Securing your Business over the Christmas Period

With business’ winding down for the Christmas period, they can become prime targets for increased cyber attacks, criminal activity, and property damage.

We’ve put together a few top tips to help you protect your business and prevent any unwanted disasters occurring before you return in the New Year.

Plan Ahead

First and foremost, plan ahead. Most companies slow down over the Christmas break, remember, Christmas is the time for Christmas parties, so your staff will be out of the office more than usual. Ensure you start making the necessary plans early enough so that you have plenty of time to implement them. Get the help of a security expert if you’re unsure of the best place to start.

Understand your Security Risk

Budgets are always tight, especially around the Christmas period, so spend the time to understand what you are protecting and who you are protecting them from. Understanding your security risk is the first step in protecting your business effectively.

High Value Items

Make securing your high value items a priority. Think of those items in your business that are the most important to your business’s operations. They should be securely locked away and access strictly controlled over the Christmas period. If they are accessed, for whatever reason, you should be made aware of it.

Access Control

If access to your business is required over the Christmas period, consider allowing access to only those parts of the business needed and restricting access to all other areas. If staff members have routine access to the keys for your business, consider revoking that access unless absolutely necessary.

Intruder Alarms

If your commercial security system doesn’t already include an alarm, it’s worth considering arranging an installation. An alarm should detect any unauthorised access of all external doors, windows and roof access and inform a third party. And if you combine with security lighting and a motion sensor, your business building will become a stronghold during the dark, wintery evenings.

Site Perimeter

Your business perimeter can take many forms, but make sure it is clearly demarked. Let everyone know that this is your business! Simple signage warning people that your property is equipped with an alarm and a video surveillance system are also an effective deterrent.

Designate a Keyholder

Ensure somebody is on call throughout the holiday period to hold the office keys and attend your office if an intruder alarm activates. Entrusting a professional security company with this is essential as a timely response to an intruder alarm will decrease the chances of an incident and minimise damage. A keyholder should be prepared to attend the office in the middle of the night and also have the necessary skills required to deal with a potential burglar.

Destroy Confidential Information

Ensure any documents that are not needed in the New Year, containing confidential information are safely disposed of. Place all your legal, financial, HR and other sensitive documents in a locked filing cabinet.

Back-up your Data

Sensitive and important information should be fully backed up. Ideally, your data should exist in 3 locations: working copy, back up, and offsite back-up. Secure cloud storage will. also, ensure that any work conducted at home is saved remotely in the event of a device being misplaced.

If you run a business, Christmas is about taking that well-earned break. The last thing you want to do is organise an insurance claim in January which could have been avoided with the right plans in place.

For a fully comprehensive guide to protecting your buildings, you can download our guide here.

If you need any further assistance, please get in touch.