Security is an issue that businesses cannot afford to overlook. It’s not just about protecting your valuable assets, but also preserving the reputation of your brand in the eyes of customers and clients.
There are all sorts of products, services, and solutions out there designed to protect commercial operations from crooks, so let’s narrow it down to the must-have elements that will keep your premises safe and secure.
Surveillance
Security cameras are a tried and tested way of keeping tabs on your business, whether you’re using external units to monitor access points or internal devices to track employee behavior and performance in combination with other steps to improve productivity.
There are a few things to think about when choosing your surveillance setup, such as whether you need round-the-clock monitoring, whether you’ll be checking the live feeds in-house if you’ll have on-site storage for the footage, and if having remotely maneuverable cameras or static equivalents makes sense.
Alarm systems
There are two types of alarm that most businesses require both to maintain safety and security, as well as to comply with standard regulations governing commercial buildings.
The first is a fire alarm system, which also includes detection capabilities for deadly carbon monoxide leaks. The second is a security alarm that detects unauthorized access from would-be thieves, and can even feature panic buttons for employees to activate in emergencies.
Keyless locks
Suppliers like All Security Equipment provide a range of door-locking solutions, with keyless examples being best suited to businesses.
One of the reasons that the keyless approach is attractive for commercial buildings is that it means you don’t need to issue a physical key to every single employee or visitor to the site. Instead, you can make use of a passcode or even a biometric recognition solution to enable access.
Another selling point is that keyless locks can be smarter than traditional mechanical locks, in that they offer advanced connectivity and even multi-factor authentication to further bolster security.
Lighting
You don’t just want to invest in tech that will help you detect and gather evidence of criminal activity on your business premises. Better still, if there are things in place that actively deter interlopers from even trying to interfere with your assets, you’ll avoid all of the fallout.
The right lighting setup can do just that, and again it’s about getting the right combination of external and internal illumination. For example, you might consider matching your lighting with your surveillance gear, so that security cameras have sufficient light to record what’s going on, in the case that they aren’t able to record infrared footage.
You could also use motion-sensitive lighting that tricks on when movement is detected. This is not only a good way of warding off intruders, but also provides a more energy-efficient and affordable alternative to the always-on approach.
Tiered access
Earlier we talked about how having keyless locks is a good way of managing access to the site, but you also need to think about the different layers of access that your security setup provides.
For example, there’s no point in allowing every visitor to access every corner of the building and its grounds unless they need to as part of their role. It’s better to take a tiered approach, with levels of access granted according to the responsibilities and expertise of the team member in question.
Wrapping up
Being security savvy is not an option, but a necessity if you run a business. All of these essentials are worthy of your investment, but also remember that you need employee training and best practices to maximize their effectiveness.
