Burglar alarm monitoring for small businesses

Whether you are a start up or an established small business you have likely considered the security of your building and assets. Burglar alarm monitoring for small businesses is an often an overlooked area but is essential in the fight against crime.

In this article, we will explore how valuable burglar alarm monitoring for small businesses really can be.

Does my small business need burglar alarm monitoring?

If your business has any assets on the premises then intruder alarm monitoring is very important.

Your assets could be anything from high value goods such as vehicles, materials or finished items. Or it could simply be computers and desks.

It is easy to think a monitored burglar alarm is a luxury if you ‘only’ have computers to lose. But how would your business cope if you lost all the data? Sure, you could replace the hardware and it would cost hundreds, or perhaps thousands. But what about all that valuable data?

The loss of knowledge could be devastating before we even get onto the breach of GDPR.

Let’s look at the risks of not having a monitored burglar alarm in more detail.

What are the risks?

Every year, thousands of businesses are broken into. On the whole, business theft has risen by 9% across the UK.

But that is an average. One Police force saw an unbelievable rise of 3,292%, according to this article.

That 9% raise has added £2m onto the annual cost of theft to business.

Theft to a business can cause catastrophic, irreversible damage:

1) Loss of assets

Raw materials, finished products waiting to be shipped, machinery and tech can all add up to costly losses if your premises is broken into.

2) Loss of reputation and trust

Late deliveries, incomplete orders or even the loss of a customer’s assets could mean you lose a lot of customers and find it hard to replace them.

3) Data protection breach

Losing or compromising sensitive data can result in huge fines. Under GDPR, the ICO can fine businesses up to €20m or 4% of the company’s annual turnover. Could you afford 4% of your annual turnover after losing your assets too?

4) Damage to property

Having to repair property that has been damaged during a break in is a hassle and a cost most of us can do without.

Needless to say, thieves don’t break in neatly – most will smash windows or break locks and doors.

Very often, thieves will cause damage to the property once inside, whether it is in haste or malice. We have heard of cases where criminal damage, such as graffiti, is also committed as well as the theft.

5) Raised insurance costs

A theft raises insurance costs and may make it more difficult to get insurance at all. Yet another cost to heap on top of replacing assets and repairing damage.

6) Reduced morale

This sounds stressful, doesn’t it? Not only will you have a horrible time sorting it all out, but your staff might lose morale too.

No one wants to feel unsafe at work. One of the biggest and most damaging side effects of an intruder at work is feeling nervous and unsafe.

Low morale can lead to your best staff leaving, increased time off sick, and lower productivity.

How does burglar alarm monitoring for small businesses help?

Burglar alarm monitoring for small businesses is an essential part of security.

Sure, a burglar alarm that just makes a sound is a good start, but they only work as a weak deterrent. Some burglars who see an alarm box will be put off. A few will be startled enough to stop breaking in if they hear a sound.

But a monitored alarm means the police will be called as soon as a verified alarm is triggered. That means burglars are more likely to be caught in the act and less likely to target your business again.

Some unmonitored alarms notify the owner if they are triggered. Great, but do you really want to waste time driving to work, checking if a burglary is indeed in action, and then calling the police? It increases the time it takes to get the police there and it puts you at risk.

Or, the other option is you get there and thankfully it is a false alarm. But do you want to be called out in the middle of the night for a false alarm?

A monitored burglar alarm saves you the hassle and the risk. Plus, it means the police will get there quicker if it is a genuine alarm.

How to get a monitored burglar alarm for your small business

If you would like to talk to an expert about the cost and process of a monitored intruder alarm for your business then please give us a call. We can work to monitor your existing alarm or we can fit you a new one.

Our expertly trained staff are on hand to respond to any alarms 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in our fully accredited Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

Ready to discuss your solution?

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