Top 6 Tips for Securing Your Business Property
- Written by Lilly Miller
Businesses, especially small enterprises, are a very tempting target for vandalism and theft. Imagine the sheer frustration of that – you put in so much hard work and passion into running your company, you build it up despite all the hardships, and then someone swoops in and does so much financial damage that you can never recover.
Even if you have a really good insurance policy in place, it can take months for it to go into effect. Months of valuable time where you’re losing customers, losing even more money, and losing your own hope that things will ever fully recover.
Luckily, you can make sure none of this ever happens. If you take steps to secure your business properly, you’ll never have to worry. Here’s what those steps are.
Examine everything
First you need to assess the situation. This mostly boils down to walking around your business property and figuring out where the weak points are. For example, the roof, the fencing, the cellar entry, or any other place that can be used as a point of entry.
If you aren’t really sure how to analyze things properly, consider hiring a security expert who’ll be able to give the property a professional examination.
Install locks and alarms and put up fences
All outside residential and industrial doors and all of the gates should have heavy, double-cylinder deadbolts and padlocks, and you should invest in a good, sturdy fence with full security features. Find a fencing supplier who offers custom fencing solutions that will suit your needs and have them install something made of strong, lasting materials.
You should also consider installing an alarm system that’s connected to a central monitoring station. If you install a system the company is likely to give you a sticker that shows off that you have it – use the sticker. It will deter burglars.
Make sure everything is well-lit
Well lit places also deter thieves because it’s simply much more difficult to do anything nefarious when a bright light it illuminating every feature of your face for the security cameras. Outside lights should be particularly bright, with covers over them that will prevent anyone from breaking them.
Have a good safe or a strongbox
Good strongboxes are made of sturdy materials that are resistant to fire, breakage, and can’t be opened without the right combination or password. Always keep your strongbox open during the day, and firmly closed over the night. Change the passwords on it periodically, and always change them when one of your employees quits their job or gets fired. You never know what an angry ex-worker might get up to if they’re in the mood for revenge.
Insure your assets
One of the best ways to protect your small business assets is to get the right insurance. Insurance alone won’t prevent anyone from robbing you or breaking something down, but it can greatly help in cases if something like this does happen.
But be careful – not every insurance company will give you a good deal. You have to find the right insurance riders and enter a contract that will actually be useful to your company should anything bad happen. If possible, find an insurance agent who’s willing to give you a bespoke contract and modify everything according to your needs. Pay your premiums regularly and you’ll be covered.
Control who has the keys
Similarly to the strongbox or safe, you need to be very careful with who you give the keys to. In general, you need at least a few trustworthy employees who will handle the key and take full responsibility for keeping the key safe.
Even if you give your keys only to responsible employees, you should still tell them how to use the key – remind them that it should never be left lying around and they should never make an unapproved duplicate. Consider marking each key with a unique ID number so you’d immediately know who’s to blame if something goes amiss.
Invest time and effort into proper security, and your business will be kept completely safe.
