Protecting a business comes with challenges unique from protecting a home. Businesses typically have more people coming in and out on a daily basis. There is a greater concern for data theft or the disappearance of resources. Security sometimes needs to be less visible than it would be in a home. Depending on the business, other security equipment needs to be more visible to work as a deterrent to employees or customers.

Larger businesses have the resources to hire security firms to completely design and monitor a tailored security system, but smaller businesses don’t have that option. While you have the same wants and needs when protecting your business, you need to approach your security from a different angle.

The Problems

You have to protect your business assets from your employees, your customers and any contractors that you use. Each group of people interact with your business and its assets in a different way. Controlling the access to these resources, whether they be product, data or equipment, needs to be a top priority. However, you also need to do this in a way that doesn’t overly impede workflow or annoy the customer. Your data systems are also vulnerable, as an effective computer virus has the potential to halt a business completely if it is not contained. Businesses therefore need to address multiple security concerns simultaneously, because the threats can come from inside the business as easily as it can the outside.

This makes business security more complicated than home security in many ways.

Using Resources Wisely

Lighting is always one of your most important resources from a loss-prevention standpoint, so start there when planning the security for your business. Lighting also tends to be cost-effective. Next, focus on basic procedures that help keep your business secure, such as rules and regulations for how merchandise is handled and how data is transferred. This doesn’t guarantee that everyone will follow those rules, but they give you a structure to work with that can be adapted as needed.

Adequate door locks are essential as well for all your entrances and exits, along with a protocol in place for who has keys and who locks and unlocks each door or window each day. Next, make sure your computer systems have a proven antivirus program running on them that continually updates itself to help ensure your work files don’t get corrupted.

Set a security budget early on when planning your business if you are able to. If you are taking over a business, set aside funds to put towards improved security equipment and protocols. Once you have your locks, lights and virus software taken care of, prioritize your budget to apply it to other expenses such as loss prevention software, security cameras, employee monitoring software or hired security personnel.

Planning for Your Needs

A security consultant can help you decide what your security weaknesses are. If your business sells merchandise, investing in security cameras and loss prevention equipment is beneficial. If you mostly deal with employees in your offices and not customers, monitoring software that records keystrokes or blocks time-wasting websites can help you. Start by securing the perimeter of your business, and then work your way inward when planning your security and how to use your resources. A full security system is recommended if you can afford it, and a monitoring service benefits you in many ways. A little money upfront now potentially saves you thousands (or even millions) later.

It is important to look at your business security separately from your home security, because both are accessed by different people in different ways. This is why hiring a consultant or a company to set up or manage your business security is advisable, although you can do it yourself if you put in the time, research and investment. Trial-and-error helps you learn from your mistakes, but never forget that each mistake ends up hurting your bottom line.