Are you looking for the best security system for your small business? Most times, established service providers offer security systems made especially for small businesses – and they are even more effective with the complementary services they provide.
Three Steps for Evaluating
Managing partners and 3rd party vendors of any kind can be done easily in just three steps:
- Vigilance of oversight,
- Clarity of the combined benefits to your business, and,
- Fitting your budget.
When it comes to establishing and managing the best security system for business, proper vendor evaluations are no different. As your vendors evolve and change their business offerings, pricing, or product availability, your ROI may change. You owe it to your business to stay on top of what your providers are delivering and how they compare to their competition.
Step One: Vigilance of Oversight
Oversight of the providers you may choose, or have chosen, requires big picture thinking as well as day-to-day management. According to the CFO Edge, the mix of your vendors should be reviewed on a regular basis. We say that “regular” is likely annually. It makes sense that you stay on top of how your providers expand, launch new product features, and adjust their pricing. CFO Edge says, “Constant diligence is required to ensure that vendor relationships remain mutually beneficial and companies spend their time focusing on the relationships that can have the greatest bottom-line impact.”
Step Two: Clarity of Combined Benefits
Because we know already that losses from onsite crime can put companies out of business, it is critical to look for comprehensive small business security systems to protect your business. Therefore, the best security system for business most often involves more than one provider.
Crime deterrents are a necessity in today’s world but how do you know the right combination of security alarms systems for business and your locations? Live guards, a virtual guard, closed circuit television monitors, alarm systems, video surveillance monitoring, and barrier controls can all be effective ways to deter some theft and vandalism on your properties. But, individually they are likely not enough.
Challenge yourself with these questions:
- If you choose just one of these, is it enough?
- And if you choose them all, are they redundant?
- With multiple providers in your small business security systems, is it more expensive than is worth it to ensure you have the best security system for business?
Step Three: Budget, Budget, Budget
No matter how you oversee and evaluate your small business security systems and surveillance providers, fitting your budget is critical to the success of your business. Of course, some security alarms systems for business cost more than others, so finding ways to add value to the services you have already chosen can offset your spend.
The simplest way to manage combined benefits with overall budget is to understand complementary services like remote video monitoring or video surveillance monitoring. To make an educated decision about protecting your commercial properties with the best security system for business, the following six considerations should be factors in your analysis:
- Ability to deter crime before it is attempted,
- Tracking of onsite events during business hours and during closed hours of operation,
- Total property visibility and records to review activity,
- Delivery of insights related to the monitoring and security of your properties,
- Prevention of theft, vandalism, or other crime at any of your sites and,
- Total cost of your security program.
If you have not evaluated the mix of your small business security systems and surveillance providers lately, it may be time to reassess where you are getting the most ROI, and where you have gaps. It sounds simple to evaluate your providers regularly, know the combined benefits you get from you providers, and stay within your budget. Sometimes an outside perspective helps though. We are here to alleviate your worries about finding the best security system for business so just let us know how we can help.
