and important as it ever has been: security. Whether you are a small business with a modest office or a larger partnership with a building all to yourself, ensuring the safety of your staff, equipment and data are so important for the continued success of your operation. There are numerous ways you can approach security as a business leader; the following are some key iterations of business security solutions, to help you create a robust set of protections for your office.
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Employee Training
Perhaps one of the most important changes you can make regarding the overall security of your office relates not to the installation of physical equipment, but rather the proper training of your staff. By drafting a robust security protocol for your office, and instructing every employee on how to properly implement it, you can vastly mitigate the risk of an employee mistakenly letting an unauthorized person in.
The specifics of this training will differ depending on your office’s location and the nature of your business, but common instructions include:
- the examination of credentials for any unknown visitors
- the proper use of a logbook for guests and visitors
- informing a supervisor or manager of any unexpected visits
- careful scrutiny of information or visit requests, in case of phishing fraud
Key-card Entry
To further limit the likelihood of employee error leading to a security breach, you could have key-card activated entry systems installed. With keycards or fobs, you can directly control which areas of your office each employee can access – and lock those without keycards out entirely.
This way, visitors, guests, and trespassers alike are barred from entry to specific areas without supervision or the provision of a guest keycard. In the case of trespassers, additional locked doors are further barriers to their forced entry, slowing their approach and giving responders more time to arrive.
Alarm Systems
Of course, no amount of employee training can reduce the likelihood of your office being targeted by unauthorized entry after-hours. As such, protective security measures should be considered to deter would-be trespassers or otherwise foil entry. Alarm systems are a popular choice; systems that use buzzers generate loud noises which can alert on-site security or passers-by to the trespass, while other forms of systems can automatically contact a security service or the police on your behalf.
CCTV
A natural accompaniment to any alarm system is CCTV. The installation of cameras around the office’s interior and exterior can enable yourself or your security team to have ‘eyes’ on your office’s various sites of ingress – and, in the event of a successful breaking and entering, help police identify the criminals responsible. CCTV is also a strong preventative measure, as would-be trespassers will be deterred from attempting entry when they see a camera prominently displayed.
