Business security tips you need to know

As a business it is always important to try and keep your assets secure and safe at all time, and there are many different ways that we can do this as we create our empire.

Today we are going to take a look at some of the best ways that you can protect your business and in improve your business security this year, and this will allow your business to thrive and grow in 2019 and beyond.

If you want to keep your business secure with top notch security and the best alarm systems, click here.

Know your employees

As a fledgling business, it will likely take you a long time to get the business off the ground and also to get to a stage where you aren’t working at home, but instead in an office surrounded by our own team of workers. Hiring people for your business is an incredibly important thing to allow you to grow and develop in the business world, and you will likely jump at the chance to get an extra pair of hands or two when the workload becomes too much for you. However when you do come to hire an employee it is important to take the time to check them and make sure you can trust them. This will include things such as checking for their history of criminal activity, doing a drugs test, and perhaps checking their employment background to see if they have ever been fired from a role. It is important for you to know exactly who you are letting into your workplace because they will be privy to customer secrets and sensitive data. It is always better to be safe than sorry and although it might take a little bit of time to check this all out, it is worth the effort.

Know your customers

As important as it is to know who you are hiring for your business, you need to also be aware of who you are selling to. Although you might think that it is irrelevant to you, making sure that your customers are trustworthy is super important for you. For example, imagine if you were to sell a product on a finance plan to a customer, and then afterwards you found out that they were no longer able to pay you back. Make sure that you get a KYC Check done on all potentially high risk customers and this will help to put your mind at ease and protect you if anything should happen.

Code of conduct

As a business owner it is incredibly important that you create a code of conduct which everyone in the business has to abide by in order to keep the business running smoothly. A code of conduct should be something which you create even before you hire your first employee, to set the rules and boundaries which you need to keep your company running in the right way. A code of conduct will take you some time to create but it will be something which is integral to your business later on and it will form the foundation of how everyone behaves when they work for you. Be sure to take your time when you make this and get some advice online and from others to make sure that you input everything into the document.

Shred your documents

As a business in this day and age, a lot of our important files and documents are on the computer, however you will likely still end up with a lot of paper around the office from letters and payroll documents amongst other things. It is crucial that you don’t keep anything you don’t need because this can be a huge security risk to your business. If anyone does get their hands on your sensitive letters or documents this can be dangerous for the business and you. This is why every week or every month you should take anything you don’t need anymore and shred it. If you have a compost bin at home you can even take the paper and add it to the bin and it will completely decompose. Any method you can use to get rid of documents is a good idea and it will protect your business and make sure that no information get into the wrong hands.

Schedule audits

An audit is something which you can do every so often to make sure that you know what documents you have in the business and that you also take stock of how secure everything is in the business. It is important for you to do an audit once a year or so to ensure that you are aware of your assets and that everything is safe and secured. After you carry out an audit on the business you can look at ways to improve your systems to make sure that your documents are locked up and safe from hackers.

Add access

It is incredibly important when you are running a business that needs to communicate within itself, that you have a shared drive on the server which all users can access to share documents and files and to use for meetings and such. In a shared file you will likely have a different folder for each department of the business for example buying, marketing, logistics and sales etc… and this is where you should add access levels to the computer. For example, when you have a buying team and a sales team in your business, you will never want the sales team to access the buying team files. This is because often a buying team will have lists of products that they are negotiating to buy, but ones that they haven’t purchased yet. Sales workers often work on commission for your business and they will often try to see if they can PRE-sell items that the company hasn’t acquired yet. Stopping them from accessing these files allows you to be safe and make sure that the sales team doesn’t sell a product you don’t even have.

You can also add access passwords to the finance side of the business because this folder will likely have the information for all employees including their personal details as well as their wages. Always be sure to choose who has access very carefully to be on the safe side.

Emergency plans

As rare as it may be that you get into an accident or have any kind of incident at work, but it is something that is always a real possibility. It is important before you hire anyone else into the business that you take the time to put in place some fire safety regulations and that you have a clear cut emergency escape route. Be sure to have the emergency service numbers, maps to direct people out of the building, a fire assembly point as well as a register of names. You will also want to know the protocol for things such as natural disasters and gas leaks. Even though these situations might never be an issue, you are best off being prepared.

Keep the office secure

As well as ensuring that your data, documents, assets, and employees are safe; you’ll also want to think about the office itself and its security. Be sure to take the time to install an ID or fob system to the doors so that only employees or guests can enter, be sure to plant thorny bushes under the windows to keep burglars away, and add an alarm system and lots of cameras inside and out. There are a lot of different alarm systems on the market, so it’s crucial to find the right one for your business, and you should always go for higher quality, like the ones here. You want to ensure that your protection is comprehensive, covering all access points, and outdoor areas. There are a lot of different things you can bring into the office to keep it safe and secure and it is super essential for you to take every second you can to create a safe environment for everyone in the building.

Lighting

The lighting in your office might not seem like it will make much of an impact on your business, but actually, it will help to protect you and keep your assets safe from untrustworthy employees. It will be a rare occasion that you have an employee who will try to steal from you, but it is an issue that can affect you. By having great lighting in the office as well as a few cameras in the office, you will be able to keep an eye on your workers and it will be much more difficult for them to do anything to you.

Lock your computers

The important thing for you to remember as a business is a fact that you need to be sure that your data is safe at all times. Most employees will have a mix of business and personal files on their computers and this are why everyone should lock their computer when they leave the room and when they go home for the evening. Be also sure that you make everyone choose great passwords which can’t be easily guessed, and this will ensure that you are able to stay safe and secure as a business. It will also mean that no one can come into the office and steal your data when you are out for the weekend.