How to Make Sure Your Business Is Safe And Secure

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When it comes to building up a strong and successful business it takes a lot of time and effort to do so. It can take years to build up a business but only hours or days to bring it crashing down, when you have spent so much time and effort on something the last thing you want is for it to be destroyed because your business was not kept safe and secure. Keeping a business safe and secure means protecting your customers, your business, and your staff. With the amount of cybercrime and the need to rely so much on technology it is no surprise there are so many data breaches and hacks going on day to day.

If you run your own business or maybe you are just starting one and you want to make sure you can keep it safe and secure. Whether that be online or safety in the actual workplace, there are a few different things you can do to achieve this. If you are unsure how to do this then the tips in this guide should help you to make your business more and more safe and secure.

Computer screen showing the word SECURITY

Source: Pixabay

Discuss security with your employees

Sometimes it can be as easy as a lack of concentration from an employee that will cause a security breach. They could leave a computer logged in, leave a piece of paper with important information lying around, etc. There are numerous things that employees can do that would be warranted as a breach of security, this is why having meetings with your staff to discuss it, even if it is repetitive, is important. You should also make sure you have training with your staff too, for cyber and physical security in the workplace, this will help to make sure you know they are aware of the rights and wrongs of what they do.  

Keep track of any keys or fobs used

Keys and key fobs will always pose a security risk in the business, because they are easily misplaced and lost. A great way to make sure they will not try and be used is to keep all branding off of the keys and fobs and make sure the staff knows not to add the name of the office to them. That way should anyone find it, they cannot use it as they do not know where it belongs to. Make sure you always have a record of who has keys or fobs for the business, so that you know how many or who they are with at any one time. A great way to get around this issue also is to get a facial recognition app to help you secure the building and remove the need for keys and fobs. This means it is harder for someone to enter the building unless their face is registered on the system.

Make sure to perform background checks

When it comes to employment it can be easy to forget about security and just go based off of an interview or resume, to offer someone a job. However, if they have in the past been charged or dismissed due to fraud or security-related issues in the past, then it is possible this could happen again. Therefore doing your due diligence and making sure you do as thorough background checks as possible will help to make sure any new staff that are hired will not cause any data breaches or security issues, should the opportunity arise. Even if you have maybe been slack on checks in the past or you have employees that came on before the checks were in place, and maybe you are a bit suspicious of them, it is best to do some more checks on them and discuss any issues with them just to be sure they know you know and are less likely to be an issue.

Keep alarm systems monitored and up to date

When it comes to alarm systems they can get faults, they are technology after all and nothing is one hundred percent faultless. If a security system is not checked and maintained then this poses a huge threat to the business’s security, you need to make alarm tests and checks part of your weekly routine and always keep the passcodes changing to disarm the alarm. As well as breaking down, security updates are always being released for security systems, this helps to keep ahead of hackers and security threats. Most updates are done remotely and automatically by the alarms management team however, if there is a problem with an update and you haven’t been checking then it can pose a big security risk for the company. 

Make sure your website is secure

This is a huge one in this day and age, with cybercrime on the rise and most people’s shopping done online, it is really important to keep the website secure. If a website is not secured then people’s data and payment info is at risk and could be stolen and used or sold. The best and easiest way to secure your website is with an SSL certificate, most websites built these days will have this as standard but if you have an older site then this is something you may need. If you are in touch with the website’s designer or you have someone maintaining the site, then ask them to double-check the security and encryption measures in place on the site. 

Keep business posts secure

Post to businesses usually will contain important information about the business, this could be bills, invoices, and just communications with people in the business. All of this is sensitive data and must be protected, so make sure you have a secure postal area, that only trusted and a small number of people have access to. The last thing you want is for a disgruntled employee or a visitor getting their hands on the business’s private post and sensitive information.

If you are running a business and you want to make sure it is more secure and staff for both customers and staff. Then these few tips should help to give you some ideas of how you can increase your security and keep the business safe.

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