A break-in is a break-in regardless of where it occurs – at a domestic home or your business premises. However, just because a break-in is a break-in, that doesn’t mean that the results are the same, does it? The fact is that in the UK, there are tens of thousands of burglaries every year, some of which occur in domestic properties and others of which target commercial locations.
There is no getting away from the fact that break-ins are highly common across the country, which is why it’s so important that every property, from commercial to domestic ones, takes security seriously. When you don’t take security seriously, that’s when break-ins become more common. Of course, for many people who choose to invest in commercial properties, break-ins are the least of their worries, as they have the success of their venture to think about, and their targets to reach. Even so, it is vital that any owner of any property, from commercial buildings to domestic residences, are aware of the security challenges that they face because if they aren’t aware, they can’t adequately protect themselves.
With that in mind, below is a guide to the unique challenges that commercial real estate faces and ways that business owners can protect their business premises from intruders and break-ins.
Put adequate alarm systems in place
The first and most basic piece of advice that every business, big and small should follow, is to put an alarm system in place. Not just any alarm system, but one which has been designed specifically for commercial premises and is up to date with all of the newest technology, such as live video streaming from throughout your premises, so that you can monitor things remotely via your smartphone or tablet.
It’s also important to pick a wireless alarm system so that it is much harder to disable. Wired alarms can be turned off with the snip of a wire, whereas wireless systems take a lot more work to be disabled, and this is something that deters intruders because they don’t always have the time to deal with this. You could also choose to implement an alarm system that links directly to the police so that if you do have a break-in and the alarm sounds, the police are contacted automatically.
Not skimp on security
A lot of newer business owners have small budgets to work with, which can end up meaning that they skimp on certain areas of running their business. If there’s one area that should always be a priority and not an afterthought, it’s security. After all, if you don’t consider your security carefully, the results could be catastrophic, which is why it’s best to invest in your premises’ systems, to ensure that your company is kept safe.
If you’re worried about the financial side of your business, then perhaps it could be beneficial to get some expert advice in regards to financing and dealing with debt from somewhere like Pembrook Capital Management. There’s no point struggling along when there is help available, so don’t be afraid to take advantage of that help. The truth is that it’s far better to find another area to make less of a priority rather than security because in the long-run warding off intruders will be financially beneficial, and it will mean fewer insurance claims, for instance.
Use password protection
A security alarm isn’t always enough, so it’s important to invest in password protection for each area of your building and each filing system holding important documents and data. For each area of your business have a locking system in place that requires a code, or if you can afford to invest in fingerprint recognition, this is another option that it’s worth exploring. Either way, what’s important is that you ensure that your business is as well protected as possible and can protect itself from intruders should a break-in occur. The more locked doors your premises has, the better chance you have of preventing intruders from wanting to break-in, so it is an area of security where it pays to invest.
It’s not just about on-site passwords though; it’s also about virtual passwords too because invasions no longer only happen via your actual premises, but they can also happen virtually. So if you want to prevent hackers from gaining access to your sensitive information via the web, it’s important that you are smart about password protection. Be mindful of easy-to-guess passwords and learn how to create strong and secure ones and teach your team members to do the same. A strong password is something that is completely random, includes letters and numbers, in addition to symbols. The more random the password is, the better. The passwords that tend to get guessed are the ones that link to things about your life, such as special dates and so on. If you choose something completely random, it’s going to be much harder to guess it. Stuck for ideas? Use an online random password generator, that way it really will be random and no one will guess it.
Over the past few years, the commercial real estate sector has seen a rise in the number of break-ins (both physical and virtual), which is why it’s so important that you take your business’s security seriously from the start. After all, you don’t want to risk your business falling foul to a break-in, do you? Because when a business gets broken into, depending on what is taken, it can impact their success in the future. When sensitive information about customers is stolen, for instance, this can cause a lack of trust in the company and as a result they can lose clients and connections within their industry. This can lead to a business crumbling, which is why it’s so vital that you take security seriously from the start and ensure that your premises is as secure as possible. It may mean making an investment, but if it means that your business has a better chance of staying safe, it’s worth it, surely?
