Things to Consider When Hiring Security Services for Your Business

Security is an integral part of any business to protect assets and employees from any incident.  Hiring a security guard to be the lookout for every aspect such as people getting in and out of the building and obtaining their details can go a long way to protecting your business.

As such, security guards have become essential to prevent theft and other situations that can hinder overall security. This is why it's crucial to be sure you are choosing the best security for your company. Consider the following tips when selecting a security company.

Reputation

Find out the level of reputation of a security company by doing extensive research. You can research on the internet and see what other clients think about the security company. Also, be sure to find out how the company handles complaints. Further, request customer references from the company to see if the services they received were satisfactory.

Licensed and insured

A security guard must be appropriately licensed, insured, and bonded. While it may seem like a basic requirement, it would help to confirm. As a client, you must ask for state authorizations, insurance policies, and bonding documents when conducting the interviews. Also, confirm that the licenses and training are up to date. The security guard company must also be insured.

Patrol management

Security companies might not be able to provide effective without an efficient patrol management system. However, most clients don't consider the kind of patrol management system a security company uses during the hiring process. So, be smart and ask about it.

Experience

Longevity matters when looking for security services. A reputable company with years of experience is likely to have better security standards than newcomers in the sector. An experienced security company is also likely to have established contacts with local authorities, be familiar with local security issues, and know how to handle these issues.

Besides, a security company that has been in business for a long time is likely to have a considerable number of reviews and referrals to add to its credibility.

Response time

Apart from preventing criminal activities, responding to emergencies should be a priority to professional security companies. They should offer round the clock dispatch service and have a reliable patrol system to respond to incidences as fast as possible.

Training

While there isn't a legal requirement for security guards' education, they should be adequately trained. Training helps security guards handle any security situation and guarantee that your business is safe.

It could also be best to consider hiring specialized security, especially when you run a business with a considerable number of employees to handle situations such as strikes. The same goes if your company has important persons that need specialized security for their safety.

Communication

You and your security partner will be working together to protect your business. If the security company can't communicate on security-related matters on your business, it could be lagging on its service.

Great communication is a vital aspect to look for in any business contract, and it's especially crucial when looking for a security partner.

Is Your Business Properly Protected?

If you're running any kind of business then there's no doubt that it probably means a great deal to you. Your business is likely the result of years of hard work and labor in the pursuit of something that you really care about. Because of that, the idea of something bad happening to your business is something that you would really rather not think about at all.

However, if you avoid thinking about the kinds of things that could go wrong in your business, that's a serious mistake. After all, there are so many risks to your business out there that if you're not making sure that you're taking all of the right precautions to avoid them, you're leaving your business vulnerable. With that in mind, here are just some of the things that you should be doing to protect your business as much as possible.

Hire an attorney

Staying on the right side of the law is always an essential part of a business and something that a lot of business owners take for granted. However, this is a mistake. Sure, you would never knowingly engage in any illegal activity but business laws can be complex and are often changing all the time. From drug testing laws to the current laws around employee wages, you want to be sure that you're always within the confines of the law no matter what. Often the best way to do this is to hire an attorney who can help you stay fully within all necessary legal limits. They can provide plenty of legal counsel and support in the unlikely event that you do get into some kind of legal trouble, but they can also help to ensure that you never end up in that situation in the first place.

Take precautions when introducing new elements

Growth is one of the most crucial parts of any business. This is especially true in the fast-paced modern world. Without growing and pushing forward, your business risks stagnating and falling behind the competition. However, one of the most common mistakes that a lot of business owners make is that they don't think about growing their business in a sustainable way. If you're just adding new elements to your business without giving it all that much thought, then you could end up doing more harm to it than good. The truth is that the more you push your business forward, the more important it becomes to be careful. Introducing things like new technology or new products to your business can be incredibly beneficial but it's important to consider if they're actually right for your business in the first place.

Invest in security measures

All business owners know how important security is and yet it still often seems to end up getting neglected all too often. A lot of the time this is because security is kind of invisible when it's working. If your security measures are up to scratch and working properly, it's actually pretty easy to start to take them for granted. Now, the comfort that your security measures bring is a positive thing but it's important not to let that level of comfort go too far. Never let it reach the point that you forget why you have your security measures in the place in the first place. Whether it's securing the physical premises of your business or making sure that everything is fully protected and backed-up when it comes to the digital side of your business, the right security measures are some of the most important things that you can invest in when it comes to your business.

