Frisco Business Security: Watch for Burglars Targeting Business with Flat Screen TVs

Frisco Business Security Company offers 5 tips to protect your business from these flat screen bandits.

1. Take extra effort to secure TV's to the wall. Anything you can do to delay its removal will deter thieves from taking the time to steal it.
2. Have a 24/7 fast response monitored security system with a GSM Cellular backup communicator in case your phone lines are disabled.
3. Use glass breakage and motion detectors. Glass breakage detectors are essential if used properly as they will detect the intruder while he or she is still on the outside of your facility. Motion detectors are used to pick up any interior movement once the intruders are inside the building.
4. Use exterior sirens and strobes where applicable. Strobes should reduce police response time by helping them find the location faster.
5. Invest in a professionally installed video surveillance system that includes cameras with Wide Dynamic Range capabilities. This allows the user to have a face-on shot of exterior glass without the back lighting nightmare caused by many inferior solutions. (See Example Right)

**Bonus - Call today 888-696-8926 to schedule your Free, No Obligation Security Evaluation  **

NTX Security is a Frisco Business Security Company. For more information about NTX Security visit our website or call 888-696-8926.

5 Low Tech / Low Cost ways of protecting your office or suite from Office Creepers.

1. Require everyone to sign in and out when they leave the building. Yes, your employees will hate it, but it has to be 100% in order for it to be effective. This is also helpful in the event of an emergency.
2. Require every employee to present a customized PVC Photo ID badge when signing in daily. This ID badge should be worn prominently throughout the day while at the office (not in a purse or wallet). Stop anyone you see in your office without a badge. Owners and managers - this starts with you. I have seen many security measures blown off by management only to become the "Program of the day" by employees.
3. Issue a customized ID badge to be worn prominently to every visitor. You could take this to the next level by having badges color coded by different days of the week to assist in identifying an impostor. (Blue = Monday, Green = Fridays etc).
4. Provide employees a place to lock personal belongings (i.e. a desk drawer or locker).
5. Incorporate security and safety awareness in weekly staff meetings. Office Creepers not only impact your employees, but your customers, and ultimately, your company as well. No one wants to make a call to a customer to inform him or her that a laptop with their private data has been stolen.

• Ensure that you have a face shot of all visitors of your building or suite.
• Every entry and exit should have a  camera with an effective angle and clear shot.
• Place cameras in all common areas and main hallways .
• At all entry / exits and periodically throughout the facility, post that Video Surveillance is in use.

Please call 888-696-8926 or here to request our free security risk assessment.

Plano Business Security Company warns businesses to be extra careful during the holiday season.

We are seeing news reports daily of crimes involving businesses from petty theft to violent crime. 

The Washington Post and others are blaming the economy for the recent spike in shoplifting.  (See article excerpt below)

NTX Security is a Plano business Security company that encourages all retail business owners and managers to take 5 simple steps to help protect their business during and after the holiday season.

1. Post a greeter at all entry / exits. This provides an extra element of customer service and reduces risk for shoplifting, especially if they check receipts vs. purchases.
2. Have a clear face shot of all persons entering the building. This is accomplished by using a quality high resolution zoom varifocal camera.
3. Direct traffic in and out of the store to reduce opportunity for grab and go crimes.
4. Coach employees on what to look for, and more importantly, how to respond to a potential theft.
5. Schedule your FREE Risk Evaluation with NTX Security today.

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By Ylan Q. Mui

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 24, 2008; Page D01

Retailers have blamed the global financial crisis for a litany of ills over the past year: slumping sales, mass layoffs and bankruptcy filings. Now, they are looking to the economy to explain recent spikes in shoplifting from their stores.

Though individual retailers do not publicly report crime data, a survey of 52 national chain stores released this month by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), a trade group, showed that 84 percent reported an increase in shoplifting since the recession began. About 80 percent said organized retail crime had also jumped, and more than half said robberies and burglaries have risen, as well.

Read Full Story Here

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Business Security:

Businesses Say Theft by Their Workers is Up

Companies find that trusted employees often commit the crimes, and they believe the recession is to blame.

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN / WSJ

In October, an accountant at 321 Takeoff Inc. in New York became suspicious after an employee who normally filed weekly expense reports for around $80 began requesting $120.

