Securing your business properly is essential to keeping yourself, your staff, and your valuable items safe and protected. However, with so many different security accessories available and different ways to integrate them, where do you start and how do you ensure that you have optimal measures in place?
Take a look at this quick step-by-step guide to cover all areas of your property and get the greatest benefit from your security system.
1. The Perimeter
The perimeter of your property is the first and most important means of defence against criminals.
A perimeter fence, even if it is only one metre tall, is a physical and psychological barrier the intruder has to overcome - even a small fence offers protection.
It is important to ensure that the actual wall or fence is intact and doesn't have any holes or gaps that will allow intruders to pass through. You also need to make sure that access to your property cannot be gained by scaling the wall or fence.
2. Access Control
The next step in enhancing your business security is to control who can enter and exit your property via access control.
Unlike regular locks that can be breached, electric and motorised gates cannot be easily overcome. These gates give you total control over who can enter and exit your business.
Access control paired with intercoms provide even more security. Audio-visual intercom gate stations enable you to see and hear who wants to gain access to your premises, providing you with more information about the visitor before admitting them. For instance, you'll be able to tell if the person at your gate is a delivery person or a potential intruder.
For the ultimate in business security, look no further than biometric technology. Biometric systems utilise a person's physical features to allow entry. The most common biometric systems include fingerprint readers and facial recognition.
3. Monitoring and Surveillance
CCTV monitoring surveillance systems involve the installation of security cameras around the interior and exterior of your business, the footage from which is stored in a video recorder.
These systems enable you to view live footage of what is happening in and around your property 24-hours a day from your phone or laptop - no matter where you are in the world!
In recent years, CCTV systems have had major technological advancements. The latest range of cameras from Hikvision include DarkFighter technology, which enables cameras to produce exceptional full-colour footage in the middle of the night.
4. Doors and Windows
The doors and windows in your business are one of the easiest ways to get inside, especially if they're consistently left open or unlocked.
In these cases, a magnetic reed switch is a must-have. If a door is opened, your alarm system will be triggered - alerting you of a potential intruder.
Looking for a more simple way to secure your doors and windows? Although this option isn't as secure as reed switches, a lock and key is the most basic way to prevent unwanted visitors into your business. If your locks are old, consider upgrading to newer models that are more difficult to pick or break.
5. Interior Security
Motion detectors, also known as passive infrared detectors, are the most popular choice for interior security. As the name suggests, motion detectors raise an alarm when movement is detected.
These systems allow you to activate and deactivate the alarm in certain areas in your business. For instance, if you have to leave your office but everyone else is still working, you can arm the motion detector in your office specifically, while every other office is still disarmed. Or, if everyone is clocking off from work at 5pm, you can arm the entire property.
Well-known brands such as Bosch and Paradox manufacture some of the best PIRs currently on the market due to their high level of accuracy.
6. Security and Fire Safes
In the unlikely event that an intruder does bypass all your external and internal security measures, having an appropriate safe will protect your valuable belongings. If your valuables, like your money or important paperwork, are in plain sight when entering your business, a burglar would easily be able to steal these items without too much trouble.
Safes can also offer fire-protection, which is important in this day and age for protection of your computer or server back-ups. If the worst does happen and you have a major fire, your back-ups will be protected.
Having your valuables locked in a security safe reassures you that your important possessions will be safe in the event of a break-in.
