Security Tips That Work for Commercial Properties
Keeping your commercial property secure is vital. Installing an effective security system for commercial buildings can give you an extra level of safety and protection. You need to protect not just the premises, but also your staff, equipment, and anything else you have on-site.
It could also be the case that you need to keep your commercial property safe and secure in order to protect the data and information of your clients and customers. Thieves and intruders are smart, and they know how to sniff out a property that hasn’t taken the relative steps for security and protection. Don’t make the error of leaving yourself open to an attack in this way.
Cameras everywhere!
There are so many reasons your commercial building security system should include security cameras. They aren’t overly difficult to install and if you are working with commercial property management companies they are likely to recommend security cameras as your first port of call.
Make sure you don’t have any blind spots, especially entrances or potential areas of risk for a security breach. Installing a network of cameras should be thorough, there’s no point if you aren’t going to cover all angles. As well as cameras working as a great way of identifying any thieves or intruders should the worst happen, they also act as a deterrent. If a burglar sees a wide network of security cameras, they will know that they are at risk of being identified. It adds a huge amount of doubt to those who would otherwise jump at the chance to steal from your commercial property or cause damage. This leads on to the other benefit of cameras; identification. Should the worst happen and a security system is breached then it is at least possible that criminals can be found, identified and charged for any criminal damage.
Motion Floodlights
Motion floodlights can have numerous benefits, also. Obviously, they make it much harder for criminals to hide in the shadows. Working with cameras, it increases the chances they will be identified. On top of this, motion floodlights can help your security staff. If you have a member of staff on-site, motion floodlights can act as an alarm and allow staff to know when something is stirring. They can then know which areas to patrol and where threats may be coming from. Motion floodlights alone won’t be able to make your commercial building security solid, but when combined with other tips, they can become a valuable tool.
Passwords and Passcodes
Traditional locks aren’t likely to be good enough for your security system. Criminals know what they are doing, and intruders will be able to pick locks or gain entrance to the building in some other ways. Creating passwords or passcodes, which can be linked to the door, can create an extra layer of security. This can also reduce the chances of security breaches which can occur due to keys getting stolen or copied.
Another huge benefit of passwords and passcodes is the fact they can be reset and changed. In some high-security buildings, passcodes can be changed each day! This means that only the people who need to be able to access a room or building are able to get in. For instance, if you don’t have a huge amount of valuables on-site, you may still have a cash office or a room where valuables are kept. You can add the extra protection of passwords and passcodes in order to make it so much harder for intruders to get in. These passcodes can also mean that your employees or visitors don’t pose as much of a security threat.
Prepare for an Emergency
You need to have a plan for if the worst should happen and someone tries to break in. Security staff needs to know exactly what is going to happen in this scenario. Also, your day-to-day employees also need to know the protocol, who to inform and what to do in an emergency. The safety of human lives should always be given number one priority. Alarm systems can be an important part of your protocol, should an emergency situation arise.
Some alarms and security systems for commercial buildings can even be set up to automatically notify security firms and even emergency services. It is good practice to create a risk assessment and to think in detail about what you are going to do in an emergency. Sharing this with staff is a good way to ensure you have done your duties when managing a commercial property. If you get a secure system in place, there is no reason it should come to this kind of emergency. The element of deterring potential intruders can be just as important as knowing you have a secure building.