When Alona Fromberg-Elkayam, the branding agency's president, approached the employee, she says she was met with flimsy excuses. She fired the employee, a midlevel designer.

Read More Here

In 2006, the American workforce accounted for 47% of all inventory shrinkage. Although this number itself is staggering alone, 16 out of the 24 types of retail businesses reported employee thefts well above this average.

The Top Five Retail Markets for employee theft:

1. Convenience Stores - 82.5%
2. Optical - 61.5%
3. Electronics/computers/appliances - 60.4%
4. Furniture - 53%
5. Discount Stores - 52.4% 

Take steps today to reduce your exposure to employee theft by scheduling your FREE Security Risk Assessment here or call 888-696-8926. 

Stats provided by 2006 National Rertail Security Survey - University of Florida

Dallas Business Security

Crime affects businesses and charities alike. It hits especially hard during the holidays.

Let NTX Security help your business or organization stay secure 24/7 with a custom designed 3-D Security Package.

3-D Security is a multifaceted approach to protecting you property.

1. Deterrent - Use signs and window decals notifying everyone that your premise is protected by a professional security company. Many businesses are starting to use digital deterrents that use a recorded voice when motion is detected after hours notifying the individuals their activity is being monitored.
2. Detection - This is your custom designed business security system. At NTX Security, we like to start with perimeter detection that announces when someone is attempting to break in. Perimeter detection notifies all parties before the the intruder has actually entered the property, likely chasing the criminal off. We also recommend interior traps and panic buttons, along with exterior strobe lights and sirens where applicable.
3. Documentation - No security solution would be complete without video surveillance. Although not at the foundation of a security "pyramid", there is no more versatile security component than a professionally designed video surveillance system. Your video surveillance or CCTV system should help you not only protect your business by documenting illegal behavior, but additionally, it will help you manage your business remotely and potentially save you thousands in insurance expenses and claims. Moreover, by combining the security system and the CCTV system, we can virtually eliminate false dispatches and provide the authorities a verified alarm (Crime In Progress) that reduces response times. Quicker police response means catching more criminals -in the act!

Call today at 888-696-8926 or go here to schedule your free no obligation security risk assessment. 

There are many reasons why you should protect your business with a professionally installed video surveillance system. We have discussed many of those in previous posts; however in a "effort" to be fair and balanced, here are the Top 10 Reason Not to Protect Your Business. 

   ... Drum roll please....   

10) Being profitable is not in style. Wall Street is in the tank, why not go with the flow?

9) You like paying too much for your GL and Workers Comp insurance.

8) You like the perks of running a non-profit entity.

7) Your employees are perfect and never need supervision while you are away.

6) Vacation? Who wants to spend time with their family anyway?

5) If someone is stealing from you, they probably need it more than you... consider it a gift!

4) Your employees don't really want big raises, better benefits, and increased job security that a more profitable business would provide.

3) Training and Quality Control is for amateurs. "I've been running my business for (insert time here) and we are as efficient and effective as possible!"

2) Nobody really slips and falls intentionally or while horsing around... do they? 

...And the number one reason not to protect your business with video surveillance...

1) Profits means paying more taxes; and you HATE paying taxes! 

If the above seems as irrational as it was intended; please contact us today for a FREE no obligation security survey and we can help you restore your for profit status!

Copper Theft continues to be an issue for many businesses across the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex. Wireless cameras placed at the the roof top access points will alert the monitoring center to to the crime in progress. The local police department can then be dispatched to your facility as a verified crime in progress, thus reducing the response time. The cost to replace a roof top AC unit is several thousands of dollar per unit - plus any lost production and collateral damage. Our two camera Copper Theft Kit starts around $ 3000.

Request a FREE No Obligation Estimate Here  

Thank you for including us in your latest edition of "LowesForPros.com"

Providing Valuable Customer Service

Contractors need tools, tips and techniques to create and maintain good relationships with clients. Company-wide programs and policies are the best ways to do so.

By Dennis McCafferty

After 16 years as a contractor, Greg Peninger has a simple formula for maintaining excellent customer relations—one he likens to being a caddy in golf. “I call it ‘Show up. Shut up. Keep up,’” says Peninger, whose Flower Mound, Texas-based business, NTX Security, specializes in high-end residential security systems for builders.

