Businesses need to run their affairs tightly in order to succeed. They need to look towards the future while providing the solutions of today. They must be organized and efficient yet still leave room for creative development and experimentation. Businesses must be customer-facing and keep their most important and secure assets defended. Companies must know how to secure themselves but not impede the daily function of their staff to an excessively harsh level, leading to difficulty in output.
Ensuring your business security and defense can be challenging to do. It can be hard to know what boundaries to draw, what lines are respected, and what authority is given. It can sometimes feel like an overly complex thing to implement as a boss. This is especially so if an entrepreneur wishes to establish a comfortable environment for their staff.
A business owes itself the ability to secure whatever operations it holds. This is a duty the business has to itself, future development, and clients and customers. With the following advice, you can fulfill this vital duty.
Hire Professionals
It can often be troubling when your staff does not engage in proper safety protocol. But this ‘safety protocol’ can be defined in many ways. Impeding your firm need not only be a matter of a security breach. It could be a matter of how your staff’s behavior impacts your business. Take the CEO of Gearbox (a celebrated and huge video game developer) leaving his USB key filled with explicit material and important business documents behind at a restaurant. Consider how an employee’s Twitter usage might lead you to a PR nightmare.
Of course, part of hiring professionals is encouraging professionalism through training. But if there’s no clay to work with, you’ll have a hard time crafting a teapot. Regardless if your staff you are hiring is in the IT or human resources department, don’t rush through the hiring process. If you go too fast, you may overlook critical signals that show they are not a match for your company.
Secure the Premises
If your business operates out of an office building or another type of storefront, you also want to think about securing the premises. How well lit and secure are your entryways? Do you need a security guard on site 24 hours a day? How outdated are the locks on the doors and windows?
With the advances in technology over the past years, a cellular keyless gate entry system may be just what you need. A cellular keyless entry system allows you to control access from anywhere – all from your phone. No internet is required, and the system can be installed on a gate, door, buzzer building, or most locked entry points. It’s convenient for team members while adding an extra layer of security at the same time.
Ensure Accountability
You need to ensure accountability in your business, from all angles. Let’s say your employee went on a business trip and submits a claim to the company for a significant amount of their expenses. You find out the expenses they claimed were not business expenses. They spent company money on things like dinner with their girlfriend, renting a sports car, etc. Covered expenses are specified in company policy. It would be best if you held this employee accountable. No matter if you utilize an effective WatchCard to ensure fuel miles are being used appropriately for logistical network or ensuring customer support representatives are investigated for using offensive terminology towards a problematic client, it can be important to know how and when to hold people accountable for their violations.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to be a draconian company, making employees second guess themselves time and time again and laying blame wherever possible. In fact, having more tangible accountability and disciplinary systems can help you fairly resolve issues. It will also give employees who may have made a mistake the opportunity to learn from their actions.
Keep Your Suites Updated
It can often be the case for businesses to delay updating their computer systems because they dislike the changes that might occur. For example, it’s not uncommon for creative professionals to feel critical of Adobe creative suite changes that occur from time to time. But of course, especially with the cohesive packages of your IT suite, it’s essential to keep everything updated. This can prevent you from encountering the latest infiltrating viruses or other difficulties to catch your staff out. This also means updating your VPN software and ensuring your operating systems are carefully renewed. If that means renewing a license, then so be it, the cost is absolutely worth the return.
Hire A Competent Attorney
No matter how well-meaning, how transparent and how careful your business is, at some point you may need the services of an attorney. They could be needed for very many reasons. For example, you might be operating well as a business, only to face a lawsuit from someone who claimed they cut their finger deeply on one of your drinks-can pulleys. When I was working to obtain a trademark for my company, there were some complications that arose. I chose to hire an attorney familiar with the process to draft all of the paperwork. No matter how small or strange a case may seem, it is worth having a competent lawyer on your side.
Consider hiring a competent attorney, preferably one from the outset who can remain familiar with your business over the years rather than continually contacting sporadic law firms. They can also provide valuable advice that can help you gain the most strength when it comes to the fundamental operation of your firm. Of course, the peace of mind that also comes with this is hard to overstate.
Insure Yourself
Look into what type of insurance your business needs to protect itself. Building, contents, employment, health, and safety insurance are just a few out of many insurance packages you may need. Most businesses can often come to a prepared arrangement with insurance companies to bundle these packages. This can help you avoid significant financial pitfalls, particularly ones you aren’t expecting. For example, it might be that your staff member causes damage to your manufacturing line. With liability insurance, that needn’t be such a harrowing prospect to potentially put your business under.
The same could be said for insurances that prevent your up-to-code products or services unintentionally causing harm. The business would be able to survive during a product recall while you handle the legal and PR ramifications of such an incident. Without competent insurance, it’s only a matter of time before something large enough comes and knocks your business out of play. For some companies, insurance is a legal requirement, doubling the importance of getting this right.
When it comes to the security and defense of your business, you often only think of the physical requirements, hiring security guards to keep you safe. While this is important,y you must keep in mind other aspects of security. Learn what is needed to protect your investors, customers, and employees and you will not only strengthen the trust you have with them but gain some peace of mind as well. Here’s to YOUR success!
Carolyn R. Owens has over 25 years of proven experience and serves as a Career Strategist, Executive and Leadership Coach. She is the President of Infinity Coaching, Inc. where she can help you up-level your skills, so you can up-level your income, career, business or life. Infinity Coaching, Inc. provides coaching, organizational training, personality assessments, and a signature program, the Infinity Coaching Inner Circle. Carolyn is certified to give both The Energy Leadership Index Assessment and Myers Briggs Type Indicator Assessment. You can find out more about both assessments and other products and services at https://infinitycoaching.net.
