Many companies back up their data, store it on redundant servers, and have emergency plans for the worst scenario possible. Other companies ensure everything is in order and back up their servers four times a day in case of a disaster. But there is something that has been going on for thousands of years that many companies don’t prepare for nearly enough: theft. Here are some tips on how to secure your business from people who mean to take from it.

Be Vigilant

Pay attention to your surroundings, even if you’re the boss. Threats are often easy to spot, but because everyone is absorbed in what they’re doing, no one notices when a theft is taking place. This can happen anywhere, even in a business that isn’t hosting a retail environment. How do you prevent it? Make sure that someone is in charge of checking in corners of your office every few hours, and have a meeting about how your employees can prevent theft. You’d be surprised at how effective just watching out can be.

Invest in Permanent, High-Tech Solutions

Though sometimes they can be pricey, installing a quality system that deters criminals from stealing from you can be a good idea. You can even rent high quality surveillance equipment if you can’t afford to buy it outright. In fact, the price of renting equipment has dropped by about 50% over the last ten years, making everything much more affordable to acquire for an office environment. Invest a few more dollars in automatic detection systems as well, so when someone walks into a space that is vital to your business, the cameras start running and the lights turn on to help scare away potential criminals.

Password Protect All Equipment

Protecting from theft doesn’t just mean protecting from people on the outside. Sometimes it also means protecting your data from people on the inside. One of the easiest ways to do this is to simply lock your computers. You can password protect them and set them to log-out once two to ten minutes has passed. This guarantees that data that is essential to your company’s well-being isn’t going to be stolen by anyone who just so happens to be walking by the computer at the time.