Keeping your business safe both inside and out is one of your major concerns as a business owner. Everything in your business, including your data and employees, is precious and you need to do your part to protect them. Here’s how.
According to Business 2 Community, you should think before you send any information digitally. This may seem like an obvious thing to avoid, but it’s actually a fairly common mistake to make. Owners might send their tax information to their accountant or send their credit card number over a text message. These pieces of information can easily be accessed by the wrong people if sent virtually.
A recent survey shows some 87% of small businesses experienced a security breach in 2012 alone. This means it’s not just large companies with huge profit margins that face cyber attack. Since the attacks are so common, another way to protect your information is to be wary of public Wi-Fi connections. Anything that is sent via the public connection can be accessed by anyone logged onto the same network. If you’re out and need to use a Wi-Fi connection, think about using a Virtual Private Network instead. It’s a really easy way to make sure your information stays protected.
Along with thinking about your data, it’s important to protect your employees and office building. DuPage Policy Journal says May is “Building Safety Month”, so what better time to think about protecting your building than now? Every month, check all of the smoke detectors in your building. You should have one on every level and in every room of your space, so if you don’t have those installed, take the time to do so. While you’re at it, install any necessary carbon dioxide detectors as well. Your employees will feel safe knowing that they have an alert system ready for any emergency.
If you have a lot of employees that come in and out of your office every day, chances are you have a parking garage available for their use. Because of this, it’s important to make sure it’s protected, too. Install bright LED lighting throughout the garage to make your employees and others feel safe if they’re using it when it’s dark out. In fact, in many areas throughout the United States, the law requires parking garage lighting to be used 24 hours per day.
For many business owners, hurricanes and other natural disasters may be a concern. The Caller Times says it’s so important to be prepared for anything that comes your way. Have a plan in place and share it with your employees. That plan can include emergency contacts, an evacuation route, and what to do if a natural disaster hits while everyone’s in the building. If all of your company’s information and important documents are saved on your computer’s, consider backing them up to the Cloud or an external hard drive.
There are so many ways to protect your business both inside and out. Take the proper steps, like the ones listed above, to keep everything and everyone safe from harm’s way.