Office security is something that you should be prioritizing in this day and age. You never know who might be walking past your business and potentially scoping it out to enter unauthorized in order to cause problems or even steal from the company premises.
It’s often the case that letting your guard down will be the time in which your business is attacked or taken advantage of. With that being said, here are six ways to improve office security and prevent unauthorized entry to your company premises.
1. Make use of an access control system
A good way to ensure your office premises are protected is to use an access control system. A physical access control system is something that helps keep track of who is coming in and out of the building daily. Not just your employees but also occasional guests and clients too.
Access control systems can put that extra security in place when you need to restrict any unauthorized entry that might have occurred previously. There are plenty of biometric systems in place that can help enable more control for those who need to access specific areas.
Key points of using an access control system include setting access levels and assigning unique credentials to those coming in and out of the building. This could be a swipe card or pin to show who is coming into the building as an employee or guest, etc.
2. Install CCTV
CCTV is certainly something that you’ll want to look at installing if you haven’t already. As a business of any shape or size, when you have office premises, there will be times when it’s not being used and this is when it’s particularly vulnerable.
You can also benefit from CCTV systems around the property in order to monitor the premises for any suspicious activity or potential problems where you need video surveillance for evidence.
While it might seem invasive to some people, CCTV has definitely helped to monitor business premises and protect its staff and anyone who is entering and exiting the building.
3. Introduce visitor management software
Visitor management software is imperative to have in place when you have guests coming to the premises on a daily basis. You need to be able to have proof of who is in the building and who has left.
This management software is important to have because should an emergency occur, you’ll want to take a record of everyone coming out of the building and tally that up with who is confirmed to still be on the premises.
With visitor management software, you’ll have a much better grip on who is coming and going from your premises. It’ll also stop anyone coming in who hasn’t registered their attendance at the reception desk. You could reinforce this part of the entry, by adding in the access control where even guests need swipe cards to get through the barriers.
4. Train your employees
Training your employees is useful when it comes to improving office security. After all, they are in part responsible for the security of the premises, so you’ll want to ensure you’ve provided them with ample training and knowledge of how the building operates and functions.
When first onboarding your new staff, make sure they’re aware of how to get in and out of the building. Any protocols or plans in place when it comes to emergencies are also something they should be knowledgeable about.
The more you can train your employees on security protocols and reporting suspicious activity, the better awareness you’ll have of everything going on within the building.
5. Secure your entry and exit points with physical security
Every entry and exit point should be as secure as possible. After all, if it’s not secure, then this could be a vulnerability for someone to easily exploit. That’s why it’s important to look at securing these entry and exit points with physical security.
Reinforcing physical security by ensuring all doors and windows are properly locked and not worn or falling off their hinges is key. You may also want to think about adding physical security in the form of security guards patrolling these areas.
6. Plan for emergencies
You never want an emergency to happen but the reality is it can do. Therefore, you want to prepare your employees for that to happen.
Regular fire drills and education on what to look out for when it comes to suspected bomb threats or terror attacks are important to be knowledgeable on, particularly when it comes to work environments where the above is a high risk.
These tips will help to continue improving your office security and reduce the threat that’s often present to your employees.