Burglary and theft can destroy or disrupt your bottom line, especially during the holidays. So why are the holidays a prime time for criminals? Because everyone else is on holiday at home, which leaves their offices and workplace vulnerable.
According to a retail survey conducted in 2009, a single case of shoplifting will usually cost a retail store around $438 on average. As the odds of being caught was one to 48/100 back in 2009, these stats amount to billions of dollars lost to theft or burglary in America alone each year.
So, even if anyone steals $100 worth of business assets or products every week, you could potentially see significant losses at the end of the year.
Imagine this; you work in the retail business and have a 10 percent margin on every sale you make. So, if you consider a weekly loss of $100, you’ll have to sell $1,000 worth of stuff to make up that loss.
You must think about increasing security for protecting your business, especially during the holiday season.
Many business or warehouse owners think about hiring armed guards to protect their assets, but nowadays, that isn’t feasible. For the same, or even lesser price, you can use technology, which is more reliable, doesn’t need food, and works without issues.
With that in mind, let’s look at a few ways you can secure your business assets through technology.
Utilize storage units
For protecting your assets, storage units should be the first on your list. While storage systems are typically used to clear away and store heavy objects, you can also use them to keep your business assets safe and secure.
Modern storage systems come with self storage gate access systems to help you protect and even monitor your assets from any location in the world.
What’s more, you can also rent temperature-controlled storage units to ensure your inventory remains protected from bad weather conditions, fires, moisture, and other environmental issues.
Utilize Smart inventory management systems
Modern technology helps businesses store and monitor their assets without issues. After COVID-19, businesses went remote but still needed safety regarding their assets, which included laptops, printers, furniture, and various other office-related stuff.
This is where smart inventory management systems helped business owners track, monitor, and arrange inventory the way they wanted, without physically visiting the premises.
By incorporating technologies like barcode scanners, 24/7 surveillance, and alarms, protecting business assets is now easier than ever.
Place digital poster and signage
Even though everyone involved in your business would know about video surveillance inside the premises, placing digital posters and signage in critical areas will help drive away would-be thieves.
Putting up digital screens in key locations around your premises acts as warnings for those with bad intentions. It will also convey a message to thieves that you take safety very safety and security very seriously.
Utilzie secuirty cameras
Strategically placing CCTV cameras inside and outside your business premises will enable you to keep an eye on what’s happening, who’s entering, and leaving your premises, especially if your cameras have facial recognition features.
This security feature also helps you keep track of who left and arrived at your premises at any given time, as well as record any suspicious movement. What’s more, if your security cameras have facial recognition, security teams can access criminal databases to identify known thieves and alert the authorities.
If the cameras pick up or notice something fishy, the surveillance system will notify you on your smartphone, allowing you to take immediate action.
Improve your business premises’ lighting
Good lighting can be a difference-maker between keeping your business safe and being prone to thefts and burglaries.
Since burglary and theft are mostly happening at night, ample lighting in and around premises is a repellent for criminals.
That said, incorporating some lighting improvement inside and outside your business premises allows you to keep everything clear and visible at night.
You can take things a step further by installing smart lights that turn on after detecting any movement. These lights not only enhance security but also help keep electricity bills down.
Educate your staff through theft-prevention educational materials
One of the easiest and most effective ways to ensure your business assets remain protected is to constantly train and educate your staff on loss prevention and anti-theft best practices.
If you are serious about securing your assets, invest in online learning programs that empower your employees. Doing so will equip them with the knowledge necessary to secure your business premises from every possible aspect, leaving nothing to chance.
Install merchandise security devices
If you’re in the retail industry and selling expensive products such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, merchandise security devices are perfect for protecting your assets against theft.
Devices like anti-theft signage, electronic article surveillance, and smart inventory management are excellent for keeping tabs on your assets.
Typically, your devices will be tethered to your display setup, making it challenging for potential thieves to break through tethers and run away with your devices.
What’s more, you can choose from various merchandise security devices that suit your business setup, which makes securing your assets cost-effective as well.
Conclusion
We hope that the tips mentioned above will help you add value to your business premises. A balanced combination of technology and physical security is the key to success in today’s cutthroat business world.
While trained guards will help on-premises security, they’re no match to what modern technology can achieve.