There are many aspects to business security, and as many businesses operate both offline and online now – the security you need to implement needs to cover a larger set of bases than ever before. The world of security is changing rapidly, and it’s because the world of business is changing too. Whilst business is moving in an exciting direction – you want to ensure you move with the times and keep everything as secure as possible.

If you’ve made the decision to ‘up’ your security, you’ve made the right decision. It’s always best to protect yourself and your business, and that needs to apply to both online and office property.

There are several areas you need to ensure are secure and locked up – and here’s where to start.

Business Security in your Office Space

Obviously, your physical office space is crucial to your business and likely contains sensitive data / documents and important files. Your office is also where the majority of your equipment is housed too – and (depending on the size of your business) this could mean thousands of pounds of technology. Because of this, your physical office need to be kept as secure as possible.

It’s key that when you hire security teams, or key holders that you’re choosing a company who are trusted and reputable. Here at Regional Services if your building doesn’t have the advantage of on-site security (as many offices in London do) then we can provide a key-holding service for peace of mind, but that also adds to the security of your business. All our key-holding staff are SIA checked and accredited, which means you can be completely assured that any Regional Services staff on your premises are fully trained and insured.

It’s crucial to think about who else has access to your business too – excluding your employees. Many companies hire cleaners to come in after hours or during office hours – but have you considered their security credentials? Again, it’s really important if your goal is to improve business security that you find cleaning services that are trusted and reputable. This is another service we provide at Regional Services, and all our cleaners are uniformed and ID’d – so you know exactly who is coming in and out of your office at all times.

Here are a few other tips to keeping your office space secure:

• Install cameras where possible for 24 surveillance,
• Keep a track of keys / fobs,
• Give staff personal entry codes (if using a coded system),
• Track all visitors through a sign-in process,
• Keep all valuable equipment (such as laptops) stored in locked desks, or in a secure room overnight.

Your factory / stock rooms

If you hold onto stock, then you should always ensure your factory or stock rooms have the top security possible. You stock is your livelihood / profit as a business, so you want to ensure you keep it completely secure.

It’s recommended that you have a 24 hour porter with factories or stock, but if that’s not possible you should certainly look into a high-level security system. Video cameras, movement detectors and recording devices are all recommended – especially if your stock is worth a lot of money.

Security on your Website

When it comes to your website, you may have a standard website – or you could also be hosting an online store / blog / social media profiles. All of these channels should be a priority for security – because jeopardising the security in any of them can not only put your business at risk, but also your customer’s data too.

The last thing you want to do is to skip your online security, and then end up being hacked or having your social media channels broken into. This kind of mistake can be hugely damaging to your reputation as a brand, and can lose you even the most loyal customers.

So how can you ensure your online security is in good shape? Here are some tips:

• Ensure you keep track of who has access to log-in details,
• When sharing login details, send the username a password across in separate formats (for example, email, then text). Never send both together,
• Keep your online security software up to date,
• Always keep any software updated,
• Use a secure password storage app,
• Educate staff on how to avoid scam and phishing emails,
• Educate staff on how to avoid scam and phishing phone calls,
• Turn on 2-factor security on your social media channels,
• Require all staff to password protect their laptops and devices,
• Update passwords whenever someone with prior access leaves the company,
• Use secure cloud storage (such as Dropbox or Google Drive).

Using these tips you can ensure you keep your business secure and safe both offline and online. There are also online security tests, and offline security tests that employees can take to improve their behaviour and increase the general security.

Remember, a more secure office results lower insurance payments too over time – so it can bring down you overhead in the long term too. That’s where services like our key holding and alarm response become vital.