“‘Show up’ means you show up on time. Not too early. Not too late. ‘Shut up’ means you stay invisible if possible. You come prepared. You don’t ask about things that you’re supposed to know about. You get the purchase order right before you show up on the job. ‘Keep up’ means you get your work done on time and send your invoices in a timely fashion.”

If it sounds simple, that’s because it is. But the simplicity of the process is exactly why it is a system that works for Peninger--and precisely the reason why it keeps his customer relationships strong. "If you can handle those three things effectively, then you can earn the long-term relationships that we all want," Peninger says. Contractors that have adapted similar policies are reaping the rewards when it comes to much-needed repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

While the majority of respondents to a 2008 survey conducted by Philadelphia-based home-improvement products supplier Kimberly-Clark Professional DIY Business, found that 64 percent of home-renovation/repair customers believe most contractors are professional, more than one quarter of respondents cited a number of complaints about contractors ranging from cleanliness to professionalism.

In an economic climate that does not suffer shoddy work and inconsistent professionalism, contractors need to work hard to incorporate best practices into organizational policies in order to ensure that customer relations are never compromised.

If your organization has been at the receiving end of complaints, or if you think there’s room for improvement in your customer relationship skills, consider employing these tactics to strengthen your service:

Begin with the concept that a customer is a partner. The customer must be made to feel like a critical part of the process, with the contractor providing a transparent vision of what the project will require. “The customer needs to feel like an integral part of the project,” says Jeffrey Crane, president and CEO of Concept to Creation LLC, a Gilbert, Ariz.-based construction consultancy. “A lack of understanding leads to unhappy clients. So education, education, education needs to be your mantra. This creates a sense of mutual respect and even gratitude,” he says.

Use technology to take communications to the next level . Most contractors know that strong communication is a sure way to maintain good customer relationships. But, with today’s technology tools, contractors can take communication to greater heights, ensuring that there are no nasty surprises for customers once a job is underway. “Many customers aren’t living near a site. They may be a client having their dream retirement home built in another state,” Crane says. “So I advise contractors to e-mail them weekly updates of the work in progress, with photographs. This can be a very valuable tool.”

Make sure your subcontractors maintain the same standards. You need to effectively screen subcontractors, because a customer often won’t distinguish between what ‘your’ people did and what ‘their’ people did. Discuss jobs thoroughly with subcontractors so they understand your expectations. Get references from other contractors in the industry that you respect. And when the hired subs come through for you, reward them. “It could be as simple as arriving on site with pizzas after they’ve finished laying down the concrete,” Crane says. “When you demonstrate your appreciation in a clear way, they’ll go out of their way for you.”

Keep the conversation going. When the job is done, you can keep the customers on an e-mail list, and keep them updated with valuable industry news, such as the latest cost-savings tools and techniques. They’ll appreciate the advice and think of you as a resident expert in the field increasing the likelihood of repeat business and positive word-of-mouth, says Pittsburgh-based marketing expert Becky Gomes, owner of a Pittsburgh-based marketing company and former construction business owner. “You can also create a tiered-level membership program,” she says. “Landscapers, for example, can have silver or gold memberships for various projects completed, such as the number of lawns mowed, landscaping jobs or mulching. You can get continuity income that way, by offering VIP-level services and special savings offers to these customers.”

Today many products have 3D cousins, from cereal boxes prizes to comics; calling cards to conference calls. If you can see it, someone will 3D it. 

But do you have 3D security? 

To find out; put on your red and blue tinted glasses and journey with me, not to the Center of the Earth, but to Secure Me... in 3D.

In technical terms 3D is short for 3 dimensional; the ability to perceive length, width and depth in a photo or video. For our purposes today we will discuss the other 3D:

1. Diligence
2. Detection
3. Documentation

Diligence is first on the list for many reasons: it's FREE!, it's essential, and it's effective. The most elaborate system system will fail if you are not diligent in keeping a secure mindset. Lock doors that should be locked. Arm the system when it should be armed. Run criminal background checks on your employees. Keep your facility or residence clear of obstructions such as shrubbery or window advertisements.

