How to Keep Your Brick & Mortar Business Secure

There are many different ways a brick and mortar store can be put at risk through hazards that an online store won’t face. Security risks aren’t just limited to theft, but also concern protecting your business against pests, harsh weather conditions, and other threats. This guide shows how specific physical security measures can help you keep your brick and mortar business safer.

Use Electronic Surveillance

If your business doesn’t operate 24 hours a day, you’ll want some kind of protection in place when the building isn’t staffed. A security system that makes use of 24-hour live monitoring can help you fulfill this need. The monitoring service will contact you and the police upon noticing a breach of security, so a response can be made as quickly as possible. Even when the business is open and in full operation, your security monitoring system will notify you of a breach, such as a window or a door that has been exposed to unauthorized access.

Install Physical Barriers

A physical barrier that surrounds your business property can help you stay protected against multiple threats. For example, post and cable fencing will keep pests, such as rodents and larger animals, from nesting on your property or feeding on your products. Similarly, storms and strong winds tend to blow large items, such as tree limbs and trash cans around, causing damage to property and potentially injuring your customers. Strong fencing can keep this debris from crossing onto your property, so your business and its patrons will stay safe. A physical barrier also serves as a theft deterrent, because shoplifters want an easy route of escape. By limiting their options for fleeing, you can make your business a less tempting target.

Hire Live Security Guards

Electronic security systems are ideal for detecting security breaches, but you will still have to respond to shoplifters, vandals, and others committing crimes on your property. For this, you don’t necessarily need a large force of security guards. For most brick and mortar businesses, one or two security officers will be sufficient. They can deter crime by making random patrols of your business and using live video monitors to more discreetly watch customers for suspicious activity. When a threat has been detected, they can respond to the threat immediately.

Use Lighting as a Deterrent

Another good use of technology in terms of keeping your brick and mortar business secure is to use lighting throughout your business. Outside, you can keep parking lot lighting on throughout the night, so potential burglars will find it more difficult to approach your business unseen. Leaving a few lights on inside your business will serve a similar purpose. Additionally, connecting brighter lights to motion sensors will help identify unauthorized breaches inside your business. If there is an unauthorized person in your business, the sudden activation of bright light may be enough to frighten them off.

Conduct Background Checks

The majority of security risks that brick and mortar businesses face are perpetrated by employees of that business. From taking home office supplies to larger acts of theft, it’s more common for an employee to steal from you than a random customer, particularly because an employee will know your security precautions and how to get around them. You can reduce these risks by conducting background checks on your employees. There are many third-party companies that can provide you with thorough background checks on any candidate you’re interested in hiring.

Add Smart Locks to Your Doors

Over time, it’s easy to lose track of the number of people with keys to your business’ doors, but changing or rekeying the locks will add to your business’ operating expenses. You can easily address this issue anytime you terminate an employee or change vendors when you use a smart lock. With just a couple of computer strokes or mobile app swipes, you can revoke that individual’s access. Even if they still have a key card, they will be unable to gain access to your business. Smart lock apps can also help you keep tighter control over who has access to your business by allowing you to review a list of authorized users at any time.

As new technology becomes available, you can find more efficient ways of protecting your business. However, the best level of protection combines technology with more traditional forms of physical security, such as live guards and physical barriers. Combined together, these different aspects of physical security will help protect your business against a greater number of threats.

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