Create a positive culture within the business

There is no doubt how important your employees are to your business in general. But you shouldn't forget about what a difference they can make to how well protected your business is. Of course, that's only the case if they're fully conscious about safety and security in your business as a whole. The best way to make sure that this is the case is to create the most secure and positive culture possible in the workplace. From simple things like making sure that all of your employees have secure passwords set up and encourage them to back up their data and work as often as possible. Not only that but by creating a culture of security at work, you reduce the risks that your employees pose to your business. If they are all fully aware of the importance of protecting the business, it's far less likely that they could end up leaving in vulnerable, either by mistake or on purpose.

Be responsible

As much as it can often feel as though you're protecting your business from many things coming from the outside world, it's just as important to remember that you have the potential to put your business at risk just as much as anyone else. This is particularly true when it comes to how you present yourself publicly. The things that you say and do will massively impact the perception of your business so make sure that you're being as careful as possible about how you publicly present yourself can make a huge difference when it comes to keeping your business protected.

No matter what, there are always going to be risks to your business. That's just a fact of life and something that you have to come to terms with pretty quickly. But with this advice, at least you're going to be in the best possible position to create a suit of armor for your business that will help you to defend against those risks and dangers as effectively as possible. The key is to make sure that you stay vigilant when it comes to protecting your business. As soon as you become complacent and start to take your business's success for granted is the moment that you leave yourself open to things going seriously wrong. If you're ever in doubt, the best thing that you can do is to lean in the direction of being overly cautious rather than taking too many serious risks.

How Do Solo-Entrepreneurs Protect Their Business?

Running a business is challenging in its own right. However, for solo entrepreneurs, the challenges can be enhanced by their solitary position. When you are an independent professional trying to keep your business afloat by yourself, you need to be the strategist, the administrator, and the employee, all at the same time. While there is a fair amount of tasks and essential jobs that can be outsourced, you still need to oversee every business process. As such, business protection can be overlooked for the benefit of more pressing projects. 

However, protecting your business from cyber threats is especially important in times just as now, where the global pandemic has forced many companies to interact remotely with their customers. When your interactions and work happen online, you can’t afford to ignore the risks of mishaps for your brand. Here are some tips for solo-entrepreneurs to manage risks and sail their companies safely through the troubled waters of the pandemic situation. 

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Protect your confidential data 

The online world can be a dangerous area. Hackers are a significant threat to small businesses. Therefore, if you are new to a remote business concept, you need to make sure you’ve got everything to keep your data secure. The first and most obvious line of security is to give your work device the best support against cyberthreats, such as using an antivirus solution and using secure cloud storage for your data. You can consider reaching out to experts and outsource your cybersecurity. A managed service provider can monitor your business online and offer increased protection. Additionally, solo-entrepreneurs also need to add identity protection for all transactions performed online. As you need to purchase additional solutions to move your activities online, ensuring nobody can steal your financial data is a no-brainer. 

Protect your ideas

With millions of businesses offering similar services or products, you need to differentiate your brand from the crowd. An original idea can open the door to a new market and help you reach out to a broad audience. But innovative and creative ideas are tricky to find. That’s because ideas are so valuable that other businesses can sometimes steal them. You need to protect your intellectual property through trademarks, patents, and copyrights, depending on the type of content. Copyright applies to written documents, while a trademark can be used for your brand name, catchphrase, or product name. 

Protect your reputation

As a solo-entrepreneur, you can’t hide behind a brand. You are the personality of your business. Therefore, managing your professional reputation in the market can help your brand growth. The first place to start is Google. When you Google yourself, you can find out what others think of your business or of yourself, and many spot weaknesses that can be rectified.

Another excellent place to observe and manage is social media. Claiming your business accounts online will stop others from impersonating you, and it provides you with a platform to communicate with your audience. Not every solo-entrepreneur needs a reputation manager. However, if things are getting too tough, you can reach out to experts for help. 

Protecting your business online in the age of COVID-19 is challenging. But it is indispensable to keeping your business alive and supporting your customers as effectively as possible. Stay safe, stay online, stay virtually protected.

Staying Cool When Disaster Strikes Your Business

One of the most important things about running a business is being able to keep your cool. Everybody, no matter what industry they worked in, has enough boss-related horror stories to fill several volumes of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. These bosses may be successful, but how their reactions impact their employees is anything but. 

If you can stay cool, calm, and collected when unexpected disasters strike, you will be better prepared to deal with them as soon as possible. There’s no point in letting the pressure get to you, and even if it does, you shouldn’t let your employees know this to ensure everybody remains calm. 

To give you an idea of what to do, here are some of the most common disasters founders will face when running their business.

IT Failures

With companies relying on computers and technology more than ever before, it’s easy to fall into a routine of expecting everything to work first, second, and one-hundredth time around. However, as useful as computers can be for day-to-day operations, they are not always perfect. 

