No matter how large or small your physical storefront is, vandalism and theft pose a threat that could put your storefront at risk. Not only do you risk losing inventory and company data, you also face the cost of replacing broken storefront materials. On top of business downtime, you could be left in a financial crisis.
To ensure your company remains physically protected, it’s important to know how to secure your storefront. Here are 7 tips you’ll want to practice.
- Complete a Risk Assessment
These days most businesses put a large portion of their security dollars towards cyber and online threats. But, this doesn’t mean that you can completely ignore physical threats that are always present.
Since security isn’t cheap, you want to know exactly what you need before spending money on it. To determine your business’ security needs, complete a risk assessment. This allows you to narrow your focus and pinpoint the specific kind of protection your business needs.
Think about your largest threats. From there you can determine which protections are the most important and most efficient at mitigating them
With a thorough risk assessment, you can lower your company’s vulnerability which in turn lowers the number of risks that your company faces.
- Check Doors & Windows
Doors and windows are the easiest access points for a burglar or thief who is looking to get their hands on merchandise or money. To protect your storefront, start by checking the security and function of your doors and windows. Bay windows, glass walls, and doors should all be properly sealed. Windows and doors should close and lock securely.
For all storefront glass, consider upgrading to laminated glass. This type of glass is extremely durable and is a great protection against vandalism.
- Install More Effective Locks
One of the simplest and most effective things you can do to secure your storefront is to change the locks. If you don’t own the physical location, be sure to check with the landlord to determine which locks can be changed.
Install high-security locks on all doors if possible. If you’re unable to install these locks on every door, be sure to at least install them on doors that lead to areas where you store sensitive information as well as where you store inventory or business equipment.
Aside from door locks, you’ll also want to invest in locks for file cabinets and storage that you want to protect.
- Boost Surveillance
A surveillance camera protects your storefront in various ways. First, cameras may act as a deterrent for someone who is looking to break into your business. At the same time, a surveillance camera is useful in the event that a thief does break in as you’ll have video evidence to potentially identify the person.
To prevent tampering and damage to the security cameras, install them in covert ways. They should blend into the storefront so that they aren’t noticeable to a theft.
For thorough surveillance, a camera should be placed at every doorway. You may also want to consider installing alarm sensors on the glass storefront that will alert you if the glass is broken or tampered with.
- Install More Lighting
Surveillance and lighting go hand in hand. The more well lit your storefront is, the less appealing is looks to someone who wants to break in and steal things without being detected. Be sure to install plenty of interior and exterior lighting at your storefront.
Most importantly, be sure you have the lighting needed to ensure that surveillance recordings are useful, even at night.
- Use an Alarm System
An alarm system is a great security measure that will alert you and the authorities in the event that someone tries to break into your business. Having an alarm system acts as a deterrent as well as a form of protection, especially during an active crime.
These days there are alarm systems that can be connected to your mobile phone to notify you when the system has been activated. These alert systems will also notify you if the alarm is tripped, keeping you informed, even when you’re on the go.
- Train Your Employees
Physical security barriers are only useful if your employees understand how to work within set security confinements. For example, what good is a high-tech door lock if your employees don’t activate them at night before leaving the store? Humans make mistakes and to be honest, we’re all a risk!
To minimize insider risk, be sure to routinely provide security-based training to all employees. Document all necessary security protocols that apply to the storefront and offer refresher training to keep security needs fresh in everyone’s mind.
By training your employees, you can minimize the risk of someone making a mistake that inevitably leaves your storefront vulnerable to a burglar.
Conclusion
As a business owner, one of your top missions is to keep your business on a path to success. The physical protection of your business is crucial to your continued success. Be sure to follow these 7 tips to properly secure your storefront.
What are some other ways that you can think of to keep your business safe? Leave us a comment with your best tips in the section below.