Studies show that businesses lose as much as $70 million per day to a combination of internal and external theft. The retail industry is extremely vulnerable to shoplifting and employee theft. Some thirty to forty percent of inventory losses are attributed to employee theft, and more is lost to employee fraud. Commercial security systems offer various services to curb such losses among retail businesses in Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

How exactly do these commercial security systems protect your retail business in Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg?

Many retail stores use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on their merchandise. If any of such merchandise is brought out of the store unpaid, it will trigger alarms and alert the guards. This is one of the most effective deterrents against shoplifters.

Retailers should train their personnel well, though, to ensure that RFID tags are always removed before merchandise that has been paid for is wrapped at the counter. If a paying customer triggers the alarm while going out the shop because of employee negligence, this will create a negative backlash on the store. The customer will be humiliated and will, understandably, be very furious. Other customers in the shop will surely sympathize with the victim. In extreme cases this could even lead to a boycott. Security should not be implemented at the expense of customer service and relationships.

For insider theft, access control is provided to identify and record everyone entering and leaving the company premises at any time. This is used for employee entrances and exits. Access control prevents employees from entering the premises beyond their work hours. It also prevents other unauthorized entry. If any theft occurs overnight, for example, records from access control will show who went in and out of the premises between certain time periods.

Digital video surveillance will provide even more protection. With multiple digital surveillance cameras positioned strategically throughout the store and backend areas, you can have full 24 hour coverage and monitoring. All footages are recorded and archived. You can also monitor all cameras any time from anywhere in the world through a laptop with an internet connection.

All footages from digital video surveillance should be saved even if there seems to be nothing interesting going on. Seemingly routine scenarios may later prove to be valuable in establishing certain facts or patterns. Video documentation is extremely valuable.

Surveillance cameras focused on points of sale will catch instances of employee cash register theft and fraud. Surveillance cameras throughout the store will catch shoplifters. In the backroom, round the clock digital video surveillance will record inventory theft and pilferage. Digital video surveillance will positively identify the persons involved in the crime, whether employees or outsiders.

Sometimes the mere knowledge of the presence of digital video surveillance in a store and its backend areas is in itself enough of a deterrent for criminals.

All the security features mentioned are designed to work together in a comprehensive structure that is also linked to a 24 hour emergency response system. It can also be made to integrate with all other systems used in the store, such as temperature control, smoke alarms and fire alarms. This further strengthens the protection for your business.

There are so many commercial security systems to choose from. In deciding which company to hire, check for references among other retail establishments and businesses in Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Establishments with high security needs like the 24-hour Anytime Fitness franchise, for example, would hire only the best commercial security system available. It might be a good idea to go with what has already been proven to be reliable and cost effective.

If you want to protect the valuable computer files of your business, your best options – in fact, the only guaranteed options you have – are HIPAA compliant automatic files backup and secure offsite data files storage.

For ordinary home files, you might have contented yourself in the past with a manual files backup system. A lot of people actually still do this. They save copies of their files in a CD and stash it away in a CD case or CD album. This is in turn kept in a drawer or on a shelf. Those who feel extra cautious would print out their files and keep these in folders. A few more people would take the added precaution of copying their files on to another computer, maybe a laptop or notebook to carry with them conveniently. People then feel that they have protected themselves adequately against viruses or the crashing of their hard drive. As mentioned earlier, however, this process is manual and, therefore, tedious. You have to do your manual files backup for each of your files and you have to remember to repeat the process each time you edit or update a file. If you have a lot of files, this can be very time consuming and tiring. There is also always a possibility that you may forget to do your manual files backup. If misfortune strikes just after you have forgotten your task, all is lost.

Assuming you are very obsessive about doing your manual files backup and you never forget to do it, this still does not guarantee the safety of your files. Your CDs and folders of printouts are not protected from fire, water damage or damage from natural disasters such as earthquakes. The other computers in which you have stored copies of your file could also be damaged or could be stolen. Laptops and notebooks are particularly attractive to thieves.

In lieu of manual files backup, your business deserves the protection of automatic backup software. This software may be installed in your laptops, your personal computers, your company work stations and even your company servers. Every user identifies which of his files are to be included in the automatic backup. The user also determines the automatic backup schedule and frequency. The recommended frequency is once daily and the recommended schedule is at the end of every work period so that all work done that day is safely backed up. Once set, the process is completely error-free.

Where does the automatic backup software store your backup files? It does so in secure offsite data files storage. The automatic backup software and the secure offsite data files storage often come bundled together. The automatic backup software sends your data online to a secure remote data center through secure 128-bit encryption file transfer. The remote data center has state of the art protection against all kinds of natural and man made disasters, uses uninterrupted heavy duty generator power, is equipped with biometric locks and has twenty four hour defence from professional security personnel. All the security features are HIPAA compliant and are, therefore, of the highest standards.

Your business can always access your stored automatic backup files any time and from any location as long as you have an internet connection and you have your secure password. The storage limits prescribed in each of the packages offered are flexible and your business will always have the option to upgrade for more storage space as your company expands.

The valuable computer files of your business should be protected by no less than HIPAA compliant automatic files backup and secure offsite data files storage. Only then will you really rest easy that you have done your best in protecting your company.

When you start the process of buying a home or any type of real estate, you’ll no doubt hear the term “earnest money deposit” (EMD). So what exactly is an EMD?

An EMD becomes relevant when you are ready to make an offer on a property. In most states, your Real Estate Agent prepares the offer on your behalf. The offer usually takes the form of a written contract that is submitted to the seller by way of their agent.

In addition to the offer document, sellers typically expect an EMD. An EMD is a monetary deposit submitted via check to demonstrate to the seller that you are a serious buyer. In some regions of the country, only a photocopy of the check is submitted with the offer, and the original check is delivered to the appropriate entity if the offer is accepted. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify how deposits are handled in your region of the country.

The check is usually made out to an independent third- party such as a Title Company, Escrow Company, Real Estate Attorney or your Real Estate Broker. Ask your Real Estate Agent to clarify who will hold the EMD.

The amount of the EMD sellers expect varies by region. The EMD amount is based on the customs and practices for a region, but is generally from 1% to 2% of the purchase price. In a competitive market place where demand exceeds the supply of homes, some buyers may offer a higher EMD than expected to impress the seller of their intent. In determining the amount of your EMD, consult your Real Estate Agent and balance the need to demonstrate your serious intent, against the good business practice of minimizing the deposit amount.

The amount of the EMD is usually applied to reduce the purchase price of the property or to cover closing costs, as you dictate. For example, if you are purchasing a $300,000 property and you give an EMD of $3000, then the remaining balance owned at closing is $297,000 (plus closing costs). Alternatively, you may direct that the EMD be applied toward the closing costs.

Once a valid contract for purchase is created, an independent third-party usually holds the EMD until the purchase is either completed or cancelled. At this point, the money belongs jointly to both the seller and the buyer.

In cases where you make an offer that is accepted but later decide to cancel the offer, the terms specified in the contract (or state law) will dictate if, and under what circumstances, the EMD is returned to you. Be aware that you could loose your deposit if you do not not comply with the terms of your contract. Your Real Estate Agent can provide you information about how EMDs are dealt with if a contract is cancelled.

Since state law varies by region and practices can differ even within the same state, be sure to consult your Real Estate agent about the rules that apply to EMDs in your region of the country. You should also be aware that the EMD is not related to any down payment that you make toward your home loan.