Your business will encounter IT failures at some point, and these failures can range from cybersecurity breaches to server downtime to disappearing data to systems just not working at all. This throws a cyber-wrench in the works and can disrupt the workday immediately. 

Without computers and mobile devices, your business may not be able to function, and if your business cannot function, then you could lose out on contracts, clients, money, and precious time. However, you can be ready to overcome these problems by working with companies such as Charles IT that will be prepared to attend to your needs at a moment’s notice, no matter what time of day to ensure the downtime is minimal. 

Losing Your Star Player

Operational disasters are another thing you should be wary of, and one of the critical operational disasters that can affect business, both large and small are losing your star player. This employee could be your best seller, your motivational manager, or someone who helps bring positivity to the office. 

Whenever you lose this player, you immediately recognize a shift in the atmosphere. It’s the opposite of when you lose a toxic employee who brought everybody down. However, while large businesses can often make adjustments relatively seamlessly due to a broader pool of personnel, it is not as simple for small businesses. 

The star will need to give their notice, which is typically two weeks, but sometimes as long as a month before departing, and this will provide you with the chance to vet potential candidates whether you promote from within or bring in someone from elsewhere. If possible, get them started early to work with the departing employee for a few days so that any bumps in the changeover process are flattened. 

Marketing Mishaps

No matter how slick or forward-thinking your marketing department is, there is always a chance that there will be some marketing mishaps along the way. These mishaps can include a lack of research, failing to find a unique selling point, or ignoring the needs of the customer. This can also include an issue when your company is featured in the press—perhaps your company name was spelled incorrectly. Another significant issue is when companies try to jump on new internet trends and miss the mark entirely, sometimes even delivering an offensive campaign. 

They say that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and as long as they are talking about you, it should be considered a success. However, these mistakes can wreak havoc on your personal reputation and business image, and while people have shorter memories than most due to the frantic 24-hour news cycle, it can still be hard to recover. 

Before launching any campaign, make sure that the plan is seen by everyone who could offer advice and decide whether this campaign is the right one for your business. Doing this will make you more prepared for any backlash, but with the right eye, that backlash should never arrive. So the lesson here is to be smart and prevent issues or crises from emerging in the first place.

Late or Non-Existent Stock

If yours is a business that sells a product rather than service, then there is always the fear of late or non-existent stock affecting orders, both current and future. These supply errors are another thing that can ruin your reputation, even if it is nobody’s fault. 

The most obvious solution is to ensure you have an abundance of stock that will prevent any orders from missing their delivery date. However, this can lead to having too much of this stock, which can leave you with boxes of potentially useless products you will find hard to shift. 

Instead, consider being in constant communication with your suppliers and make arrangements in the event of a missed delivery. You can work out the best way to reimburse or compensate customers, while also ensuring you understand where the missing stock is and when it will arrive. 

Something Kinda Natural

Natural disasters or Acts of God, are something you hope never affects your business or anyone for that matter. However, depending on where your business is based, natural disaster threats, whether a storm, hurricane, or flood, among other issues, may always be present. 

These disasters can prevent your employees from getting to work, or they can cause blackouts and severe damages to your office. It’s important to have a contingency plan to overcome these disasters when they happen to ensure you do not lose any time. 

You don’t want to put your employees’ health at risk, regardless of how important meetings and launches might be. So if they cannot make it to work, do not force them. Likewise, if the office is damaged, then having Work-From-Home procedures in place will allow everyone to carry on without risking their health. 

A Cool Head In Crisis

Keeping your cool won’t just have benefits for your employees but also for you, too. While you can’t prepare for every eventuality, you can still do everything you can to stay calm when they arise. If you are relaxed, so too are your employees, and this will allow everybody to work together to work out your next move and overcome the disaster - whatever it might be - confidently and effectively.

Keeping Your Business Safe, an Investment Well Worth Making

When it comes to running and growing your own business, your daily tasks most likely consist of fulfilling what your customers needs and ensuring all operations run effectively. From shipping out products to customers, carrying out your services, and marketing your goods, it’s quite probable the security of your company is the last thing on your mind. That’s understandable but it’s necessary to move that to the top of your mind.

But if you sell physical goods or have an office where computers and other technological equipment are stored, then it’s time to up your game and avoid the kind of security breaches that might stop your business in its tracks. In this blog, we take a look at how to boost your security and keep your business airtight.

Staff Security

As well as keeping your goods and products secure, the safety of your staff is more important. Your warehouse teams might have their own name badges and use them to swipe in and out of areas but when was the last time those badges and swipe cards updated? If you don’t have an automatic system in place to send reminders out to renew photographs and update staff details, then consider getting that done. This will help keep your logistics safe.

