Rating the Security at Your Business
One question that many business owners have is “how do you know when your business has enough security?” Of course, much like many security questions, the answer to this one depends on various factors.
Each business is unique and, therefore, the security needs of each business are unique as well. When you’re reviewing your business security, there are several factors to keep in mind:
- The size of your business
- Larger businesses generally require more complex security set-ups. For example, if you have a small office with two or three employees in a single room, your security needs will be different than a larger company that takes up an entire floor of an office complex.
- Your business type
- Criminals are attracted to some businesses more than others. For example, they will often target bars and restaurants as they know that these locations are likely to have cash on hand. Criminals are also more likely to target locations that have small, easy-to-carry items that can be sold on the black market, such as medication, electronics, or alcohol.
- Your physical location
- The actual physical location that your company occupies can determine a lot about your security. For example, a building that has a lot of entry points and/or several large windows will need to be more mindful and prepared for smash and grab robberies than one that does not.
- Your business hours
- If your business operates 24/7, then you always have someone watching over your property. That doesn’t mean that a crime can’t happen (it certainly can) but it does mean that your security concerns will be different from a company that is closed for 12 hours straight every evening.
Protecting Your Business
If you’re worried that your business doesn’t have appropriate security, review the points above. This can help you determine the risk that your company faces. Businesses that are at a greater risk of crime should obviously take addition steps to protect themselves.
You will also need to look at potential weaknesses that exist at your property. Consider the example mentioned earlier of a location that has large windows and several possible entry points. Each of these doors and windows is a potential weakness. Therefore, it’s crucial that all of them are protected by physical security gates.
Other possible weaknesses include areas that are not well-lit, areas that are difficult to monitor (either by security camera or by staff), and areas that contain valuables. Criminals are much more likely to strike these areas and so you must ensure that security is adequate in these locations.
One way to help determine if your business requires additional security is to look at your location as a criminal would. Remember, criminals do not hesitate to damage property during a crime. They will break through doors, smash windows, and pry open cabinets to get what they want. If you were a criminal and you wanted to break into your own business, how would you do it? Once you have an idea, make sure you protect yourself.
It’s also important to remember that every crime is different. In many cases, after a business is robbed, owners will take steps to ensure that the same type of crime can’t happen again. For example, if criminals just smashed through your windows to gain access, the natural step is to install security gates on your windows to prevent future crimes. However, you don’t want to become blind to other potential weaknesses by only focusing on the most recent incident. The next time, a criminal may pry your back door off the hinges instead, so you’ll need to protect all areas.
