Once you hit that milestone where you move your business from your home to a business premises all of its own, you are going to want to take specific steps to make sure that you have it well protected.
When someone breaks into your premises, it can feel like your world has been torn apart. Not only do you lose items like computers and personal information, but it can feel threatening long after the incidents.
Here is a checklist of things that you can do to protect your business premises:
Staff – when it comes to your team, during the hiring process you’re going to want to make sure that you give a call to those references. Make sure that what they have said checks out. During the probation period, make sure that you have a great training program set up. Train your staff in how to carry out security procedures, how to deal with emergencies and what to do if your security comes to call during their alarm monitoring processes.
Lockboxes – They are a great way to keep things safe. They are usually fireproof and come with a set of keys that you can take with you away from the premises each time you leave.
Security marks – Each piece of technology that you have on your premises can be marked so that if they are stolen, you can give details to the police about what they can look out for. It will also make them harder for the thief to sell them on.
Information – If you have details of financial, accounts, purchase orders and home addresses of clients, you are going to want to take extra measures to keep this safe. If you still have paper files, now is the time to enter the information on to your computer and make a backup copy on an HDD. Keep the HDD away from the premises at all times, and the file on your computer should be password protected.
Removal – Tablets, laptops, phones, and cash should all be removed from the premises overnight. You can choose to take these to your home, or for staff, they can be in charge of their own items. If this isn’t possible, then make sure they are not in the line of sight for any windows or doors.
Extra locks – If you are on the lower floor, you should consider adding additional bolts to the windows and doors. And then consider shutters or bars over the windows too. This will make it very difficult to get into the premises.
CCTV – Just the act of having CCTV in view will make most burglars think twice. It is wise to have something professionally fitted, and use mirrors to minimise any blind spots that the cameras might have. Make sure that your cameras comply with any data protection laws and don’t invade the privacy of your staff.
Once you have these things in place, you really should be running through a list and working with security companies regularly to make sure that everything is running as it should be.
