Building Management: Security Tips To Safeguard Your Commercial Property

Your building and the people inside are at risk from a variety of issues, from health and safety concerns to actual criminals hoping to remove your valuable equipment and harm your business. The only way to be sure that your people and your business are safe is to understand the different aspects of security and to plan ahead for any potential problems. Here are our top tips for safeguarding your commercial property and ensuring your business and people are safe from those who would do you harm. 

Hire a Professional for Planning

Good security doesn’t just happen; it is fully planned out in advance and made up of a variety of different technologies and approaches to create a comprehensive protection plan for each facility in question. Some things are obvious — you know you need to lock your doors and protect your employees from unauthorised, unwanted visitors — but others are not. If you don’t know where to look and what to plan for, you could be exposed to far more risk than you think, and that exposure could cost you. 

Working with a professional to create a comprehensive security plan for your facility ensures you are truly covered, and since each facility is unique, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for your property. When you get advice and strategic planning assistance from a professional, you can be sure that nothing will be missed and you are not overly exposed to risk. 

Most of us know you need to physically secure a structure, but unless you work with security or facilities management all the time, you may not be aware of some other concerns. Commercial HVAC systems are at risk of damage and theft, according to EMC Insurance, primarily due to the valuable copper wiring they contain — thieves could target your roof and buildings to access that wiring, and destroy your roof and equipment in the process. Your manufacturing equipment, packaging supplies and even raw materials could be too tempting for thieves to resist, so even areas not normally open to the public have to be secured. 

A professional security services brand fully understands the risks a typical commercial building or facility faces and can help you create a plan that encompasses all possible points of access and risks you could encounter. You need three different types of systems and approaches to truly protect your commercial property, including: 

• Physical security, which includes locks, doors and physical barriers to entry. 
• Electronic security, which incorporates high tech locks and barriers to critical systems, smart locks and biometrics and even alarm systems and CCTV setups that can alert your team to trespassers and danger. 
• Manned security, including security guards in a greeting area, that roam your building or that work after hours can help your team and tenants feel secure, respond to emergencies, and make your facility an unlikely, unapproachable target. 

Ideally, your plan will include each of the different types of security listed above, and create a comprehensive barrier to entry that dramatically reduces your risk of break-ins, losses and other expensive problems that could prevent you from running your business. The only way to be sure your plan covers your needs in full is to work with a professional building management team to create a strategy that is uniquely yours. 

 Maintain the Property

It sounds counterintuitive, but keeping a clean, well maintained property is an essential cornerstone of good security. Your clean, well maintained property is less likely to attract criminals, because they will see how much care and attention you put into the building. They’ll assume you’re on top of security and protecting your property when they see how orderly your facility is. In contrast, a poorly maintained, shoddily kept facility telegraphs a message that says you don’t care, or don’t have time to worry about keeping your property safe and secure. This could lead to your brand being targeted by thieves and criminals. 

A well maintained property also prevents you from liability — people are far less likely to slip and fall or be injured while visiting if your facility is in pristine condition at all times. Waste, poor attention to floors and other surfaces and debris-strewn floors increase the chance of injury for your visitors and tenants, and put your facility at risk, too. 

According to The Balance, your overall brand identity is crucial to your business’s success. Branding is impacted by everything your business touches, from your packaging to your home office, so when your facility or home office is in poor repair, your overall brand perception suffers. 

Control Access

Do you know who is accessing your building? Once inside, can they go anywhere they want to? You need to be able to control access to both your building and to your more sensitive areas inside to fully protect your sensitive data and networks. Manned security, electronic security and locks and other physical security methods will keep your tenants and visitors safe and prevent you from being liable for injury or issues. 

Keep it Clean

A well maintained exterior can help thwart thieves — but a clean and sanitary interior is essential for good security and safety as well. When your kitchen, bath and other surfaces are not clean, germs can develop and illness can rapidly spread through the structure. If your facility includes healthcare, manufacturing or food businesses, then your attention to cleanliness is even more essential — your employees, tenants and clients are all at risk if your facility is not sanitary and well maintained. 

Be Proactive

Planning ahead and taking a proactive approach to security allows you to consider any possible problems and address them in advance, increasing safety and preventing damage and harm. Waiting until something goes wrong can backfire — you could end up with massive losses or injuries if you don’t take steps to secure your facility right away. A proactive approach ensures your business is protected and that you’ve done everything you can to create a secure and safe working environment for all who enter. 

Get Help with Security Services 

You don’t have to figure out how to protect your building, your team and your tenants alone, we can help. Our team works with brands just like yours to create comprehensive, custom plans to fully protect facilities and buildings and the people that they hold. Contact us to learn more and to start protecting your facility and your business the way your team and clients deserve.