Why It’s Important To Install Security Alarms for Companies

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Security Alarms|Why It's Important To Install Security Alarms for CompaniesManaging a company is an arduous task. From prospecting, working with clients, to leading financial aspects of the business, it seems like the challenges are never-ending.

As a business owner, you must ensure that you are doing everything right for the company to run smoothly. The problem is that most business owners become too engulfed by the issues of the company that they forget to work on another equally-important element – the security of the company.

A security system like security alarms is something that every company should have not only to prevent robberies and thefts but also to save money and time. Of course, the last thing you would want is for your company to end up in jeopardy.

Installation of security alarms is already a widespread practice among homeowners, and it would also be a profitable investment for businesses.

If you still have doubts about reaching out to an alarm monitoring company and unsure if it is going to be beneficial to your business, take a look at the following reasons why it is essential to install security alarms for companies.

It Protects Your Company Building From Fire.

Security alarms are not only all about preventing illegal intrusions and theft. This system can also be an added layer of protection against fire. Modern security alarms now have early warning features to alert business owners about potential fire outbreaks.

A dedicated team of professionals monitors the security system to ensure that the right people in the company will immediately know about sources of heat and smoke. Heat and smoke detectors have become a popular element of a fire prevention technique.

A security alarm system will also notify the authorities so that they can respond to a building fire in no time. Prompt response from the authorities is essential since time is the most significant factor in any emergency. Immediate action from the monitoring team, the company, and the authorities could identify the difference between the safety of the company employees and the destruction of the building.

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Security Alarms|Why It's Important To Install Security Alarms for CompaniesIt Receives Real-Time Updates About The Company Security Situation.

Due to the continuous development of technology, business security has never been more affordable, sensitive, and specific. Modern security alarms can now send updates to business owners through their mobile phones, enabling them to keep an eye on the security situation of their business at the comfort of their homes.

Real-time updates also mean peace of mind for business owners, even if they are away on a trip for a business meeting or extended vacations.

A multifaceted security alarm system now has complex coding systems and varying access levels, enabling business owners to secure private business information. These features take away the worry about external or internal burglary from the business owner. It’s because they are working with experts to ensure extra protection and safety of their company.

It Keeps Your Valuable Company Assets Safe.

Investing in a security alarm system for a few hundred dollars will save you lots of money in the long run. A security system deters thieves from breaking into your company building just by the thought that you have a security alarm in place.

Having security guards is not enough since thieves have become more sophisticated these days in terms of their methods for breaking into a building, and they can get past the guards quickly. Not to mention the fact that thieves have also improved their weaponry and can take down a small security force, like a piece of cake.

With a security alarm installed in your company, the relevant authorities get notified, and police can immediately help out in neutralizing the thieves. This is why company owners, as well as those who maintain commercial buildings for rent as their business, should get a security alarm system installed as soon as possible.

It Prevents Unethical Employees From Stealing Company Cash.

Have you ever wondered why your company is suffering despite hitting your target sales each month? If so, then you can assume that an internal burglary is happening in your business, and someone from your employees is the culprit.

You can prevent this kind of scenario in your company with the help of a security alarm. The security system enables you to monitor the behavior and activities of your employees. It makes sure that they are not taking out money from the company illegally.

It Lets You Focus More On Running Your Business.

While the security of your company is essential, you cannot afford to spend all your time worrying about it and forget about the other things that matter in your business.

Having a security alarm system installed in your company building gives you the peace of mind knowing that your business is protected and safe. This way, you can focus more on what you do best – running, and growing your business.

Conclusion

A security alarm system is a necessity for companies nowadays, and there is no doubt about it. It is one of the best decisions a business owner can make in the face of a rising rate of crimes related to robbery and burglary. A security alarm is one of the security priorities for the growth of your business.

