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Contributed by the
partners of Bargsley, Andrews & Steinbach, CPAs, LLP
Has a little security breach (like theft) turned into
a wake up call to upgrade your security? Do you have a cyclical business
that might have a slow season coming up soon? Whether it's prompted by
extra time (unlikely) or an unpleasant incident, this fall is probably
a good time to give your business a security checkup.
Lights,
Camera...
If your business involves frequent public access, you
should review the entire location for ways to improve security. As our
metropolis grows, crime does not seem to decline. Many security measures
are very inexpensive or less expensive than they used to be. Think about
installing outside lights with either photo sensors or motion detectors.
Lights and security camera systems discourage criminal activity. Security
company signs and window stickers greatly discourage crime to your premises.
Think about the way you handle cash, checks, and credit
card information. Do you make bank deposits often, or do cash and checks
remain in your office overnight? If you hold money, do you keep it locked
in a place that would be difficult to enter? Do you protect your clients'
and customers' credit card and other private information?
Do you offer a location that's as safe as possible for your employees
to work? Do you have overlapping schedules to minimize the amount of
time that only one person works?
Not
Just the Building...
As I visited with a client on the phone about these measures,
our conversation segued into other important security concerns. Think
about data and computer security. If you set up your current backup system
a few years ago, it may be time to upgrade. Our office now has much more
redundancy in the backup system than we had in prior years. The technology
to operate it was easy to install, and the daily and weekly process does
not take much time to complete. If you need help in this department,
call us for a referral to our computer technician.
Next, think about accounting security. Although we all hire excellent
employees and would never suspect any misbehavior, it's always good company
policy to have procedures in place to consistently encourage honesty
and discourage fraud of any kind. Even in a very small business, separation
of duties helps to accomplish this process.
Usually the duties of handling cash and bookkeeping can
be divided among the office person, the owner and the outside bookkeeper.
Call us if you want to come over for a brainstorming session on various
aspects of security.
What's
next?
When you finish your review of business security, take
the process home and put into place your good ideas for physical security,
computer security, and identity theft prevention. You know the old saying:
An ounce of prevention is worth many days of cleaning up after a disaster!
It's back to school time, not just for kids. Our partners attend continuing
education classes nearly every month. This fall we will attend classes
on the following topics:
* 1031 tax-free exchanges
* Health savings accounts
* 2005 tax update
You can find this article and much more on the Web site:
http://www.bargsley.com |
