Such is the industry today that you might not think you need an office for your business. Plenty of entrepreneurs prefer to go rogue and work from home, coffee shops, or even the local library. However, if you decide to invest in a corporate office, co-working space, or an executive suite, you should factor in IT and physical location security. Making your office the safest possible place for you and your staff is issue number one, yet bosses can let their standards slide. Allowing people into the office that aren’t welcome might turn out ugly, which is why there are specific security features in which you’ll want to invest.

Here are the four most significant ones.

A Receptionist with a Complete Reception Area

Receptionists or reception areas may sound old-fashioned and outdated, but they are excellent at keeping unwanted guests out of a location as well as keeping the building safe. The reason is simple: they have eyes on everyone who enters and exits the premises and act as a security buffer. Therefore, they can stop anyone they deem to be suspicious and ask them for a couple of non-intrusive questions to determine whether they belong in the office. The incredible thing is that by doing their job, it doesn’t make people feel uneasy or mistreated. As long as the person is polite and welcoming, nine out of ten guests will gladly sign-in, adhere to office policies, and interact positively.

Access Control

A more sophisticated option is to install an access control system in your workplace. By doing this, anyone without the right clearance wouldn’t be able to get in the main door, never mind into the hub of the office. Your employees, on the other hand, merely need to bring a retractable key chain with their I.D and the door will slide open. As far as security and accessibility in one go, access control technology is at the top of the tree for small to medium-sized companies, as well as big ones. There’s no reason to rely on alarms and deadbolts any longer!

Door Chimes

Okay, maybe you don’t have offices, but you have a shop in which you do the majority of your business. In this case, the two options above aren’t suitable. You require a security feature that’s effective that doesn’t turn-off customers. The last thing shoppers want to do is have to press a button to buy their bread and milk! Thankfully, humble door chimes are on hand to help. Placed above the main entryway, they sound every time the door opens and shuts, alerting you to new customers. So, you’ll know when somebody has arrived and exited without investing in fancy gadgets.

Exterior Lighting

Finally, please don’t underestimate the usefulness of outdoor lighting. Thieves hate brightly-lit spaces as it gives them fewer places to hide while doing their undercover work. As a result, burglars are more likely to target nearby businesses that don’t have huge lights shining overhead. So, installing lights strategically around the property could make your company, store, or office less of a target. The energy bill might be high, but you can leave them on all night to ensure cameras and passers-by can see thieves trying to case the building.

Can you think of any more that are must-haves for your business?