urglary and theft are some of the most expensive causes of property and information loss for many companies. It can also hurt your business. Thus, hurting your team's ability to serve your clients.

For this reason, you should always put in place business protection measures to prevent theft and burglary. Follow the below steps to protect your business and prevent theft from both your internal staff and external thieves:

1. Use Alarms to Secure Your Business Premises

To secure your premises effectively, ensure you use an effective alarm system. A state-of-the-art alarm system will effectively discourage anyone who wants to break into your office. This includes burglars intending to steal an employee's identity to gain access to your building by fooling the security system.

Ensure that your doors have a well-installed deadbolt. Any exposed external windows should also be fitted with bars, shatter-resistant glass, security films, and screens. You can also install a driveway alarm for an extra layer of security.

2. Lock Away Your Business Files and Other Records

Any physical records you have of your business should always be placed in lockable cabinets. These records include customer and employee files.

Ensure the cabinets are always locked when your team members are away and don't need access to the files. This includes breaks such as lunch and coffee breaks.

Remember also to store backup copies of your files in secure cloud-based storage. This backup will help you retain all essential company files if something happens to the physical ones.

3. Install CCTV Cameras

Installing high-quality CCTV cameras is one of the most effective ways of deterring burglars. Cameras are linked with a significant reduction in crimes and theft in business premises. This makes it an effective and quick solution to preventing theft and property damage.

When shopping for CCTV camera tools for your business, consider purchasing the ones with motion detection and remote viewing capabilities.

4. Be Careful When Answering Phone Calls

Many criminals use phone calls to obtain information from businesses. It's very easy to impersonate another person when speaking on the phone.

Whether the person on the other end wants verification of specific personal data or requesting access to a customer's information, never provide information on call unless you are 100% sure you know the caller.

Some criminals even pose as credit grantors, governmental agencies, or insurance providers. They do this to steal information from unsuspecting businesses.

Information thieves have well-crafted ways of stealing personal information and accessing even well-protected computers. Thus, be very careful when providing sensitive data on a call.

5. Limit Computer Access

Most businesses store essential information on their computers. Employees also use these computers to access the company’s software systems and communicate with clients and other business partners.

Therefore, all your computers need to be password-protected to limit access to the information in them. You should also restrict access to your business's network. That’s because every employee doesn’t need access to certain confidential information.

6. Protect Your Business From Hackers

One of the significant threats to business security is hackers and cybercriminals. Small businesses lose an average of $200,000 annually due to cybercrimes. Information theft and other fraud techniques are the top priority for many hackers.

Small businesses don't take the proper steps to secure their computer systems. Thus, making it easy for criminals to hack and steal essential business data. Ensure you have a firewall to protect your business from hackers and keep all your software systems updated.

Software manufacturers often update their systems' security measures with every new update. Thus updating your software offers you an extra layer of protection.

7. The Internet Is Very Dangerous

When your employees are online, they need to know the dangers that lurk on the internet. Paying for a service or product using a credit card may not be dangerous when you're using a secure website

However, there are also other dangers, including viruses and spyware. This could happen if you visit certain websites that do not have security.

Educate your employees on how to stay safe while browsing the internet using company computers. If you are using online cloud-based storage, ensure you encrypt the data you upload. Remember to also protect it with a strong password.

8. Don't Broadcast Personal Information

We live in a world where hackers and information thieves look for ways to steal your business and personal information. With this information, they could access your finances, clients, and other business information. Some criminals also purchase personal information online with malicious intent.

For this reason, it's imperative to avoid broadcasting any business-related information. Train all your staff members to keep any employee and client-related information confidential. In order to protect confidential information, remind employees to switch off their computers when on breaks.

9. Include Essential Security Measures into Your Company's Culture

Create a solid security policy and ensure you enforce it on every staff member. Adopt this policy as a part of the general company culture. The first step to reaching this goal is educating all your employees about essential security issues. These include fraud, data protection, and identity theft.

The policy should also include email protection, safe internet usage, and network access. You can also include strategies to protect customer and employee information in the policy. Train your employees on ways they could ensure their safety while browsing different websites online.

You should also create a good plan for reporting security-related incidents as soon as they happen.

You can also share a manual of all the issues surrounding online threats with your employees. These include data theft, company security, and what to do in case of a security breach.

10. Limit Access to Former Employees

Ex-employees should not have access to your company's database. Sometimes, ex-employees may decide to harm your business. This is often the case if they didn't leave voluntarily.

Keep in mind that your ex-employees know intricate details about your business. Thus, making it easier for them to harm your company.

For this reason, it's essential to cut them off. You can do this by disconnecting their access to your company data and computer networks.

Consider Purchasing a Driveway Alarm for Maximum Business Protection

Today, commercial theft has become rampant, affecting most small and medium-sized businesses. Thus, it's essential to ensure you take all measures to protect your business from criminals, both virtual and physical.

One of the most effective business protection tips is installing a driveway alarm. Browse through our selection of high-quality, state-of-the-art driveway alarms to find one that best suits your business needs. You can also contact us if you have any questions, and our representatives will help you find the best alarm for your business.