The Unseen Cost: How Inadequate Physical Security Amplifies Disaster Losses for Businesses

Crises are crises for a reason; natural disasters and other destructive events are scary, uncertain times that often leave immense damage and a whopping price tag in their wake. From wildfires to hurricanes, severe storms to floods to episodes of civil unrest, there are diverse situations that could potentially disrupt your business and cost you big. Not only do you face the classic effects of these disastrous events—damaged property, repair costs, IT issues, et cetera—but, if you fail to invest in important security safeguards, you can also face a hidden array of catastrophic financial and operational consequences in the aftermath of a crisis. 

You never know when disaster will strike, making effective security and natural disaster management absolutely crucial to the continued welfare of your company. In this blog post, we dive into the security solutions that can safeguard your business, so you can be ready for anything and secure before, during, and after a catastrophe hits. 

The Importance of Physical Security 

Even the very basics of security can make a major difference in preventing loss during an emergency. Physical security refers to the process of protecting your assets—whether they’re people, goods, property, or data—from physical threats. These threats may include vandalism, theft, or others, and some individuals are, unfortunately, all too willing to capitalize on a crisis and commit these offenses. With an effective physical security plan, however, you can mitigate the risks posed to your business before, during, and after a disaster as your security system actively deters crime, reduces loss, and peers into dangerous areas to give you uncompromising situational awareness. 

The “Seen” Costs: Obvious Effects of Crises 

Some ramifications of natural disasters and other crises aren’t so unexpected. You’ve probably guessed that an earthquake can cause damage to the structures on your property, or that a wildfire can burn through your inventory. It’s these straightforward impacts that most business owners—and even some security professionals—zero in on, and that tunnel vision may cost them greatly in the long run. 

What Is Disaster Management?

The definition of disaster management is the process of preventing, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires, or floods. 

Disaster prevention involves preparing and planning protocols and supplies ahead of potential crises. Mitigation comprises the actions taken to reduce the risk of damage and loss. Response efforts are aimed at addressing the crisis in real time and providing emergency aid, and the goal of disaster recovery is to restore and repair damages after the fact. 

Effective natural disaster management should save lives, minimize damage and other risks, and build stronger, safer, more resilient businesses and communities. 

Hidden Impacts: Ramifications of Disasters for Unsecured Businesses 

There are a vast number of harmful, expensive issues that can plague your business following a disaster. From insurance woes to lost revenue from excess downtime, you have plenty of reasons to invest in your security technology and natural disaster management protocols beyond the surface-level risks and damages. In a crisis, both public and private security resources tend to be stretched far too thin to be relied upon completely, leaving businesses vulnerable to crime. Power outages, tight resources, busy staff, and damaged avenues for communication and travel combine to create the perfect haven for not only criminal activity, but a whole slew of additional issues.

Direct Financial Losses

Monetary losses can be expected, to some degree, by a business that has been hit by a disaster. Usually sunk into repairing structures damaged by the event, these lost funds can cause extreme stress for a business owner. 

Even further, following a disaster, businesses can experience additional financial losses stemming from the theft of goods and equipment, vandalism, and supply chain delays. 

Disrupted Operations 

Physical security is not only essential to mitigating physical damage, but also to ensuring that your business continues to run. A critical halt in operations can follow a crisis like a natural disaster, depending on the extent of cleanup, securing, and rebuilding required. A weak physical security plan can extend the time you need to regroup after a crisis, which means devoting more and more of your precious time and resources to repairing what you already have, instead of serving customers and gaining more revenue. 

Compliance Failures

No business can operate smoothly without complying with all relevant local, state, and federal government regulations. When a natural disaster knocks out the power and surveillance systems fail, gaps in compliance can leave sensitive data, assets, and materials vulnerable to mishandling, which can lead to costly litigation. Additionally, if security efforts aren’t adequately surveilled during a disaster, complex compliance issues may arise after the fact.

Insurance Snafus 

Post-disaster rebuilding often requires working closely with insurance companies to document, claim, and recoup losses. If your cameras haven’t gathered enough evidence of damage, it may be difficult to get claims through and receive payouts promptly.

Tarnished Reputation 

How a crisis is handled reflects on a business, for better or for worse. Your clients and partners will scrutinize your disaster management efforts, and could become distrustful of an unstable or unsecured company. 

The Power of Strong Security 

A comprehensive security system plays a key role in safeguarding what’s valuable to your business, keeping your operations rolling, and mitigating loss. There are several benefits to investing in your security, including the following:

Better Planning 

High-quality surveillance allows you to plan more effectively before disaster strikes. The data your cameras have gathered can allow you to isolate and fortify vulnerable areas, leaving your property far more resilient in the face of future crises. A data-driven approach to emergency preparedness can only improve your odds of making it to the other side of a disaster with minimal impact. 

Quicker Response 

One of the greatest rewards that comes from having a proper security setup in a disaster is early alerting to danger, and a more rapid response to that danger. When your security system can detect the earliest signs of a disaster, and you’re able to monitor the site remotely and in real time, your team can react earlier, assess risks from a safe distance, and dramatically decrease the event’s impact. In addition to significantly improving your response time, your business may also be able to recover and reopen more quickly when a crisis’s impact is subdued.

Enhanced Situational Awareness 

The key to managing a disaster is to remain aware of all relevant details of the situation. High-resolution, 360-degree cameras—especially when connected to a device with independent power, remote monitoring, and LTE connectivity—can provide you with a complete view of the severity and scope of the damage with accuracy and speed. This critical situational awareness empowers your team to track the crisis, make timely and informed decisions, and efficiently coordinate response efforts and resource usage. 

Transparency and Improvement 

When you gather detailed, high-quality surveillance during a crisis, you build a valuable record that can be analyzed, learned from, and improved upon in the future. You can evaluate the effectiveness of your response, ensure accountability from key figures, build public trust in your organization, avoid unnecessary liability, and work more smoothly with insurance partners. 

Safer, More Prepared Communities 

Your business is an integral part of the surrounding community and operates within the jurisdiction of local, state, and federal governments. Proper security measures can help public and private organizations to disseminate important information to a wide audience during a crisis, educating concerned individuals about evacuations and other next steps. This clear, coordinated communication reduces panic, saves lives, safeguards critical infrastructure, and creates more secure, resilient communities. 

Choosing the Right Security Tools 

At this point, we’re well aware of the immense risks that come with poor security and management in the event of a disaster. However, there is good news! With the right tools in your security toolkit, you can minimize risk and enjoy the peace that comes from being prepared. 

Mobile surveillance units from LiveView Technologies are the perfect, one-stop solution to any disaster management project. Completely independent from the power grid and Wi-Fi, these feats of engineering allow you to maintain constant visuals of your property and assets, even and especially when it can’t be accessed otherwise. With a myriad of additional features, this tool can help you mitigate risk and prevent loss like no other. Those features include:

• Mobile
• Rapidly deployable 
• Fully autonomous 
• Solar-equipped
• LTE-enabled 
• Remote monitoring and management
• Rugged and weather-resistant   
• Motion detection 
• AI-powered analytics 
• Real-time alerts
• Cloud-based storage 
• Integrates with existing security equipment 

Stay Ready with LVT

You can never truly know what will happen tomorrow, but preparation can help you avoid worst-case scenarios. LiveView Technologies is an industry-leading provider of cutting-edge security solutions. Our team can help ensure that your business continues to run—and run securely—during a disaster scenario, safe from criminal opportunists and excessive liability. 

Partner with LVT for your security and natural disaster management and fill in those dangerous gaps in your security coverage before things go south. Schedule your demo today, and discover what true peace of mind feels like.