Keeping your business in good health financially is, of course, one thing but what about protecting it from fraud and other criminals? A lot of business owners try to keep their businesses safe but, since they don’t know exactly what to protect it against, it can often be hard to cover yourself from all angles.
Here is a quick guide for small business owners on how to keep your business a bit safer this year. That way, you’ll know what you need to do as your business grows and can feel a bit safer during your days of work.
Online Safety: Safe Browsing and Employee Training
Your safety online starts, first of all, with proper anti-virus software. Cybercriminals may attack from any corner and scurry away with your business details, employee’s personal details, and all of your credit card information.
It’s important that your team knows how to spot unreasonable requests for information, strange-looking emails, as well as any other signs on your computers that the system has already been hacked.
Treat your company to a cybersecurity conference that focuses on training your employees to recognize attempts at phishing and other cybersecurity threats.
Keep the training up and repeat it at least once a year; launch a mock attempt after a month or two to see if the information has sunk in – and reward the ones who are ahead of the others. You can have a look at Ivrnet for some more information on what to do in case you have been subject of credit card fraud.
Offline Safety: Alarm Systems and CCTV
If you’ve been robbed once and think the criminals won’t return, you’re in for a sad surprise. It is common for criminals today to target a specific trade, such as a restaurant or a hotel, and steal a small amount – only to come back for a bigger scoop later on. When you’ve already been robbed, the first thing you should do is to install a loud alarm system and a CCTV camera.
For most business owners who experience such a thing, it is common sense to invest in these right away.
When and if the robbers return, the system will have a preventative function as well; the sight of a red blinking light tends to scare most of them away. Think prevention when it comes to all aspects of your business and avoid having anything taken away from you in the first place.
Depending on the kind of business you’re in, it could be a good idea to get in touch with reputable security guards as well. Their mere presence signals safety and control to both outsiders and employees; you can even get in touch just to have a safe place to store your spare keys, for example.
Spend time with your employees and talk about how they can help you to safeguard it. They are the ones who are present in the office at all times and are able to recognize crime right away with the proper training. It’s the kind of stuff that makes it a bit easier to sleep at night.
