Keeping your business safe and secure is a top priority for any company. Whether you run a small shop or an expansive office, your physical assets are a cornerstone of your company’s value and potential for success.
Physical security refers to the procedures and measures you implement to protect your physical assets from theft, natural disaster, or other threats. Implementing effective physical security measures at your business can help prevent expensive property loss, mitigate liability risk, and avoid public relations fallout from negative media coverage.
If you own or manage an organization that has physical assets, it’s essential to know how you can improve your physical security. This blog post will give tips on how to fortify your business with strong physical security and safety measures and practices.
Add external lighting
Strong external lighting can help prevent crime and physical damage to your business by illuminating the areas surrounding your building. This includes parking lots, pathways, and street signs—any areas where people park or walk to access your business.
Before you invest in external lighting, take the time to map out areas where lighting is needed. You don’t want to light up your entire parking lot if there’s no need for it. You can light up areas with a higher risk of physical damage or criminal activity by installing lights on poles or your building’s exterior. Check your local and state codes to ensure you’re following regulations about the brightness and lumens of your lights.
Improve traffic flow and use barriers to restrict access
If you have a public place of business, like a grocery store or retail outlet, you’ll want to ensure you have effective barriers to restrict or manage traffic flow into your building. You can do this with a few different types of barriers. Parking lot lane dividers can help direct traffic flow, as well as help keep pedestrians and vehicles out of areas where they shouldn’t be, such as parking too close to the entrance or on paved areas.
This is essential if you have a loading area or other sensitive areas of your business where you don’t want people to go. You can also use barriers to create separate entrances for different people or vehicles. Use an RRFB to alert delivery drivers of pedestrians when they are entering and exiting your premises for added safety and security for everyone.
Use biometrics for entrances and exits.
When improving physical security, it’s a good idea to look at how people are allowed to enter your building. This includes employee access, customer access, deliveries, etc. One way to ensure the safety of all people entering and exiting your business is through access control systems that use biometric identification. Biometric access control systems rely on physical characteristics, like fingerprints, palm prints, or retinal scans. These systems are great because they don’t require users to memorize passwords or type in a PIN.
Restrict access to parts of the building and data
Physical security isn’t just about securing the building where your business is housed. You also need to ensure that your company’s data, assets, and communications are secure. You can do this by implementing robust security protocols across all of your business’s systems.
Computer and network security are essential for protecting against viruses, theft, and potential attacks from hackers. Ensure you have software installed on all servers, desktops, and other devices that help prevent identity theft, data breaches, and viruses.
This is especially important for wireless systems, as they’re more vulnerable to outside threats and viruses that computers connected to a wired network aren’t susceptible to.
Final Words
Physical security is more than just installing an alarm or using cameras. It’s an ongoing process of assessing potential threats, looking for vulnerabilities, and implementing practical solutions to safeguard your business and employees.
