Running a successful SME is hard enough at the best of times. Sadly, things become infinitely harder if someone attacks your business premises.
The harsh reality, however, is that it is a common issue. When this happens, you may feel like waving the white flag. In truth, there is no time for feeling sorry. Instead, you must focus on implementing a fast and strategic response. Here’s what you should do in three easy steps.
Limit The Damage
As with any disaster, the first step is to prevent any further damage. If the problem is localized to physical workspaces, it’s important to protect your online systems. Otherwise, the situation could become ten times worse in no time.
The exact response in physical workspaces will depend on the nature of the incident. Securing any points where access was made should be at the top of your agenda. If vandalism has occurred, you may also need to stop leaks. Or stop the damage from spreading to other parts of the building.
Other steps may include stopping business credit cards or turning machinery off before faults worsen. Where possible, try to avoid disruptions for teams in other parts of the company. When you limit the negative impact, the subsequent restoration should be easier.
Take Action Against The Perpetrator
One thing you will certainly want to do in this situation is prevent future episodes. Taking action against the guilty parties should deter others from attempting to attack your company. Finding a lawyer linked to the specific type of criminal law will be vital.
Before doing that, though, you must identify the culprit. If your surveillance footage is inconclusive, there are other options. If your lab has a cyanoacrylate fuming chamber, it can detect latent fingermarks on glass and non-porous surfaces. This can be very useful in cases where theft or vandalism came from an internal source.
Recording all evidence during this process will also help when making insurance claims. When it comes to legal matters, you should extend the fight to the theft of intellectual property. Get this right, and your company can recover all fair damages.
Get Back To Work
Preventing and recovering the damages will feel like a success. However, you also need to ensure that the venture gets back to normality ASAP. otherwise, you could begin to lose customers. Frankly, this could have a far more detrimental impact on your future.
You can turn this into a positive by running your business more efficiently. It is also an opportunity to address your brand message and consider new audiences. Similarly, it is a chance to invest in staff development and improving your workforce. By learning from the experience, your venture will be more likely to thrive in the months and years to follow.
Better still, you may find that many customers do not even realize that there was an issue. When this is the case, the risk of losing their custom is removed. So, you can get back on the road to success with confidence. Crucially, you’ll be prepared for future attacks too.