Environmental Impact

Though the above steps are useful in moving towards an eco-friendly future, it’s important that you always consider the environmental impact of any work that you carry out. For example, if you were planning on constructing more commercial buildings – your focus should not only be on obtaining land but instead should focus on obtaining the right kind of land. For example, you may need to carry out ecological surveys ahead of time if the construction of your next commercial property could interfere with animals or wildlife. This is due to the fact that many animals, such as bats, are classified as a protected species – meaning certain steps must be taken ahead of time to maximize their safety.

Therefore, it is within your best interest to work with companies that provide bat surveys for professional ecologists, as this means they can perform routine surveys to figure out whether any bats are living in the area in which you intend to build upon. Working with these companies means that you can continue with your construction without damaging animal life – thus clearly demonstrating your commitment to a greener planet.

How to Manage Risk with Captive Insurance Companies

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |captive insurance companies|How to Manage Risk with Captive Insurance CompaniesInsurance is a complicated, yet important, aspect of any company. It’s what lets companies behave confidently, assured that if they face damages as a result of taking poor risks, they’ll be able to cope. Yet, not all businesses can be covered by traditional insurance companies.

For them, there are captive insurance companies that cover businesses that traditional insurances find too risky. And captive insurance companies manage to do this in a simple, yet effective, way. The business owns the insurance company itself and relies on itself to cover any damage it may endure while operating.

Only large companies can afford to use captive insurance companies, since having one requires having enough money to dole out insurance. For the most part, captive insurance companies are a way to prove that you have the money to make risky plays. And that’s not all they can do for a company.

To learn how captive insurance companies helped large businesses, keep reading below!

Captive Insurance Companies Put You in Charge of Risk

No matter what kind of business you’re in, your company will have to take on a level of risk. Doing business requires that you behave in ways that can cost you more money than you make, and there needs to be some way to recoup your losses. Most of the time, traditional insurance helps you do this.

Yet, there are some kinds of companies that traditional insurance companies don’t cover. These are large companies in risky industries that insurance companies simply can’t afford to cover. Luckily, companies this large usually have enough cash on hand to invest in captive insurance.

When a company invests in a captive insurance company, it is free to behave however it wants. It doesn’t need to follow a policy created by a traditional insurance company. Instead, it creates its own policies and controls how much risk it can take on.

Ensure You’re Allowed to Use Captive Insurance

Not all industries can use captive insurance since they create the possibility to reduce the amount of oversight in companies. Captive insurance companies create the risk that wealthy business owners will create shady tax havens for themselves. They may store money in captive insurance companies to avoid having to pay tax on it.

Using one can land you in severe legal trouble, and you may need to spend more than you save using them. So, talk to a lawyer and make sure your captive insurance company is set up correctly. It helps avoid risk, and that’s what business is all about!

Captive Insurance May Not Be For Everyone

Captive insurance companies are complex businesses that don’t exist outside of larger corporations. When a company gets big enough, it can eventually use a captive insurance company to take on new kinds of risks. Yet, for average business owners, they may not be worth the cost.

Average business owners can keep reading our website instead, to learn how to make the best decisions for their company. We understand the kinds of risks you’re used to taking, and we’ll guide you through it no matter what!

Why Acquiring Background Checks – and Waiting for the Result – is Imperative for Helping Keep your Workplace Safe

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Background Check|Why Acquiring Background Checks – and Waiting for the Result – is Imperative for Helping Keep your Workplace SafeWhether you are a small business or a corporate giant, the need for placing security as a priority for your employees goes without saying. The very first step employers should take in providing a safe work environment is to screen all possible new hires through a quality background check. By “quality” I mean “thorough.”

Yet, as a security expert (and a former Public Officer / Detective specializing in violence prevention), I often see employers who are more interested in the speed and cost of a background check rather than the quality.
However, I would go so far as to say that employers can’t afford NOT to run a thorough background check. The threat of workplace violence is a continuing problem that will not be blunted by cheap and incomplete (or inaccurate) background checks.