Detection is your alarm system. Your system should be customized to fit your specific needs and requirements. As we have discussed in prior posts, an alarm system should include at least two different elements: Perimeter Detection (exterior door / window contacts, glass breakage detectors etc), and Interior Traps (motion detectors, interior trap doors etc.). Best case scenario, we will become aware of the intruder before he or she has entered the facility, business or residence. Worst case - he or she is detected quickly once inside.

Documentation is capturing the event for evidence purposes and in some cases live verification of the actual crime. This can be accomplished by both audio and visual means. In the event of an alarm, a central station has the ability to observe and capture the sights and / or sounds of a crime in progress. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) or video surveillance has become mainstream in criminal forensics and has been instrumental in solving many crimes. Video Surveillance is no longer just for banks and Fortune 500 companies; it can be used to aid home and or business assisting law enforcement in their investigation, usually ending in an a quicker apprehension and hopefully prosecution of the criminal.

As you review your existing security measures, if you find that you don't have 3D security, please call us at 888.696.8926 or request a free security evaluation.

Your Basic Security System? Part Three

Perimeter Protection – The moat around your castle.

What is the difference between a trespasser and an intruder? Answer - which side of the wall they are on.

Second only to fire detection is perimeter protection. Although unglamorous, it is my favorite piece in the security puzzle. A system designer should view the outside of your business or residence with as much or more scrutiny as the inside. If you can detect the intruder or even scare him or her away before they even enter the premises then you are well on your way to a secured facility. Many times securing your home or business is simply addition by subtraction… Remove the clutter!

What entices an intruder more than a big score? A big score that can be done in total anonymity. If you have big shrubs, tall fences, window clutter (advertisements) you are sending signals to the enemy that this is a peaceful secluded place for their line of work. BTW – how much does correcting this cost? Many times it is free with a little elbow grease.

What screams to an intruder “Pick me first!”?  The lack of yard signs, window decals, plaques etc that says this premises (site, residence, building etc) is protected by : _______________ (Insert reputable local security company here.)

If you wanted to sell your car, you would take out an advertisement; put a sign on the window or something to let people know your intensions. The opposite is true as well. By notifying the general public (by omission) that you don’t have your building secured you are taking out an ad saying “Rob me first!”               

As a consumer, would you want your personal information in a business that you knew did not have a security system?

What else? You have basically three types of perimeter protection: Visual, Mechanical, and Audio.

Visual:

·         Lighting – Make sure you home, business, church, school etc is well lit. (PS – be green and save green using  energy efficient lights when possible)

·         Strobes – If an intruder is looking for seclusion and there is a red or blue flashing light alerting the neighbors something is wrong, it will not be an easy hit. PS as an added bonus – it makes it easy for the responding officers to find your location.

·         Surveillance Camera – We will go into more detail in a later post, but if the intruder knows that his or her every move is being documented and possibly watched live remotely, there will be little privacy for bad behavior.

Mechanical:

·         Door and window locks and latches – If you do nothing else, you can greatly improve your security by ensuring With Out Fail that your doors and windows are locked where applicable when not in use. This means double checking the doors, maybe by two separate individuals in business. One more quick tip – check every door and window immediately after a contractor has serviced your home or business.

·         Door and window alarm contacts – When and where possible, I strongly recommend either hardwired or wireless contacts on every door and/or window. This includes your overhead garage door. Not only will they inform you when your perimeter is being breeched, it will also advise you when they are left open. This is very important for openings that are not in common view i.e. attic windows and garage doors.

Audio:

·         Interior Siren – To an intruder, what is the opposite of peace and quiet?  A 90db siren screaming to all that can hear.

·         Exterior Siren (when and where applicable) – Will let all of your neighbors and or law enforcement know to be on the lookout.  (BTW – Please don’t respond to a siren blaring beyond taking notes and being observant. The absolute worst place you can be is between an intruder and their rapid exit. It is simply not safe.)

·         Audio Deterrent – By using modern technology we can be alerted at our central station when someone is in an area that is secured. We can then play a prerecorded message or even a live message basically stating  “Warning - you are on private property, please leave immediately”

Building a moat is more than a weekend project and feeding alligators is not cheap. However protecting your business and / or home’s perimeter is easy and affordable. Call your local security professional today and ask for a free security survey and leave the alligators at the zoo.

Next time we will discuss the motion commotion and how to use interior traps to catch a thief.