It’s always better to be safe than sorry. That should be the mindset when running a commercial property, because no matter how strong your business is, there could always be an incident that sets you back and puts your revenue, reputation, and client relationships at risk. Just last year, for instance, approximately 42,000 burglaries in the United States took place in commercial and office buildings, with a further 23,000 burglaries taking place in restaurants.
This isn’t just about property damage, although that can be costly enough on its own, it’s also about the disruption that follows. Lost equipment, compromised data, closed workspaces. All of these eventualities can have a ripple effect on your business, eating into your profits and straining the trust you’ve worked so hard to build with customers. That’s why it’s important to not only keep your property secure, but to regularly check its security capabilities to ensure they’re keeping pace with the risks your business faces today and in the future.
The First and Most Important Check
So how exactly do you make these checks? Well, the first thing to note is that ‘making checks’ doesn’t just mean walking around the property and noting down your security features. It’s also about ensuring you’ve got the precautions in place to deal with a break-in if and when it happens.
If you don’t have insurance, for instance, then this has to be put right. For those unaware, commercial property insurance for a small business can be the difference between a temporary setback and a complete shutdown, helping you to deal with everything from a burglary to a fire, while keeping your operations afloat and avoiding any major financial disruption.
It covers not only the physical damage to your property, but also the cost of replacing equipment, repairing structural damage, and even recovering lost income if your business is forced to close temporarily. In that sense, having insurance isn’t just a formality, it’s a fundamental part of your business continuity plan, and it should be the first thing on your mind as you look over your security capabilities.
Checking Your Security
The other thing you need to think about is how to avoid having to use that insurance. Yes, it’s not really possible to guarantee your property is never broken into or damaged, but there are certain actions you can take to reduce the risk. A full security audit is a good place to start. This means looking at everything from the strength of your physical entry points – such as doors, windows, and locks – to the reliability of your surveillance systems.
Make sure all entry points are reinforced and, if you don’t have the latest alarm tech, make sure you do your research and invest in an upgrade that can keep your business protected around the clock. You should also limit who has access to keys or codes, and rotate access credentials regularly. This is because, while trusted employees might have access today, teams change, people leave, and devices get lost, which, if you’re not careful, can create unexpected, and entirely preventable, security gaps in your system.
Speaking of employees, another good way to check your security protocols is to speak to staff. If you’ve been efficient, you’ve likely already trained your employees on break-in scenarios and evacuations, but if things have changed or a substantial amount of time has passed, there’s every chance they might need a refresher. At least once every three months, you should be holding training sessions or drills to keep everyone in your business aware of what security procedures are in place, and what their responsibilities are in maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Apart from this, you should also be documenting everything. Without a clear record of inspections, training, and incidents, it’s going to be difficult to spot patterns and apply changes, and, if the worst does happen, it will be crucial to prove you took all the necessary precautions to prevent it.