Security in a business is a hugely important thing to think about and it is something which is just as essential to good business as your accounting and sales. Making sure that your building, your employees and your data is safe is a big thing and we need to make sure to think about ways to improve it every single day. Here are some ideas for first time business owners for security.

Use A Fob System

Now I know most of my readers work from home as solopreneurs but If you have an office building already there is one thing you will want to make sure you do immediately, and that is to make it safer than other buildings on the street. Add a fob system. Rather than anyone being able to walk into the building, you can provide employees with fobs to unlock the doors and this will stop any random person coming in and trying to steal from your business or worse.

This also apply to those of you working from home. Never give your full home address even where it is a compulsory element of your business. This is mostly apparent with your email lists and provider. You can leave out the number or name of your address and still comply with the compulsory element for GDPR compliance.

Do not make yourself vulnerable to those who want to profit from your errors or mistakes when giving out personal information.

Secure The Office Inside And Out

The office is the heart of your operation and because of this you will want to make sure that it is as secure as it can possibly be. One of the ways to do this would be to make sure you have a big strong fence around the property. You can also install cameras and lights around the building to deter robbers, and you can plant thorny bushes underneath windows to stop people trying to climb into the building to steal from you.

Not so easy when your office is also your home. However, the same rules apply. A home that has outside lighting is less vulnerable than one that doesn’t. A gravelled drive makes a lot of noise and will deter burglars. Obvious CTV will also make them think twice, same as a big dog, my favourite deterrent !

Keep Records Safe

Business records can include anything from invoices, contracts, employee data and client data: and this forms the beating heart of your business. It is therefore so important to make sure you are securing your business assets because if these things are stolen it can be a huge problem for you and you can end up losing your business altogether.

Please ensure all of your technology is password protected so no one can actually access your records and ensure the passwords are personal and different from anything that can be guessed. Use different passwords for different apps and accessible records. A pain I know, but if you are creative it can be done and it will hinder any criminal activity.

Turn Machines Off/Lock Them Up

When you leave the room for the bathroom, for lunch and at the end of the day you need to make sure to lock your computer and ensure that no one else is able to get into it. Although your workers are usually trustworthy you never know what they might do and making sure your device is locked will make a big difference to you. You can also think about turning your computer off at the end of the night rather than simply locking it because again this is something which makes it difficult for hackers.

This applies to those of you working from home, alone too.

Be Aware Of Emails

Emails are the bane of our existence online. Hardly a day seems to go by without the mention of a foreign noble or our bank trying to get information from us. My current favourite is a message telling me my paypal account is suspended. No it is not and I never open the message let alone open the attachment.

If you ever see an attachment in an email which you were not expecting, make sure that you do not open it, and delete the message immediately. You might need to also train your staff to ensure that a virus is never let loose in your business server. If this ever does happen it could be Armageddon for your business and the end of it all.

Final Thoughts

As small business owners or even solopreneurs then you will be enticed by malicious emails that could compromise your business or even bring it to its knees. We have our personal information out there in the internet. Whilst it is Important to be open with our genuine readers, it is also important to protect our privacy and our businesses.

I hope this post has given you some poise for thought and some ideas on how to protect your business online. If it has then please give it a share on your favourite social media platform. Sharing is caring.

As ever if you have any questions or just want to share your thoughts or experiences then please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

With Grace and Gratitude

Karen