5 Mistakes Business Owners Make When It Comes to Security

November 22, 2021 by Anas Mustafa

It’s easy to understand the importance of good home security for the residence in which you abide.

After all, this is where you spend a significant amount of your time, and is also the place where the things most valuable to you are – your possessions but more importantly your family and your loved ones. Naturally, you want to make sure they’re as safe as possible.

But what supports your lifestyle and happiness? Money. And where does your money come from? Well, if you’re an entrepreneur, then it’s almost entirely from your business.

If your business is robbed and/or your property is damaged, you can lose money and be forced to close your business until the damage to your property is fixed. If a lot of products were stolen you may have to close until you are able to restock your business. Despite how important this is, it’s easy for many people to get caught with their guard down. Here are some mistakes you should avoid making to ensure that everything stays safe and sound.

1. Not monitoring your employees

It’s incredibly easy once you’ve gotten used to someone or overly wowed by their status to let them slip in and out of your business without a second thought.

If it’s a district manager walking in or someone you’ve known for a long-time, it almost makes intuitive sense just to let them bypass security and allow them into the back and any aspect of your building.

But this undermines your security systems. For access control and security protocols to function as intended, everyone needs to use them, regardless of who they are.

Don’t let anyone skip security before allowing them to access the more private areas of your store, and make sure that they don’t have more access and power than they need to. That way, you’ll be safe from everyone.

2. Not understanding the system

Another easy thing to do is hire a security team, have them set up a system, and just leave it gathering dust without really working to understand it and how it works.

If you can afford a security professional to handle this, you should get one. If that’s out of the question, make sure you understand how your business security system works in terms of using the tech to its fullest potential and the protocols and guidelines you should follow.

You don’t need to be a computer whiz. You simply need to know how to use the security camera system, how to use your access control system, and how to turn your security system on and off. This way, you can monitor and keep things secured to the best of your ability.

3. Poorly placed security cameras

Even the best security camera systems are useless if they’re not watching the areas that need to be secured. It doesn’t matter if they’re high-end, high-resolution security cameras or lower cost options. You need to make sure that they’re properly placed and located throughout the building and property.

For instance, you may want the cameras to be set up high enough and discreetly placed so that people won’t see them right away and won’t know how to avoid them or keep their guard up.

This also has the dual advantage of preventing tampering and vandalism.

Of course, the location is the big one here. You need to make sure that all your entrances are covered, as are your hallways, windows, and the areas where your valuables are kept, like a cash register or vault.

Consider a PTZ camera for large area coverage and reduction of blind spots. If you don’t know what that is, try talking to security pros, like us at Canadian Security Professionals.

4. Ignoring the windows & exterior

Another thing that ties in slightly to the need for a comprehensive video monitoring service, is if you have the windows and perimeter of your building secured.

It’s easy to overlook these areas, but the truth is that if you don’t have window contacts or glass-break detectors, anyone can smash a window and invade your property.

Likewise with exterior security systems you can catch people as they come closer, tracking where they are, getting better shots of their face if they succeed, and deterring would-be criminals.

5. Lack of training

This extends beyond just you but to all your employees and personnel. Just like you, they should have a good grasp of the security systems and procedures you have set-up via training and regular testing and check-ups to ensure they haven’t forgotten how to use things.

After all, what’s the point of a state-of-the-art security system if your closing employee forgets to activate it at night? And what’s the point of catching intruders early, if no-one’s monitoring the video feed? Newer security system technology allows you to be notified on your smartphone if your alarm system is not activated by a certain time or if a person is detected by a camera when your business is closed.

Sure you can eventually rely on police and security to get there, but your first line of defense is, and always will be, your employees and your own understanding.

Closing Thoughts

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to securing your business against invaders. As you’d expect, there are aspects where you have to consider the actual physical security, from security sensors to locations of cameras and coverage of your property. Still, just as important is the human element. You and your employees need to know what’s going on, and more importantly, you have to make sure you don’t let your guard and security protocols down.

The only thing close to the importance of your family and home security is the safety of your business. Whether you like it or not, the truth is, if you run a business, your livelihood and financial future are entirely dependent on its ability to operate well.

And to make sure it operates well, you need safeguards in place, ones that can properly protect it from intruders.

If you would like to know more about securing your retail business or shop, call Canadian Security Professionals at 1-877-494-9911 or contact us here.

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