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Top Tips for Increasing the Security Of Your Office, According to Security Companies

Shuretech • Feb 06, 2020

From making friends with your neighbours to installing a heavy-duty lock on the front door, there are many effective ways to increase the safety and security of your home. Protecting our homes from theft and crime is something we all prioritise and putting security measures in place is something we’re all encouraged to do, but what about the security of commercial properties? If you manage an office, what measures should you put in place to protect it against the threat of crime?

As offices are typically full of high-tech equipment and expensive goods, they are often a target for thieves. With this in mind, it’s especially important to put measures in place to deter criminals and keep your office secure against theft and damage. As a professional security company specialising in commercial security solutions, it’s safe to say that we at Shuretech know a thing or two about keeping offices safe; here are our top tips for doing so.

Invest in heavy-duty locks

First things first, make sure your premises have heavy-duty locks in place. This is a simple yet effective way to make it difficult for intruders to trespass and is something every building should have in place. Even the sight of a heavy-duty lock can deter criminals from trying their luck, so make sure you install a top-quality locking mechanism to every entrance and exit.

Most importantly, make sure to appoint someone - or a team of people - to lock up at the end of the day. You shouldn’t entrust your employees to do this, as it’s not their responsibility. Instead, make sure you have a caretaker or facilities manager to take care of this task at the end of the working day.

Set security alarms

One of the most effective ways to deter criminals is to install security alarms. There are many different types of security alarms, such as alarms with motion sensors and alarms with glass break detectors, giving you plenty of choice when it comes to protecting your building.

With a security alarm, you’ll be alerted to the presence of an intruder in your building immediately, giving you the chance to act quickly and deterring the criminal from staying any longer. Depending on the alarm you opt for, you may receive a notification to your phone or the alarm may emit a siren that catches the attention of people nearby. It’s always worth doing your research to figure out which option is the best for your business.

While some office managers decide to install fake alarms as a money-saving alternative to the real thing, this isn’t a sensible idea. To an experienced criminal, fake alarms can be easy to spot and therefore won’t act as an effective deterrent against theft and damage.

Invest in a CCTV installation

Another effective way to deter criminals from entering your office space is to install CCTV cameras. These can be installed inside the building or outside its entrances, but it’s probably a good idea to fit them in both places. This will allow you to see what happens in your office after hours, and if anyone breaks in, you’ll have footage to help the police with their investigation.

Additionally, CCTV cameras can act as a deterrent for criminals. Nobody wants to be linked to a crime, and knowing there’s a camera capturing footage is likely to put someone off breaking into your building. With some CCTV camera solutions, you can even have the footage sent straight to your phone, giving you full visibility of your building 24-hours a day.

When choosing the right CCTV solution for your office, make sure to discuss your requirements with a professional security company. They’ll be able to advise you on the different makes and models available to ensure you have the best possible security measures in place.

Employ a security guard

Sometimes, there’s no better way to ward off criminals than to have a human presence guarding your office. Employing a security guard means you’ll have a dedicated person on hand to watch visitors coming and going and to look out for any suspicious behaviour. A trained professional will be able to prevent a crime before it’s happened, but not only that, they’ll make it easier for you to identify the perpetrator if a burglary does occur.

After all, it’s rare that someone will try to break into a property before gathering as much information about it as possible, which may include making a trip to your office block to look for alarms, CCTV cameras and other security solutions. By watching the comings and goings of your office building on a day-to-day basis, your security guard will be in a good position to provide more information about a criminal spotted on camera, for instance.

Additionally, having a security guard on hand will surely make your employees and visitors feel safer. They’ll have someone to report to should they spot unusual behaviour or if they’ve been made to feel uncomfortable, which can go a long way in creating a safer environment for everyone.

Give employees security cards

For many modern offices, embracing access card technology is a great way to increase building security. By giving your employees security cards, you can ensure it’s easy to identify anyone who shouldn’t be in your building and who may have snuck into the premises, giving you the chance to act quickly and appropriately.

Additionally, security cards give you the chance to track the whereabouts of your employees. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to trust your employees completely - especially if you have hundreds or even thousands of employees - so putting measures in place to protect your office equipment and financial information from the wrong people is essential.

With employee swipe cards or fobs, you also need to install an access control system that suits your requirements. In our next point, we explore your options further.

Install an access control system

As we’ve mentioned, it’s important to be able to track the movements of your employees and office visitors. Doing so can help you deter criminal activity and make it easy to identify the perpetrator in the unfortunate case that theft or vandalism does occur. For this reason, we’d recommend installing an access control system; this allows you to track who goes where and see exactly where everyone is at all times.

Some access control systems even allow you to restrict employee access in cases where this is necessary. For instance, by making sure only employees in managerial roles are authorised to enter the office outside of business hours, you can prevent the theft of important documents or expensive IT equipment.

There are many different types of access control systems to choose between, including door entry systems, intercom systems and keypads. The system you opt for will depend on the size of your office, whether you share a building with other companies, how many employees you have and several other factors. To make sure you install the control access system best suited to your office, discuss your requirements with a professional security company.

Put turnstiles at your office entrance

If you have lots of visitors and delivery people entering your office on a day-to-day basis, you’ll want some way of making sure their presence has been recorded or at least acknowledged. One way to ensure this is to install turnstiles at your office entrance, preventing people from walking through without a swipe card or permission from an authorised member of staff.

By restricting the flow of people entering your office, your security personnel will also have more time to watch the comings and goings of the building. If someone is acting suspiciously, your security staff can investigate before authorising them access to the building.

Shuretech: Reading’s trusted security systems company

Are you looking for top-quality security solutions for your commercial premises? Shuretech is here for you.

Based in Reading, we’re proud to offer professional security solutions to businesses throughout Berkshire, London and the South East. We specialise in the supply, installation and maintenance of a variety of security equipment types and systems, and with a team of safety-accredited engineers on hand, are the go-to company for businesses in the local area.

For more information about our commercial gates, shutters, turnstiles, CCTV systems and much more, get in touch with us at Shuretech today.

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