Shop Security

[m5online]

Greetings Fellow Techies,

It's going to be a while before I get enough business to justify moving into a dedicated shop, but I was thinking about what kind of security measures you all take at your shops?

What kind of security systems do you have, if any?

Do you use video surveillance?

What kind of physical security do you provide for customer hardware?

Do you lock up machines in a cabinet of some kind?

What kind of processes do you have to deal with break-ins?

What kind of liability insurance do you have for loss of other peoples property?

I eventually plan on opening up non-retail shop, probably in one of the many business parks that riddle my area, so not really worried about retail-centric security measures.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[tkrabec]

Physical security is similar to digital security.
Log - Audio & Video
Delay - locks & barriers
Detect - Alarms
React - police

You need to be able to detect & delay, long enough for the police to respond.

So make sure you're close enough to the police station. & choose locks consistent with that time.

 

[iisjman07]

The shop where customers go is covered by 3 cctv cameras (which has a PIR attached to the lights, so the lights turn on at night if movement is detected) and is in view whilst we're working in the workshop out back. There's a bell on the door so we know when people come in... Anything of value on display is secured using those kensington laptop locks. We have a burglar alarm that I think phones the police automatically, the workshop is seperated by the shop by a door which is locked when we leave. I think that's it... We had a break-in by a druggie a few months back who threw a brick through the front door (it did take him two tries, twat); he didn't stay long and grabbed as many usb sticks as he could before bolting. The police got there before anyone else (we're very close to a police station) but they were a few seconds too late. Kinda reminds me of the old saying 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'.

 

[lassenpc]

Do you use video surveillance?

Yes - have 4 cameras 24/7 recording, sends email alert after hours if triggered; just moved to larger shop and upgrading to 8 cameras

What kind of physical security do you provide for customer hardware?

None; we do immediately 'tag' each machine brought in with customer info so they cannot get mixed up / misplaced

Do you lock up machines in a cabinet of some kind?

Nope

What kind of processes do you have to deal with break-ins?

Staff are instructed to (if robbed during business hours) let them take everything and call 911 afterwards, do not put up a fight. If afterhours, camera system notifies me, I call police, they catch bad guys onsite (hopefully!)

What kind of liability insurance do you have for loss of other peoples property?

1 million USD (has to cover all property, not individual)

 

[Alan22]

CCTV cameras are OK, but they really aren't a deterrent to anyone determined to burglarize a business. I know as I deal with this all the time with business clients who have retail stores. In just about every case the burglar(s) are covered in dark clothing from head to toe & wear gloves. Positive ID from video is extremely difficult. Video just records what happened.

Burglar alarms are necessary, but most burglaries are over in less than a minute. In & out. They are gone before the police have a chance to start their engines. In one case I was involved with the burglars cut communication lines on a utility pole outside (cable & phone). Communication was cut throughout the entire shopping plaza. They entered a few stores and ripped the alarms right off the wall, some even had cellular backup, but they didn't work as advertised. The burglars spent close to 3 hours robbing businesses from 1AM-4AM.

One thing I always think about when contemplating opening a shop is what to do with client equipment left on premises overnight. What would I do if I came in one morning and customer equipment was gone? That would be a nightmare.

 

[usacvlr]

If your shop is in a bad part of town get a gun. I close early and open late and I'm in a very good part of town plus the police probation office is across the street

Greetings Fellow Techies,

It's going to be a while before I get enough business to justify moving into a dedicated shop, but I was thinking about what kind of security measures you all take at your shops?

What kind of security systems do you have, if any?

Do you use video surveillance?

What kind of physical security do you provide for customer hardware?

Do you lock up machines in a cabinet of some kind?

What kind of processes do you have to deal with break-ins?

What kind of liability insurance do you have for loss of other peoples property?

I eventually plan on opening up non-retail shop, probably in one of the many business parks that riddle my area, so not really worried about retail-centric security measures.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[K007]

Get your premises insured.
But if your shop is in a bad area, your premium will be high.
Make up for it by increasing your prices and tighten up your "items not picked up in time" policy.
Late pick-up = extra charge.

 

[K007]

If your shop is in a bad part of town get a gun. I close early and open late and I'm in a very good part of town plus the police probation office is across the street

yeah right, like the gun is going to deter the ones who don't know you have a gun.
and if you are in bed and they circumvent the alarm system, nothing will work.
If this happens 2 times all your customers will know your shop is a hotspot for burglaries, and you'll lose your clients.

There is nothing you can do to protect your shop from burglaries that will work 100%.
Best thing is as I said, insurance, and put it down in writing then make your customers read and sign.

 

[Itech]

i dont believe in CCTV cameras, they are only good for deterrents. Don't waste your money in them, i have a collection of video tapes with thief's robbing my cars, attempted burglary, breaking into my shed. They are useless, good idea is to get IP cameras and view them from your home, then you can watch and hear anybody acting suspicious

I personally have 3 entries to my shop, the front shutters, the back door and a little window, the window has metal bars which are 2" thick and are impossible to get through, its only a small window anyway.
The back door should have as many bolts and chains as possible, plus a metal gate and a second reinforced entry door, so they have to break through 3 doors just to gain entrance.
The shutter, is well a shutter, there's no chance of them getting into that unless its a ram rade. In the Uk my security system allows me to pay the local police £50 so if the sensors go off in the shop police will be there within 7 minutes.

Once your shop is secure, i suggest you to think like a thief, lock the shop up, examine, even attempt to get into your shop, think of any weak points and work on them

 

[iisjman07]

Itech is right, cctv cameras aren't really worth the money, but signs that tell customers that they're on cctv work

 

[tkrabec]

Some of the research into the use of CCTV & video recording, shows that it moves many crimes outside of the view of the camera's, but do not stop crimes.
With that said, if a theif s going to hit a shop, they might was well hit your competitors, and not yours.

Remember computer security is about layering, so is physical, ie a complete solution. If you don't have experience in this, then hire a professional (the same thing we tell our customers).

 

[CPU]

Business owners policy and inclusion of a clause in your TOS for data at a minimum. If you got money then you could go with night/day camera system, alarm, motion detection, security lights.

 

[Vicenarian]

Well, you can't go wrong having a guard dog. Here's my choice:

Hey, if it works for Paris Hilton, why not for a computer repair shop?