Protection against crime is one of the biggest problems that every small business struggle to find a solution for in the US. Robbery and break-ins are such a common occurrence that many businesses fear what it may do to them. Some big companies don’t have this problem because they are insured up to millions of dollars, but small companies quiver at the thought that they could be robbed next.
Although one of the most prominent solutions to this problem is to get your company insured, business insurance usually costs millions of dollars to maintain every year. Additionally, the cheaper variants typically don’t cover every damage cost by break-ins and theft.
Moreover, if your small business has recently suffered a break-in, and you want an investigation to occur, it might be difficult because most larceny cases are never solved. So what is the best way to protect your business from crime? The answer to that is proactive measures.
As a business owner, you can’t be reactive about possible crimes that could happen to your business. You’ll have to think ahead and castle up against these crimes. Here are some ways you can do that.
Security Devices
Nothing can ever go wrong with investing in security devices. May it be metal security fences, CCTV cameras, or smart alarms, physical security devices can help you protect your business from crime. They are also the best proactive measures against possible crimes because they hinder criminals from escaping with theft without possible law enforcement intervention. These devices are certainly something you should put your money on because they will protect your business for as long as it stands.
Many of the property crimes that happen in the US occur in properties that aren’t protected by security devices. This is because criminals specifically target those properties. After all, they are confident that they can escape easily after committing a crime. Moreover, these properties have the least amount of chance for intervention from law enforcement agencies. They know they can get in and get out without any repercussions, not until the crime is already done anyways.
Now that you know how they think, you can see that security devices play a significant role in proactively protecting your business from theft or break-in. Investing in security devices already reduces the chance for your business to be a victim of crime. It will deter criminals from even entering your property, and those that do are risking their lives to do so.
Some of the notable security devices you should invest in are wireless sensors, smart locks, and smart alarms. Wireless sensors work well when placed alongside security fences and cameras. These devices can hinder a criminal from breaking into your business building. Smart locks can stop thieves from stealing valuable documents and money inside the building, and smart alarms can notify law enforcement if there is a crime happening inside your business. All of these combined are an excellent deterrent for any crime that might occur on your business property.
Have Surprise Inventory Checks
Sometimes the crimes that happen in your business are done internally. Employees stealing from their companies is quite a common occurrence. However, the items ‘stolen’ can be relatively mundane such as company pens and apparel. But, in some manufacturing companies, employees can steal valuable company merchandise, which can easily cost any company millions of dollars every year. The prime solution for this? Inventory checks.
Many companies have implemented inventory checks during the end of the month, or in some cases, by the end of the fiscal quarter. However, these checks are primarily meant to check the inventory left and not necessarily for missing items. By having surprise and unscheduled inventory checks, you would know which items are lost and who had access to these items before they can get away with them.
Invest on Cybersecurity
During this modern age, crimes are happening on all fronts, whether physical or metaphysical. If your business is on a digital platform, you are at risk of hackers and malware infiltrating your system and stealing your precious company files.
There had been 540 million data breaches in 2020 alone. One hundred sixty-four million of those data stolen are exposed to the public. Your business’ data could be on this list if you don’t invest in cyber-security. Many cyber-security programs can protect your business from potential data breaches. One of the most straightforward cyber-security programs is access controls. An access control program can limit how many people can access specific data from your company. This drastically reduces the chance that an external user can get in and get out with data from your company.
Here are some ways that you can protect your business from all kinds of crime happening today. Protecting your business is essential for its growth because it only takes one crime to severely damage your business to the point that it may never recover. So keep your business safe and be proactive with your safety measures.
