Just because your business is small, it doesn’t mean it has to be unprotected

The cost of not having a good security system for your business is far greater than paying to have one installed. For me, it really is as simple as that.

I do understand though, that particularly for small to medium businesses, or ones that are growing rapidly, there will always be other costs that seem just that little bit more important than paying out for CCTV, or an intruder alarm, or access control, or perimeter protection (or – as I would advise – all four!). But there really is no better way to safeguard your business against attack, damage, fire, or theft, and when you’ve made your decision to go ahead and install the best integrated security system your budget will allow for; my next piece of advice would be…

Always work with a professional security and surveillance company

You can always buy yourself an off-the-shelf system, but here are four good reasons for working with professionals:

• As a professional security company, we have access to trade-end products that you can’t buy from a hardware store. The products we incorporate into our security systems are commercially specific and are installed by specialist technicians with the relevant qualifications and training. You get a lot of electricians who will install security systems, but we find that the equipment isn’t quite right or specific to the site, or the configuration hasn’t been done properly. And if you do need technical support, you probably won’t have the same level as you would with a professional security company. For example, Zicam is accredited partners with equipment manufacturers, so we always have their technical back-up if needed.
• Expertise! If we take CCTV as an example, you can buy a ‘plug and play’ system, but what we use is a system design tool that means you increase the efficiency of your system. We assess the entire area to look at if there are places where there are objects that might obscure the picture and use the tool to establish the best locations for your cameras. We can also use it to dictate the type of camera we choose, the lens type, pixel density of the camera, and how much network bandwidth you’ll need.

• Peace of mind that you have the correct certification. As an NSI gold accredited company we are always aware of and up to date with the current regulations and standards and will always issue an NSI gold certificate for your system, which means for you that you have met your insurance criteria. If you decide to go down the route of self-installation and you do experience a break in and theft, the first thing your insurer will do is ask for certificate of conformity. If you don’t have that, all your insurance will be void.
• Expert maintenance and service is paramount to looking after your system and increasing its longevity. Regular servicing means your investment is well looked after and is operating to maximum efficiency.

Avoid considerable impact

Whatever your preference is for protecting your business – either self-installed or professional and certified – you really should fit a security system into your budget. A smaller business is not necessarily more vulnerable than a large one, but the impact could be a lot greater if you experience a break in or a fire. A very large company would, of course, still feel the impact but the chances of it really affecting operations would be far less than that of a small business.

If you talk to a reputable security system installation and maintenance company they will be able to advise you on the best system for both your needs and your budget. And if you think that company is Zicam, please pick up the phone and talk to a member of our team – any one of us will be happy to help you out.

Dave Salisbury, Managing Director, Zicam Integrated Security Limited.

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