5 tips to keep your business safe this winter

Christmas is just around the corner and it is the time of year that many of us will be saving hard and planning festivities with loved ones.

However, a new report shows that November is the worst month of the year for burglaries. A study by insurance firm LV= suggests that one in 10 domestic burglaries takes place during November, equating to a break-in every two minutes during the month.

Commercial premises can prove appealing to crooks, with the prospect of high value equipment on-site and the likelihood that business owners will be away from the premises overnight.

Follow these tips to help keep your business property safe from thieves.

1. Report anything suspicious

Get to know your neighbours within your business centre so that you will know if you see any strangers.  If you see any sort of suspicious behaviour report it to your business park manager.

2. Don’t tempt thieves

Burglars are often opportunistic and will look for easy targets. Don’t make it easy for them! Make sure your windows and doors are locked when you are not in your workplace, keep blinds closed overnight and ensure that valuable equipment is kept out of sight. If you have small valuable items, such as laptops, either lock them in a drawer or – even better – take them home with you.

3. Prepare for the worst

Burglaries can sometimes happen, no matter how careful we are. By taking some simple steps you can help ease the problems after the unfortunate event.  Ensure that you keep back-ups of any valuable records and data which needs to be kept onsite. Keep secure passwords on your business computers so that your data is not compromised. Also keep records of your company’s valuables and their serial numbers so you will be able to report them to police.

You could also use a UV pen to record your business’s details on the items, making them easy to identify as yours.

4. Check your insurance

Like other business centres, we provide buildings insurance. All of our customers need to provide contents insurance for their business units. Double check that your policy is up-to-date and provides the right level of cover. If your business has grown recently you could find yourself under-insured. Don’t forget to list valuable items separately on your policy.

5. Consider off-site storage 

Many businesses use off-site storage for data, archive files and back-ups as a safety net. Loss of data from a burglary or fire could be devastating for a small or start-up business, so ensure that any back-ups are not kept at your business unit.

Do you have any security tips? Look out for more tips on Twitter.