Due to the frantic world we live in, too many employers and HR professionals believe that a comprehensive criminal record check can be completed instantly. But unfortunately, it cannot.

To buy into the INSTANT or “FAST FOOD” variety of background checks will not create a safe environment that every employer and employee needs and desires.

When You Use a Quality Background Check You MUST Wait for the Results before Hiring

It is an HR manager’s dream: the perfect candidate walks into an interview with a superb resume, terrific qualifications, and great interview responses. It’s a “no-brainer” that this is the right person for the job. Yet the dream can easily turn into a nightmare when the candidate is offered the job position BEFORE HR gets the results back from the background check.

The new hire starts work, and things are progressing well until a week later when HR receives the individual’s background check. Reality hits. Besides many red flags, there are also prior convictions that leave the employer no other choice but to promptly fire the employee.

In this case, the new hire is terminated and must be escorted off the company property. It is a scenario that no business wants on its hands. Besides being an awkward situation, it puts the work environment of other employees in a compromised position rather than one of safety.

The Takeaway

Background checks are important in detailing an individual’s history and play a big role in narrowing candidates. Depending on the type of background check, it can take some time for the results to return to the HR team.
Although waiting for a check to clear may seem like an inconvenience, it can’t compare to the problems created by an ill-informed job offer. The screening process should not be overlooked or rushed.

It is far better to invest the time needed to secure a comprehensive background check and wait for the results before offering a job candidate the employment position. By doing so, you show your fellow employees that providing a secure work environment is your greatest priority.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Mike McCartyMike McCarty is Founder & CEO of Safe Hiring Solutions with thousands of clients such as Liberty Mutual Insurance, Kiwanis International, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, and more. Mike has more than 25 years of violence prevention experience that includes being a violent crime detective with the Metro Nashville Police Department, and a violence prevention consultant to organizations such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Justice, National Sheriff’s Association and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

4 Reasons You Should Think Twice Before Trusting a Free VPN Provider

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |VPN|4 Reasons You Should Think Twice Before Trusting a Free VPN ProviderThere are some free deals you come across that seem to be a real no-brainer and well worth taking advantage of but there are also plenty of scenarios where get something for free may not be the best option for a number of good reasons.

For example, there is a fundamental difference between cheap VPNs and a free alternative that comes with strings attached.

Here are some things to look out for and some reasons to think carefully before being tempted by the offer of a free VPN deal.

When the numbers don’t add up

There is an understandable boom in the VPN market at the moment and it is easy to appreciate why so many people are looking to use a virtual private network when you consider all the security issues attached to going online.

You will clearly want to protect your personal data from hackers and may also want to enjoy the freedom to access and browse sites with the degree of anonymity that comes with connecting via a VPN.

You are putting your trust in your chosen VPN provider to have adequate resources and protocols in place to provide a decent level of security. However, investing in the right hardware doesn’t come cheap and that can often mean a free VPN provider takes shortcuts, making them potentially unsafe to use.

A free VPN could infect your device

If you were tempted to download a free VPN for your Android device, for instance, some estimates suggest that as many as a third of free Android VPN contain malware.

All of a sudden your free VPN deal doesn’t look so good when you are subjected to a ransomware attack and have to spend money resolving the issue.

You are a sitting target for advertisers

Clearly, free VPN providers need to earn money somehow and the preferred route is often to let you have access to the network in return for watching some adverts and being subjected to pop-ups.

There have also been allegations of unacceptable privacy violations through the use of trackers that allow your provider to sell marketing data to a third party.

There might be times when you might be prepared to watch a few annoying ads to get something for free but if a free VPN offers this sort of deal you might want to think twice.

Problems watching your favorite shows

One of the reasons you might decide to use a VPN is because it gives you the chance to stream content that you might otherwise not have any access to if geographical constraints apply.

Being able to watch your favorite Netflix box set wherever you are in the world should be an option when you connect via a VPN but you might discover that a free VPN provider could be taking some of your bandwidth from you.

