How to Improve Your Business’ Physical Security
It’s in the digital age and we have paid more attention to ensuring data privacy is upheld and that no data security breaches occur. Even as more people give digital security a major focus, you shouldn’t neglect your physical security. Yes, you may have put in the necessary firewalls in the online aspect but how secure are your physical walls and everything in your business premises, your employees and physical assets?
Protecting your company from losses is a proactive and not a reactive activity. Your business premises may be prone to theft in case you have valuables within the building. Unrest may lead to looters raiding various business premises.
Therefore, you must secure your business and take the necessary steps to build security. Here’s how to improve your business’ physical security.
Physical Security Measures
There may be criminals who may want to target your business and for this reason, you ought to invest in building security. Your employees and visitors should feel safe on the business premises and your valuable documents and equipment should be secure.
Physical protection is important and you should take measures and controls instead of learning a lesson a little too late. The following are the physical security measures that you can take:
Key Control
In some instances, security measures such as electronic access control systems may not be used. Therefore, you would have to use keys to gain access to various locations. Although you may have to distribute keys to several employees, you would have to assign the responsibility of locking and unlocking the business premises to a key custodian.
A custodian should check on areas in which someone may hide before locking up the premises. You would also need to get a commercial locksmith in such instances. You can read more on this to get such services.
Risk and Control Assessment
To get started, you should identify and assess the risks that you are facing. You can then create a security plan that meets your needs. You should also know who can gain access to your commercial building, when they can access, and which areas they are authorized to go to.
A risk assessment can be conducted by a commercial access control and facility security specialist. To regulate access control, you can use natural controls or employ electronic access controls.
Such measures will keep intruders away from the areas they should not access and also closes the escape routes. In case a security breach happens, access control systems help in creating audit trails.
Security Cameras
While a human security officer cannot possibly have their eyes on every single activity on your premises, security cameras help in monitoring and recording all activities in your building. Place the cameras strategically to enable you to get maximum coverage.
By installing and using security cameras, you can get footage on who accessed which areas of your business and the duration they took. Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with the Architectural Graphics for Security Standards.
Have a Reception Area
An entry point in which visitors are screened is necessary for business premises. This will ensure that the authorized persons will gain entry to the business premises and visitors will check-in before proceeding.
Such check-ins will include inspection or identification documents and issuance of visitor tags. In addition, you may opt to automate your reception by having a receiver answer to the calls and track them in a sign-in station.
Apply Security Policies for Your Company
If you mean business and security, you’ll have to come up with and enforce policies which particularly help in enhancing security. An example of such a policy is the wearing of badges at all times to distinguish visitors and employees, prevention of the names and job titles from being accessed by the public, and ‘clean desk policy’ in which equipment is secured and important documents stored safely.
A ‘chain of possession’ policy ensures that deliveries are not left at the front desk or outside the office of the receiver but handed over directly to them. Hardware and devices should not be left unattended and measures should be taken to lower the impact of a loss.
Do Frequent Physical Security Checks
If you run a small business, take some time to walk around your business premises and check on any issue that may raise any security concern and fix them soonest possible. You should also ensure that there are no dark spots in your office space.
If there is a location in which criminals may hide, fix this by ensuring it gets adequate lighting. The entrances should also have bright lighting and it’s advisable to have reinforced steel doors. You should also stay on the alert and be keen to spot any person that is loitering around or seems to watch your business activities.
Make Security a Priority for Everybody
You should sensitize your employees on the importance of security in the workplace. They should be keen to note of anything that seems off such as an unauthorized person on the premises, an item left unattended or changes in the physical appearance of your business property and premises. You should inform them to keep laptops, portables and the printers secure and allow authorized persons only access to server rooms.
Some security breaches may be due to human error and for this reason, train your employees on how to prevent them and how to act if they face a security risk. Quick responses can salvage the situation.
