Winter weather and holiday demands can make managing multi-location security a nightmare. Fall is your best window to upgrade security systems, before winter storms make travel and installations difficult and costly emergencies arise.
Don't wait for a crisis, plan now to save time, money, and stress.
Start your fall security review by walking through each property. Look for obvious gaps: doors that should be restricted but aren't, cameras pointing at walls instead of entrances, employee badges that still work after someone left. Check if your door schedules match your actual business hours and upcoming holiday hours. Test your backup power systems now, before winter storms knock out electricity.
Prioritize which properties face the biggest risks. Retail locations need stronger security during the holidays. Offices need updated access schedules for the vacation days when buildings sit empty. Address these needs now while you can still travel easily between locations.
Note any properties still using physical keys or running separate systems for cameras, alarms, and access control. Physical keys become a nightmare in winter. They disappear in snow or freeze in locks. Disconnected security systems force you to juggle multiple platforms during emergencies.
When you're trying to manage a security incident from home during a blizzard, the last thing you need is three different systems that don't talk to each other.
Smart scheduling prevents major disruption from becoming costly headaches.
Focus on high-traffic locations first. Finish before November shopping traffic hits. Save office buildings for the quiet weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, when most tenants work reduced hours anyway.
Switch to the cloud: Cloud-based systems solve winter access problems before they start. You'll have emergency maintenance access from your home during a blizzard. You'll spot security issues right away, even when you can't physically reach your properties. Everything stays under your control—no matter what the weather does.
Add two-week buffers between major installations. Weather will cause delays. Plan for them now instead of scrambling later. These gaps give your team time to learn new systems and work out problems before moving to the next location.
Each property gets proper attention without leaving security gaps anywhere in your portfolio.
The holidays bring predictable security challenges, from increased retail theft to break-in attempts at empty offices and a surge of package deliveries in apartment buildings.Set up specific security responses for each situation before these busy periods hit.
Winter-proof your emergency procedures now. Make sure every location can maintain security during power outages. Confirm that monitoring services keep working when internet connections drop. Test how your team coordinates responses across multiple sites when nobody can drive anywhere.
Train staff on winter-related issues. They need to handle frozen locks, keep cameras clear of snow, and fix weather-related equipment failures. Practice remote management now, so your team will operate smoothly when winter makes travel impossible.
Fall security planning protects your entire business during hectic winters.
Start by reviewing every location this month and deciding which properties need immediate upgrades—and which can wait until later in fall.
Take control of your multi-location security now, before weather and holidays make it harder. Brothers Fire & Security provides comprehensive monitoring and security solutions that grow with your business while simplifying management across every property you own.