alarm Systems
Surveillance and alarm systems are a must for establishments as they add another layer of security to your business. Properties with alarm systems are less likely to be victimized by burglars. According to Johnson Controls, 70 percent of break-ins are thwarted by audible alarm systems, and about 60 percent of intruders would abandon a target establishment if they notice it has an alarm system.
Most criminals don’t want to be seen when they commit illegal acts, and surveillance systems increase their risk of getting caught in the act. CCTV footages can also work as evidence against them when they’re arrested. Plus, with surveillance cameras installed outside and inside your business, you can get a live feed of your business establishment and check the area anytime and anywhere.
Wrapping Up
For all businesses, especially new and small ones, security is vital for their operation and success. Crimes done on your establishment will not only incur a loss in assets but may also affect the reputation of your business. Sure, investing in your tightening business security will require a significant amount, but a single security breach may easily cost you everything.
