Security is a major challenge for many business owners, especially when starting a new business. Technological advancement has enabled criminals to breach top security measures and access confidential data in businesses. Some break into company premises to steal assets such as cash, electronics, and products. Criminals investigate the security measures in a building before launching any attacks. Rarely do they attack businesses at random. Hence, if the security measures in your business are poor, you may be the next target. Simple security measures can save your business from incurring huge losses. The following measures will help you improve security in your small business.
- Control Access to Your Premises
One of the easiest ways of securing your data and assets is installing access control systems. Many small business owners ignore such measures assuming that their businesses are still too small to attract criminals. Anyone can enter your business premises at any time if you have no access control systems in place. The most common and effective system is issuing your employees with access cards. Every employee must carry the card at all time to access his or her workstation.
You can control the level of access for each employee as well. All employees can have access to common rooms like the reception area and shared offices. However, access to storage rooms where confidential files are kept should only be granted to a few employees. In addition, you should also have a strict policy on the times of day when visitors can come to the premises for any reason. All employees should strictly adhere to the policy.
- Open Communication Lines
Your employees spend much of their time at your business. They can tell when a suspicious visitor accesses the premises. If you do not have a good relationship with your employees, they will not report such cases to you. Do not wait until a crime happens to open communication lines. Start building a good relationship with your employees and encourage them to report any suspicious cases. The cases here include other employees who may try to access restricted areas.
- Invest in Top Security Systems
With modern technology, you can secure your business and stop crimes before they happen. One type of security system to consider is closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. This system enables you to get real-time data on the movements in your premises. You can view the actions of visitors and employees at all times. In case your employees report a suspicious visitor, you can use the system to investigate their actions further.
Your business also requires modern data solutions to identify and avert threats to data security. You need a security system that detects and investigates threats fast. The incident response solution for security operations centers from SiftSecurity will improve such investigations in your business. Consequently, you can avert threats in time and assure your clients of data security.
- Lighting
Are there dark areas in and out of your premises? Inspect your indoors and outdoors for dark spots and install proper lighting. Such areas will give criminals an easy way to break into your premises. Check the layout in all the offices for areas where someone can hide or keep stolen goods. Rearrange the workstations if you must but ensure that there are no dark areas. If changing the layout is impossible, install proper lighting and a security camera in such areas.
- Give Your Employees ID Cards
Your employees require identification cards in addition to the access cards mentioned above. The employees must have their cards or tags at all times, as long as they are within the business premises. ID cards help employees to identify one another when working together. If you have many employees who work in shifts, they may not know one another. It is also impossible to identify new employees without ID cards. Ensure that your employees know how to differentiate real and fake tags. Sometimes criminals use fake IDs or those of past employees to access premises without raising suspicion.
- Prepare for Emergencies
While installing the best security measure, be prepared for emergencies. Intruders can access your business forcefully and threaten your employees. Train your employees on how to handle intruders or raise an alarm in case of a security threat. Your building should have emergency doors that employees can use to escape in case of an attack. Have an emergency alarm system or a safe room where employees can hide and call for help.
- Install Locking Systems
All the drawers and storage units in your office should have locking systems. This security measure may sound simple but many offices have no locking systems. Most people focus on the entrances and forget that sometimes threats come from within the organizations. Train your employees to clear their desks at the end of their shift and lock their personal items in their cabinets or drawers.
- Have a “No Soliciting” Policy
One way that intruders use to access business premises is to pretend to sell something or ask for help. The intruders will ask multiple questions while studying the security system and office layout. You can protect your business from such intruders with a ‘no soliciting’ sign at the gate or front door. Train your employees to identify such intruders and deny them access at all times.
- Do Not Allow Employees to Work Alone
Sometimes the worst security breaches start from inside. One of your employees can give third party access to private data or the business premises. When one person is left in the office alone, he or she has the time and freedom to access restricted areas. Disallow your employees from working alone or late in the night unless your business runs all day and night.
Security is an important aspect of every business. Business owners have an obligation to ensure that their employees are safe while at work and guarantee customers of data security. Criminals target businesses with poor or no security measures. The measures outlined in this article will help you improve the level of security in your business. Some business owners ignore security because of the misconception that security measures are costly. Some of the measures like training your employees, building relationships, or denying solicitors access to your premises are inexpensive. You can install other measures one at a time. If you are unsure about the systems that will work for your business, ask for help from security services in your area.
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