Running a successful business will always involve taking risks. After all, launching a new product, hiring a new employee or expanding the business are all inherently risky endeavours. However, smart business owners will always take steps to minimise their exposure to risk.
One important technique for minimising risk is hiring a security company to protect your business’s assets. This blog post will explore the ways that a security company can help a business identify potential threats and protect business assets.
Understanding the risks to business assets
In many cases, businesses don’t fully understand the kinds of security risks they are facing. A security company can help by calculating the severity of risks faced by the business, then creating a plan to address the most serious risks. This is done by identifying assets, threats, and vulnerabilities.
Assets can include physical assets, staff members, and critical business information. Critical business information can include proprietary knowledge and customer databases.
Threats include anything that can intentionally or accidentally exploit a vulnerability to steal, injure or damage business assets. Threats include burglars, malicious employees, violent offenders, hackers, and vandals.
Vulnerabilities refer to any gap in your security program. This ranges from out of date cyber security software on your internal computer network through to malfunctioning or inadequate surveillance cameras. Because business owners lack specialist security training, they are often unaware of the security vulnerabilities present in their business.
By identifying assets, threats, and vulnerabilities, a security company can gain a strong understanding of the risks that a business faces. They can then create an action plan to address those issues. The most common risks affecting business assets include:
Theft of physical assets
Physical assets can be stolen by employees, contractors, and the general public. Avoiding this type of theft requires surveillance of buildings, tracking of physical assets, and access restriction.
Vandalism
Vandals destroy business assets for the “fun” of it. Common forms of vandalism include breaking locks, painting graffiti, slashing tires, scratching paint, throwing eggs, salting lawns, and arson. Vandalism can be addressed with surveillance, access restriction, and security patrols.
Cybercrime
Cybercrime has become more common in recent years. Criminals use the anonymity of the Internet to gain access to valuable business information including credit card details, identity information, and proprietary business information. A combination of information technology solutions and real-world security measures are required to safeguard a business against cybercrime.
The Services That Security Companies Provide
Security companies can provide a range of services to address the risks that your company faces and protect your assets. The services provided by security companies include:
Managing access to buildings and assets
Hiring a security company helps a business monitor and protect their business assets. In addition to monitoring and restricting employee access, a security company can help manage access for tradesmen or contractors.
Retail security officers
Security companies can provide staff to work in retail environments. They can prevent shoplifting, employee theft, vandalism, and violence in retail stores.
Corporate security and reception duties
Security companies can provide corporate security and reception duties for your business. Security staff can restrict access to work buildings, search guests upon entering the building, and ensure that the occupants of a building remain safe.
Key holding and alarm response
Key holding involves a security company holding a spare set of keys for a residential or commercial premises. They can provide the property owner with the spare key if the owner’s key is lost or stolen. Key holding also gives the security company access to the property in the event of a burglary or unauthorised access.
Covert CCTV surveillance
CCTV surveillance is an essential component of corporate security. A security company can remotely monitor CCTV systems to prevent criminal activity occurring at your place of business.
Mobile patrols
Mobile patrols are highly effective at deterring criminals who are interested in stealing or damaging your business assets.
Vehicle tracking
Vehicle tracking helps to protect your automobiles from theft and vandalism.
Access Facilities Management can help you protect your business’s assets
Access Facilities Management has been helping businesses protect their assets for more than 40-years. We are a family-owned company with the skills and expertise necessary to identify and correct the unique security threats facing your business. Our talented security consultants will create the perfect business security plan to keep assets safe from harm. Contact us today on 01502 507746 or contact@access-fm.co.uk for more information.
