3 Steps to Improve Your Company’s Physical Security
Your business is making a profit. You’ve hired more employees. You’ve made some renovations. You’ve expanded your services. The last thing you want is for something bad to happen to your employees, equipment or inventory.
No matter where you are located, your business faces security risks like theft, vandalism and arson. Every business needs some type of physical security in place.
How can you enhance physical security at your business? Follow these three steps to help your business reduce risk.
STEP ONE: ASSESS YOUR RISKS
Entrances. Registers. Loading docks. Your employees and assets are at risk from external encounters at nearly every point of access. Threats to your business can also be caused by employees, who have access to equipment, inventory and other resources.
How can you improve physical security at your company? It starts with identifying your business’s vulnerabilities. Where are your entrances and exits? Do your employees have unnecessary access to certain assets? If something were to happen, do you have policies in place that your employees know to follow? These are only a few of the questions you should ask yourself as you analyze potential threats to your business.
The following areas of your building or resources within your business should be protected by security measures:
Employee works stations
Checkout stations or points of sale
Entrances
Exits
Windows
Lighting
Financial resources
Special equipment
Expensive inventory
Parking lots
Loading docks
STEP TWO: INSTALL NEW SYSTEMS
After you’ve identified who and what needs to be protected, you can better understand what security systems need to be put in place. Your business should install access control, security cameras and an alarm system depending on your needs. If you already have some security measures in place, you’ll likely be able to integrate any new systems into your current system.
ACCESS CONTROL
Do unwanted visitors step through your office? Do people who aren’t your customers come into your building? With an access control system, you can determine who can enter your business and who cannot. Preventing unwanted visitors from accessing your building is an important step toward keeping employees and inventory safe.
Access control systems also let you choose who can get to resources inside of your company. Special equipment or unique inventory may be stored in a separate area. If you want to restrict access to areas within your building, an access control system gives you the ability to assign who can enter.
Choosing the right access control depends on your budget and the level of security you need. An access control system could include a keypad entry, key card reader, mobile entry, or biometric reader.
You change individual permissions at any time and prevent past employees from sharing their credentials. If someone is fired from your company, you can immediately deactivate their keycards or fobs. If you have a keypad, you can change the access code.
SECURITY CAMERAS
Are you monitoring your business? You should be. Keep an eye on your business all day and all night with a security camera system. Visible security cameras can help deter crime and bad behavior.
Installing security cameras lets you document what’s going on inside and outside of your business. Should something happen, like theft or vandalism, you will have video evidence for local law enforcement.
Cameras should be installed to monitor:
Entrances
Exits
Points of sale
Parking lots
Special equipment or machinery
Shared workspaces
Loading docks
Some video surveillance systems can notify you of suspicious activity around your business. Some allow you to watch a live video feed from your smartphone. From dome cameras like you see at shopping malls to infrared cameras that get great shots at night, you can install a video surveillance system that meets the needs of your business.
ALARM SYSTEMS
You have alarms to detect smoke and heat. You may even have alarms to detect carbon monoxide. But do you have an intruder alarm? What happens if someone tries to break into your business? An alarm system can scare burglars away and help alert the local authorities.
You can install sensors that detect motion or a break in glass. Glass breaker alarms can send someone running before they can take any assets or do more damage to your property.
STEP THREE: ESTABLISH SECURITY PROCEDURES
One of the most important things you can do to improve security is to inform and train your employees. If you are installing a new security system, you should initiate a company dialogue about the new systems and update your security policies. If applicable, employees should be trained to interact with the new security system.
All staff members should be aware of and understand your company’s security procedures. Employers should train employees on what to do should they find themselves in an emergency situation.
Are you ready to upgrade your business’s security?
At Techtree Partners, we install a variety of physical security systems. We’ve helped offices, manufacturing facilities and more upgrade their security measures and integrate access control, cameras and alarms into their current systems.
Contact us today for a quote or more information. Our experienced technicians are here to help you keep your business safe.
