Restaurant Employees Take Big Bites of Their Companies’ Profits

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

New England’s small- and medium-sized restaurants (and other businesses) face a persistent internal problem: employee theft. Luckily, there are measures you can take to prevent it.

National statistics of employee-on-employer crime are sobering, according to a Forbes article. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that 75 percent of employees have stolen from their employers at least once. Companies with 150 employees or less are particularly vulnerable to internal financial or data theft, as well as other similar crimes.

The Chamber also determined that roughly 30 percent of business failures are caused by employee fraud and abuse. The toll of workplace thieving to the United States economy is some $50 billion annually, says a CNBC article (citing a statistic from Statistic Brain).

Cash on Tap in Restaurant Business

Because the bar and restaurant industry is often a cash business with few paper trails — one that relies heavily on people-intensive processes — there is an especially high risk of employee fraud and outright theft. There are many vulnerable points, from servers to wait staff, bartenders to kitchen help, all the way to the back office employees.

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Parents with College Students: Protect Your Child’s Property

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

The fall semester is about to begin, bringing students into Boston and other New England venues. They’ll be fair game for thieves looking to make a quick profit.

These young students may be informal about security and less than diligent in securing their premises, and crooks respond accordingly. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 2016, there were 12,000 burglaries on-campus — which represents 42 percent of all criminal incidents on campuses or at post-secondary institutions.

Light Security = Student Thefts

Not that thieves must wait until fall classes are in session. Just last July, the Boston University newspaper noted a rash of fraternity house burglaries in Boston’s Kenmore Square area, near Boston University’s east campus. The thieves entered the occupants’ rooms in the frat houses and lifted bikes, laptops, wallets, a PlayStation and electronic gear. As the article explained, “The fraternity houses frequently sublet rooms during the summer months, and security can be lax.”

Students have a hard time with their finances without having to cope with robbery, too. Besides tuition and room and board, books and various school supplies alone can run students $1,168 annually, says a Forbes columnist. Factor in theft, and that can put a major hole in a young scholar’s budget — and the loss of a laptop can be an irreplaceable problem.

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Security for the Health-Care World

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

In a perfect world, patients and health-care professionals could devote all of their time to the healing process. A variety of factors hinder that process in today’s health-care facilities,  most notably the opioid epidemic.

A recent Boston 25 News piece notes how Massachusetts Emergency Room nurses are particularly at risk. They face both physical and verbal abuse from opiate-intoxicated patients. A 2018 survey by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) notes that 69 percent of local nurses were assaulted by their patients during the prior two years.

This is just one area of vulnerability. Read more →

5 Great Tech Reasons For A Business Security Update

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

You probably don’t spend much time thinking about your building’s security infrastructure, but it may be time you did.

Many property/business owners buy and install security solutions and then forget all about them. As with all high tech products and services, a security solution cannot run permanently on autopilot. It needs a bit of care and tending. Read more →

Commercial Security Done Right Demands Insight

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Proper commercial security is a necessity for every type of business, whether you’re in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area offering cutting edge therapies or run retail shops on Newbury Street.

However, the specific demands of New England’s big verticals (which include health care, government, and education, to name a few) are all different. Security and protection (which includes environmental and other safeguards) can also vary by region. Read more →

Holiday Season Thieves Threaten Small Businesses

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

This time of year in New England, small businesses are at special risk from thieves looking to cash in on the busy Christmas season. To be as safe as possible owners of these businesses can take special safety precautions, including the addition of alarms, and video surveillance and monitoring solutions.

Sadly, not everyone has peace on earth and goodwill to all in mind during the holiday season. A variety of crimes increase in frequency this time of year, especially shoplifting. This is a particular threat to small business owners of all sorts — particularly seasonal businesses who have extra merchandise, personnel and cash on hand.

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Protecting the New England Holiday Retail Industry

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

As the holiday retail season approaches, retailers and supermarket owners of all sizes in New England must defend themselves against theft. As a retailer, there are many steps you can take, including adding electronic surveillance systems throughout your store.

While the holiday season provides 34 percent of annual retail sales, it also accounts for 37 percent of yearly shrinkage, as a Forbes article notes. The biggest contributors to shrinkage are shoplifting and employee theft. Read more →

Never Let Hurricane Season Catch You Unprepared

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

September marks the peak of hurricane season, a time when New England property is at risk, even without a direct hit.  Unfortunately, as this past season demonstrated, despite all the computers, instruments and software models, it’s impossible to make exact storm strike predictions.

Just last month, the tail end of Hurricane Florence was still strong enough to pummel New England — particularly coastal Massachusetts — as noted by a Boston Globe article. Florence brought a “deluge” of rain that flooded sections of the state, causing road closures and power outages. It hit the town of Saugus especially hard — hammering the area with winds exceeding 70 miles per hour and leaving a “mile-long path of destruction.” Read more →

Protecting Seasonal Homes and Businesses

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Columbus Day came and went, and winter is coming soon. Seasonal businesses are closing, and part-time residents will be returning to their winter homes. Everyone hopes to return next May to find their work or living quarters in the same conditions as they left them. Read more →

When Waters Rise: Get Flood Warnings via Alarm Solutions

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

As Labor Day rolls around and autumn winds pick up, the Atlantic Coast reaches peak hurricane and thunderstorm season. These sudden and powerful weather events can bring a flash flood and storm surges that can wreak havoc on low-lying areas or overloaded drainage systems.

While no one can control the weather or completely avoid household accidents, homeowners can take proactive steps to avoid or minimize damage. Just as with fire or intrusion systems, American Alarm can install sophisticated water and environmental alarm systems to give timely warning of flooding, gas leaks and dangerously high or low temperatures. We also can deploy robust backup communications solutions, in case the main landline and cell grid goes offline. Read more →