Posted: 25th September 2018
Posted in: Business Security, Latest News
This article looks at how you can improve office building security using both simple to implement measures and also harness the latest technologies to make your business safe.
Know Your Staff
We aren’t suggesting that you go all Big Brother on your staff and fully advocate that you stay within the parameters of the law. However, many employers do not run the necessary background checks on their employers. Always check on references and ensure that as a company you now who has what level of clearance, access to different parts of the business both physical and now increasingly important – digitally.
Measure Access to the Office Building
Businesses should be aware of who enters their building as well as where and when they access. Again, we suggest that you work within the law and that access is controlled by security passes with different levels of access and access times. This may also help with matters such as fire regulations with indicators as to who is in the building at any given time.
Place a Dedicated Alarm System
Most office building have a regular footfall in and out of the building throughout the standard 9-5 working day. This obviously makes the use of an alarm system impractical but protect your business with a robust alarm system at weekends and out of office hours. For added convenience, use a system that has remote access so that a given security stakeholder can access, initiate or turn off the system remotely.
Ensure Solid CCTV Coverage
As a security firm, our natural advice is to have full CCTV coverage across your business premises. CCTV is a proven deterrent and a means to support prosecution where needed. Ensure that any “soft” targets are well covered such as loading bays, warehousing and other areas that the opportunist may want to try their hand at.
Maintain and Upgrade CCTV
Far too many companies rest on their laurels simply because they installed CCTV at some point and fail to adequately maintain or upgrade their existing systems. Be sure to keep up with the latest CCTV technology that offers “always on”, cloud storage, remote activation/access and does not store grainy and hard to see images.
Place Visual Deterrents and Warnings That CCTV is in Use
In compliance with the law and the mandate of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, any business that uses CCTV will need to notify you before you are recorded. This has a dual fold benefit of not only complying with the law but adds another layer of protection by visually reinforcing that security measures are in place.
Build a Security Team
We suggest that every business should have a team framework for security within their office building. This team should have regular meetings that ensure that CCTV is scheduled for maintenance, access PIN numbers are regularly changed and that any internal changes to for example staffing are updated. In some instances, it has been known that a long-standing employee may leave the company on poor terms but is then waved in by front desk executives as they have not been informed that that member has left.
Keep IT Inventories Updated
Most offices and businesses will rely heavily on their IT infrastructure and maintaining an updated inventory of which member of staff is using which laptop for example is fundamental. Given the mobility of technology today, it is imperative to know who has what item.
Protect Your Digital Assets
Inline with physical IT assets, work to securely manage your digital assets. Set levels of access clearance, ensure everything is backed up to an offsite server or the cloud and that you have recovery procedures to ensure that your digital infrastructure is safe.
Call in the Experts
While many of the items in this article can be carried out by the layman to work towards improving office building security, know your limitations. Peace of mind, having the adequate security measures and freeing up your time resource by engaging a security firm is priceless. Consult a business security firm who will be able to install CCTV and alarm systems as well as maintain and upgrade where needed.
At Adeva we can install the latest CCTV equipment, burglar alarms and more to work to making your office building secure. Call us today on 1300 773 633 to see how we can help your business security.
