Many business owners overlook the need for proper security until it's too late---a fire or major theft or act of vandalism that costs time and money to fix. Proper security for a warehouse or retail environment is not difficult, but keeping the security program going requires diligence and an attention to detail.
- People are the heart of any effective security operation. Perform adequate background checks on all employees, and set access levels according to an employee's right-to-know or right-to-access business assets. Re-screen employees in sensitive positions every six months, and consider running credit checks to see if any employees may have a financial temptation to engage in fraud.
- Install closed-circuit video monitoring at major access points and near the storage area for valuable merchandise. Cameras obscured by a security bubble are very good for monitoring employees and customers without their knowledge. Retain video for a week or longer and review the recordings to assess whether there are patterns of long-term security breaches.
- Make sure that every door has a lock and that only authorized employees have a key. It is preferable, if budget permits, to install a keyless RFID cardswipe system so that individual access can be logged and reviewed after an incident and access can be terminated without risk of the employee duplicating his access-control device. In high-crime areas, a steel gate should protect any window large enough to crawl through.
- Supervisors should be trained on how to conduct security rounds---how to verify that doors and windows are secured, how to spot-check inventory in the back room, how to observe customers and employees for signs of suspicious behavior. Training should also address procedures for various types of security incidents.
- The business owner or corporate security team should conduct unannounced security audits to verify that all relevant procedures are being followed. Audits send the message that employees are trusted but that their work is being reviewed for thoroughness and integrity. Audits should include not only a review of the physical plant, but also checks against inventory databases.
- All electronic systems---including network access, email accounts and POS-terminal hosts---must have robust and unique user I.D./password pairs with complexity requirements and 90-day rotation schedules. Network administrators must be diligent in inactivating or purging old accounts and in keeping software up to date to avoid worms, viruses or hackers.
评论