CCTV and Other Appropriate Equipment

It might feel like you’re spying on your staff but when it comes to security cameras installation, yet having an eye in the sky is going to keep your employees and your goods safe. As much as you trust your staff, if there are any irregularities or you need to get to the bottom of how mistakes have been made, then having a visual record is going to help you to improve your warehouse processes and make for a smoother running operation.

Outside of your working hours, you’ll feel safer knowing that your CCTV cameras are recording what’s going on around the warehouse, particularly if they’re monitored by an outside security company.

Insure Your Business and Employees

While your daily focus is likely on delivering products and services that meet your customers’ needs, it’s crucial not to overlook the fundamental protections that keep your business resilient in the face of adversity. Ensuring that both your operations and your employees are covered by the appropriate insurance policies is not just a safety measure; it’s a strategic investment in the stability and longevity of your company. It’s essential to have conversations about different types of insurance with independent insurance agents who can offer tailored advice and options suited to your specific business requirements. Investing in insurance is a decision that secures your business’s future and demonstrates a commitment to your employees’ well-being.

Training Your Staff

The best way to stay on top of your security is to have your staff trained and to keep that training up-to-date.

Your team members should stay vigilant and work in a culture where they’re not afraid to report to a team leader something, or someone, they’re unsure about. Create the kind of environment where vigilance is rewarded and staying on top of security issues is part of the everyday process.

Then you’ll know that your business, your goods, and your staff are in safe hands and that you’ve done everything you can do to keep it all safe. You may need to invest a little money to bring your security systems up to date but when the alternatives are a loss of stock or an injury to a member of your team, then that investment makes sense financially as well as ethically. Get it done today for peace of mind tomorrow.

5 Important Ways To Keep Your Business Safe

It doesn’t matter the nature or industry of your business, but keeping it safe all round is of paramount importance. The truth is that there are threats presenting themselves from all angles daily, and if you’re not ready for them, then you can end up losing a lot of time and money trying to get things back on track. In fact, a lack of safety and security could bring your business into a hardship that you really struggle to get out of. So, how do you make sure that your company is in safe hands all of the time, allowing you and your team to feel as secure as possible?

Here are five ideas worth considering to keep your business safe and secure.

#1: Listen to the experts

If you want to keep your business safe, then one of the most important things that you need to do is listen to IT and cyber security experts. Things like cybersecurity, information technology, and virus protection are of vital importance, but you may not understand the ins and outs of it as your IT team or specialist does. Consider their advice, and don’t dismiss the opinions of the experts in this field. If you do, you could live to regret it in the long-run when a security risk presents itself to your business.

If you are outsourcing this part of your business, we recommend choosing some of the best in the business to trust our business to. For example, companies like Securitas Technology have a strong reputation in the business IT market as a reliable option. You need experts who know what they are talking about, and can be counted on to provide the best protection for your business. Choose someone that you are willing to listen to, or your business could suffer for it.

#2: Embrace new tech tools and software

New technology is always being developed for those who want to keep their businesses safe and secure from hackers, fraud, malware, and cyber threats. From ID management services that allow you to see exactly who is coming in and out of your office to new pieces of software that can protect your customer data, the world of tech expands as the capabilities of those carrying out security attacks advances. Stay on top of it, and look into the ways that you can utilize tech.

Secure internal communication is also vital for businesses because it safeguards sensitive information, promotes trust, and ensures compliance with regulations. When communication channels are secure, companies can prevent data breaches, leaks, or unauthorized access that could harm their reputation or lead to financial loss.

#3: Get clued in on health and safety

One of the biggest financial threats to a business is ignoring the health and safety regulations that you should be following and enforcing. If one of your employees gets hurt in the workplace and you’re the one who is at fault for not assessing the risks that are present, then, well, you’re probably going to get sued. This is the last thing that an entrepreneur needs to handle. This can leave you in the red financially, but it also makes your office an unsafe place for you and your team.

#4: Protect your data

If your employees are heading off to a new company and they work in fields like social media management, public relations, or marketing, then your data is an absolute gold mine for them. It means that they can tailor ads and posts to people and that they have all of the personal information needed to really pull in customers to their new business. On top of this, it is, of course, illegal in most places. Protect your data and your future as a company. Make sure you have the right protocols in place.

#5: Make sure that everybody is on board

Security and safety are not one-man issues, and if you’re going to be successful as a business owner, then you need to have everybody on board. Outline your policies and courses of action, and be sure that all of your employees know them inside out. You can even ask them to sign an employee handbook or manual. This will mean that nobody is making silly mistakes that could threaten the safety of your business and that everybody is on the same page. Have a meeting, review all safety protocols with employees when they are hired, and make things clear so there are no questions.

Good luck!