How Would You Rate Your Small Business Security? – ADT Can Help

23 Jul How Would You Rate Your Small Business Security? – ADT Can Help

How Would You Rate Your Small Business Security? – ADT Can Help

Before we look at what an ADT system can do for the security of your business premises, let’s look at the background and check some statistics. Our questions will help you focus on areas that really matter.

A national crime report for small businesses was published in March 2015 by the Jewelers’ Security Alliance. Even if you are not a jeweler, or run a pawn shop, do you have valuable equipment on site? What about raw materials, retail stock or other property that thieves would find attractive?

Most small business premises are also vacant at night. So, one way or another, if you run a small business these statistics are significant. The report, itself, was compiled from a survey of 21,000 Alliance members from all 50 states, and you can access a copy of the full report here. The report helps you to think about where your premises might be vulnerable and what you can do about it. If you know that, you can make plans, improve your security-maintenance standards, and install the most appropriate security system for your business. Let’s see what the report said.

Many after-hours burglaries began by the criminals breaking in through the building’s roof, or an unprotected adjacent wall, ceiling or floor. The security system was usually disabled or compromised in some other way. Three-minute burglaries – that is a burglary that takes less than three minutes – were also common. Most were nothing more than smashing a window or glass door, then grabbing inventory and escaping. The three most common locations for this sort of burglary were mall-based stores, stand-alone premises and strip centers.

It’s worrying to note that, according to the report, some security systems were not being monitored by an outside station. In other cases they were being station-monitoring but police units often saw no sign of criminal activity during their initial response (entry through the roof or an adjoining wall?) They were unable to conduct an internal search, so they left the scene. It is probable that in some cases, criminals were still on the premises or still close by with their haul.

With these figures as a background, let’s look at how you can make your premises more secure.

Your Building Premises

You know your building and you can ask yourself questions about how you might reduce your vulnerability to attack – either by strengthening parts of the building or by improving your installed security system in some way. Here are some questions to help you:-

1. How much valuable property do you keep on site after hours?
2. Is it visible from the outside?
3. How much could be quickly thrown into a ‘get-away vehicle’?
4. How easy would it be for a criminal to get on the roof and from there get into the building?
5. How easy would it be to break in through an adjacent business’s wall or A/C ductwork?
6. How well are your basement doors or skylights secured?
7. How well could your doors and windows withstand a ‘smash-and-grab’ attack?
8. Are there recently-vacated adjoining properties that would make it easy for a burglar to get into your premises?
9. Apart from the loss of property, how big an impact would a burglary have on your business because of having to make repairs or from the publicity, etc?

Security Systems

Now let’s move on to how you can increase your security level and change the odds in your favor. Firstly, not all alarm systems and not all security alarm companies are equal. It really pays you to do your research. Let’s ask ourselves some more questions:-

1. Was your current alarm system designed for your business or did you inherit it from a previous occupant?
2. Does the system meet minimum protection guidelines for your line of business?
3. Has your insurance carrier given an opinion on your system?
4. How could the system be improved, bearing in mind the statistics you’ve just read?
5. What is your monitoring company’s track record?
6. Are the security protocols for the system in place, to standard, and being followed (who checks the system’s performance, who arms it, who could disable it, would you know if it had been disabled, etc)?

How an ADT Security System Can Help You Be More Secure

We are specialists in advising on the most appropriate security system for a business. We have the latest equipment using the latest technology, as well as a countrywide chain of linked monitoring stations. An ADT security system does more than sound an alarm and message you or the police, An ADT system can also reduce the likelihood of a crime being committed in the first place.

Based on your answers to the questions above, we can advise you as to which system would be of most use to you – and would fit your budget. For example, an ADT Pulse system would give you video monitoring in 30 second bursts when it detects after-hours movement. An IP camera system with remote recording will give you high def visual records of, say, a vehicle’s license plate and an intruder’s personal features. This could be crucially important for subsequent detection and prosecution. Battery back-up power means your system will operate even if all electrical power to the building is cut.

If limited access is important, ADT can provide key-less access control – both during the day and after hours. This feature not only enhances general security but it also makes it unnecessary for you to re-key all locks after someone leaves your employment.

Summary

Recent crime statistics throw light on how vulnerable a small business can be. They also help you, the business owner, think about how you can minimize your vulnerability to a possible attack. We would love to discuss things with you and to see how we can be of most help, so please feel free to contact us by clicking here to discuss any issues on which you would like some advice, and so we can help you to maximize security for your business.