Columnist

Is your business safe from these common security threats?

Companies have so many concerns in the current economy that sometimes business people can forget what should be one of their biggest priorities: security.

In a world of chasing leads, networking, making deals and managing accounts, security can be difficult to keep track of effectively. To help, here is a list of four of the most common security threats businesses face on a day-to-day basis, and how to make sure you are prepared for them.

Break-ins

Break-ins are normally associated with homes, but they businesses are actually very at risk to them. According to government crime statistics, there were 50,000 burglary attempts at retail or wholesale business premises in 2015 alone, and crimes against information and communications businesses are increasing.

These figures should be cause for concern for many businesses, who should do all they can to protect themselves from these crimes. The best way to ensure safety from a break in is to invest in an effective and comprehensive security system.

Security experts with more than 90 years’ industry experience, Banham Group recommend commercial burglar alarms that come with alarm monitoring services. Alarm monitoring services are crucial for ensuring that activated alarm systems don’t go ignored, as unfortunately, they often are; Security company ADT has noted that 33% of alarms go unnoticed.

Other less obvious but no less effective security measures include increased lighting outdoors, which the Crime Prevention Website says can help deter burglars.

Vandalism

Vandalism is another crime that business premises can frequently be subjected to. In a small Somerset town earlier this year, an entire street fell under the wrath of a group of vandals who kicked in the doors and smashed the windows of several local businesses in the early hours of a Sunday morning.

US website Chron estimates that just one instance of vandalism can cost a business approximately $3,370, that’s £2,728 at the current exchange rate. Like break-ins, this is a concern that should be at the forefront of any effective business security plan.

Precautions to protect your business from vandalism differ slightly from those for burglary, as burglars are concerned with breaking into a property, whereas vandals are content simply with access to a building’s outsides. The Welsh government recommends double glazing and anti-vandalism paint as effective methods for staving off vandalism. They also advise a change of attitude when it comes to graffiti, as this is not always linked to negative business performance.

Cyber attacks

The 21st century economy comes with 21st century crimes. As highlighted during the recent US election, cybercrime is now a major concern for everyone. The UK government found 252,000 instances of online crime against information and communications businesses in 2015, the majority of which were “denial of service attacks and various email-related incidents”.

Traditional physical security measures will do you no favours here. Defence against cybercrime requires a strong firewall, regularly updated software and browsers, an encrypted network and storage, and strict password policies. For information on implementing these measures, see this article from Entrepreneur.

Fraud

According to UK Police figures, fraud affects 1 in 4 small businesses and can lead to losses of up to £18.9 million per year. It doesn’t have to be like this. With much of today’s fraud taking place online, many of the cybersecurity measures mentioned above will help protect your business from it, especially encryption and password policy.

Fraud prevention organisation Identity Hawk recommend employees use passwords that are unique to each login, changed once a month, and contain upper and lower case letters along with numbers and symbols.

Other fraud prevention techniques include simply educating staff on how fraud could take place, thus making them aware of any potential dangers and how to handle confidential information.

Image credited to https://informedmag.com/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Caitlyn Stevens .