Technology has dramatically shaped the way people live their lives, whether it’s smartphones equipped with professional-grade cameras or social media mapping out your preferences. These advancements have opened seemingly limitless opportunities in the realm of business too.
It’s important for business owners to stay up-to-date about new technologies and how these can be used to improve their operations. Business security is one specific area that needs to be prioritized especially as breaches can be devastating to business.
In fact, cybercrime costs the global economy an estimated $450 billion every year, according to a Hamilton Place Strategies study. Here are some ways that technology can help you find ironclad solutions to your security needs.
8 Ideas to Earn Money | Generate Alternate Income | 3 Important Investments
Real-Time Monitoring
Devices like closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have made it possible for business owners to keep track of operations in real time. CCTV cameras can help detect security threats like burglary and property damage. They can also improve productivity as employees become more accountable with their time knowing someone is watching.
Aside from giving you video footage and deterring crimes, CCTV cameras can let you check in on your business anytime and from any part of the world. Some CCTV camera models can be synced with smart devices like your smartphone or laptop so you can quickly take a peek into your shop or production area.
This ease of control is priceless to you as a business owner, who have more urgent things to do than constantly check in on your employees in person.
Efficient Communication
Instant-messaging apps have streamlined communication in previously unimaginable ways, and business owners need to take advantage of these benefits. Fast and clear communication is critical to business security.
Gone are the days when you had to draft and send out long emails only to be left unsure if the message was read or not. Messaging apps can make it easy for you to send instructions in real time and see which members of the group have seen the message.
Also, unlike written memos, online messages are paperless so you also minimize clutter in the office. If you work with more than one team, you can create separate group chats divided based on assignments or skill sets. Before creating the online group chat, inform everyone that the medium is strictly for work-related discussions only to prevent unnecessary and time-consuming chit-chat.
Accurate Identification
There might be certain areas in your company that you want to restrict access to. These include storage rooms of expensive or hazardous equipment, employee files, and computer servers. Thieves and hackers are becoming more sophisticated by the day, so it’s important that you stay one step ahead of them when it comes to securing sensitive areas of your business.
Technologies like biometric scanners and RF card machines offer a more accurate means of identifying whether a person is authorized to access restricted areas. Unlike simple ID cards that can be easily forged, biometric machines rely on unique fingerprints for identification while RF machines can only be accessed using RF cards issued to specific employees. Train an emergency response team to quickly troubleshoot security breaches like theft and burglary.
Your team should also know how to use various lockpicking tools in case someone gets locked in the restricted room.
Protect Sensitive Data
In 2017, 30 percent of consumers in the United States were notified of a data breach, according to a report by Javelin Strategy and Research. Implementing foolproof data security is nonnegotiable if you handle sensitive financial information like credit card information from your consumers.
Data theft can not only cost you significant sums of money, they can irrevocably damage your reputation and make you lose customers and investors too. Nobody wants to work with businesses that are known to have compromised data security.
You can address the issue of data security by upgrading your current IT team and equipping them with the latest trainings and technologies, or you can enlist the help of an external cybersecurity firm to help audit your current system and submit proposals on how to improve it.