If you don’t mind interruptions to your viewing caused by buffering issues in return for a free VPN deal you are in the minority.

A lack of bandwidth is definitely a plausible reason why you might want to avoid using a free VPN service. When you also consider the potential security issues and the prospect of being subjected to loads of pop-ups, it doesn’t make the offer as appealing as you first thought.

The Best Safety Tips for Running an E-Commerce Business

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |E-Commerce|The Best Safety Tips for Running an E-Commerce BusinessAs a growing volume of retail transactions become ‘etail’ transactions, it’s becoming even more critical that your e-commerce business takes all necessary precautions to protect your business interests, your customers’ interests, and their data.

Here are some important safety tips you should bear in mind if you’re planning to launch an e-commerce business.

Online Security

Without a secure website, there is no e-commerce business that is safe. Not only does your website have to be user-friendly, attractive and built with shopping features for the user, it must be secure. If your website is ever hacked and your data is breached, this could mean a swift end for your business as consumers will no longer trust your brand when shopping online.

An e-commerce site should be hosted by a company who offer back-ups and are operational 24/7. Criminals don’t keep to office hours and neither should your web hosting service provider. A good web host will have maximum uptime and offer data protection and detection services that can quickly detect and fix malware or breaches.

Hypertext transfer protocol secure, or HTTPS, is the secure version of HTTP which is utilised for the secure movement of information on a network. Your e-commerce website should be hosted on HTTPS to avoid hackers gaining valuable information on your website.

Before you can move your website to HTTPS, you will need an SSL or Secure Sockets Layer certificate. SSL is security technology which encrypts links between a website and an internet browser. An SSL certificate can be purchased, installed, activated and updated on your website. SSL certificates do expire so ensure you renew the SSL before the expiration.

Avoid the Fraud

Unfortunately, credit card fraud on e-commerce sites is quite common. To avoid being the victim of credit card fraud, make use of AVS or Address Verification Services, which compares billing addresses supplied by the consumer to the address registered by the bank for that consumer. Add technology that can detect IP or Internet Protocol addresses which may seem bogus in relation to the shipping information as an added security process.

Privacy Concerns

Ensure you use secure payment gateway platforms on your site which releases security patches and provides shipping method extensions for better privacy. Doing this alone is not enough as consumers must be reminded to shop responsibly and safely. Reminders to consumers, preferably through an automated system, to use strong passwords and to change them monthly is a great way to help your consumers protect themselves too.

Never store sensitive financial information such as credit card details on your website. Hackers are particularly fond of gaining this data to commit online crimes with. To avoid this extremely serious data breach, employ the process of Tokenisation. Tokenisation identifies, removes and encrypts the sensitive information for you, such as credit card information, to prevent hackers from gaining access to this data.

Insurance for Your Delivery Service

A growing number of bricks-and-mortar businesses are launching ecommerce solutions, enabling customers to place an order through their website and then have the product couriered to their home or office. While this is a great way for offline businesses to compete in an increasingly online retail environment, it does mean you will need to take out courier insurance alongside your online safety precautions.

Courier insurance can be found through a comparison site like Quotezone.co.uk, and will protect your delivery vehicle as well as the goods that are being transported. There are greater risks attached to courier vehicles because of the potential value of the goods they are transporting, and therefore it is essential to be adequately covered when delivering or collecting goods.

Trademark

The final consideration to implement is the process of trademarking your company or brand name and logo. This will protect your website as well as your brand in the event of domain theft or duplication. Ensure your name and products are protected by trademarking them; often other companies will duplicate your entire site for profit and if you are not protected, you can lose your business. Ensure your copyright notice is clear and visible on your site and related documents.

Taking your business’s cybersecurity, insurance and brand name seriously will protect and safeguard your bottom line in the event of crime. Although the process of establishing an e-commerce website is relatively easy these days, the security and service you provide will set you apart from the competition and ensure your business thrives.