5 Effective Security Measures for Small Businesses
Whether large or small, all businesses need to implement effective security measures for a safe working environment. Most businesses have experienced at least an instance that could jeopardize the safety of their operations.
It could be break-ins, employee theft, or even hacking. According to an Association for Financial Professionals report, approximately 82% of businesses experienced fraud in 2018. Another study indicates that about 9% of small businesses suffered break-ins in 2016.
Such security threats are prone to bring your business to its knees. Fortunately, there are basic measures you can apply to avert these issues.
- Secure High-Value Items
Securing your high-value goods will save you the headache. If you keep money and stock and other goods like televisions and laptops onsite, it’s important to protect them against burglary. Invest in a high-quality and reliable safe, and bolt it on the floor.
If you leave expensive equipment or tools overnight, ensure you store them out of sight, ideally in a safe room with no or few windows.
You can also install roller shutters from a reliable company like A1S Group. Roller shutters can protect your business premises against burglars. More so, invest in smart, heavy-duty locks.
- Install an Alarm System
Threats, shoplifting and assaults are among the leading crimes against small businesses. The alarm system deters thieves away before they attempt breaking into your business premises. It also saves on insurance.
Insurers tend to charge higher insurance premiums for businesses without security systems since they’re considered high-risk businesses. A commercial surveillance system can also prevent employee theft.
- Get Business Insurance
Running a successful business comes with inherent risks. Your employees or clients can get injured on the site, a customer might file a suit, or a natural disaster might ruin things. For these reasons, having an insurance policy is imperative.
In case the business causes damages to another person’s property, the property damage insurance coverage will cover such loss. Business insurance also helps minimize financial losses when there is a breakdown of a critical machine.
- Give Employee Safety Training
Your employees are an asset to your company. You should give them adequate training on essential safety procedures. Conduct safety drills regularly to ensure they can handle an emergency.
The staff members should be trained on how to use a fire extinguisher and evacuation protocols. You also need to consider employees with mobility issues or pregnant mothers.
Ensure you have a list of emergency contacts for ambulance services, fire brigade, and police and pin it on the notice board.
- Data Security
When it comes to business security, it’s easy to think about employee theft or criminals attacking your company. However, cybersecurity is also a major issue for small businesses.
The internet allows both large and small firms to reach a huge market. However, theft of digital data has become rampant. Fortunately, you can protect digital information by providing firewall security and encryption.
Secure the Wi-Fi connection and facilitate best practices on payment cards.
The Bottom Line
Protecting your business is protecting your future. These five security measures ensure your business is well protected. They also make customers have trust in your business, thus boosting sales.
