Burglary and theft are a costly source of loss for many businesses, and can have a significant impact on your ability to serve your customers. While you can’t protect your business completely from every potential threat and break-in, you can take various steps to protect your property and minimize the damage if a crime does occur. Here are five inexpensive & easy ways to lower your risk of burglary and theft.

Tip 1: Utilize Commercial Grade Locks & Fencing

Start by ensuring your property is secured with heavy duty commercial-grade locks at every entry-point, and even consider installing a security gate or barb-wire fencing around the perimeter of your facility. Crime experts suggest that the pin-cylinder lock will give the best protection since it’s difficult to pick. The locks should be a dead bolt-type, requiring either a key or a knob to set it. As far as fencing goes, anything will help — the best way to protect your business is to keep trespassers from entering in the first place. If there are neighboring businesses attached to your building, consider installing a community fence for all parties around the lot.

Tip 2: Secure Your Doors And Windows

First & foremost, ensure that your doors and windows are locked by default. Most burglars will look for open windows or unlocked doors, and if there aren’t any, they’ll move on to the next easy opportunity. Furthermore, are the doors & windows at your business easy to break through? Being vulnerable access points, you should go heavy on both door and window protection. Your doors should be made from reinforced steel or solid-core wood, and secured with metal crossbars. Windows should be secured with locks, and burglar-resistant glass treatments are highly recommended. For example, a bulletproof security film would be worth the extra money in the long run. Protecting your doors and windows will surely help prevent break-ins.

Tip 3: Install A Live Monitored Security Solution

Forget about traditional alarms or self-monitored security systems – they rarely work. Live monitored security solutions, like Deep Sentinel, provide live guards that will keep an eye on your business after-hours and will directly communicate with trespassers, as well as call the police if needed. Deep Sentinel is significantly more affordable than hiring a private patrol team, and their live guards provide the same level of protection. Typically, live feeds hit Deep Sentinel’s surveillance center within 10 seconds (depending on internet speeds), and if an active crime or suspicious behavior is suspected, their guards will respond instantly. Your business is seen as absolutely high-priority to Deep Sentinel.

In addition, remember not to hide your security system! Break-ins and burglaries are opportunity crimes; once that opportunity is taken away, most criminals will change their mind. Even if you don’t have a live-monitored deterrent in place, making your security cameras or alarm system clearly visible will help prevent your business from being a target.

Tip 4: Hire Trusted Employees

Inside jobs are also becoming more and more common at businesses, so it’s best to develop a strong relationship with all of your employees and create a work environment that fosters honesty. Eliminate internal theft and temptation of stealing by ensuring that your employees are well-paid, with no reason to want to supplement their income.

In addition to this, have a “whistle-blower” system in place where employees can anonymously report to management about any wrongdoings. Think a secluded drop-box or an employee tip hotline — most of the time these wouldn’t be used, but they act as an active deterrent since employees know that everyone could be watching, not just upper management.

Tip 5: Consider Installing An Access Control System

Access control systems are a great way for business owners to have a holistic view of their property’s safety. With today’s technology, you won’t even need to be onsite to manage your building’s security, as most of them are cloud-based and can be accessed via a mobile app. Touchless access systems have biometric technology that can identify & authenticate someone by their physical characteristics, like their fingerprints or through facial recognition.

With access control, you can limit your employees access to certain areas, and keep tabs on who comes & goes. We recommend taking inventory storage seriously, and keeping your assets locked away in a secure area with limited access. Ensure that all cash & expensive products are not easily accessible — if these areas are indeed accessible by most of your employees, your access control system will monitor when each individual enters and exits.

Final Thoughts

We understand how important it is to keep your business safe, and we know that every workplace will have different security needs. Depending on your building and the amount of crime in your area, you might only need one of these safety tips in place to ensure your business is protected. If that is the case, we’d say the most holistic way of securing your business is by getting a live-monitored security system that actually prevents crime, with guards monitoring the perimeter of your property at all times.

Guest Post by Deep Sentinel

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