How to choose the right commercial safe

Ensuring the safety of business assets is crucial to the success of any company. All businesses possess valuable items such as sensitive documentation, that could be detrimental to business if it was to end up in the wrong hands. However, choosing the right commercial safe for your business can be challenging with so many options available. Though under the guidance of an experienced locksmith, the process will be hassle-free. Here at Abbott Locksmiths, our professional locksmiths in Sydney and our locksmiths on the Central Coast can assist you with choosing the right commercial safe for your needs. To ensure the safety of your business’ assets, there are numerous types of commercial safes on the market, including:

Drop Safes

A Drop Safe, as the name suggests, is designed so that valuable items can be ‘dropped’ into the safe, without having to unlock the safe. The items are passed through a slot or are dropped into an access hatch, without the use of a key or access code. This is highly beneficial for businesses that deal with money, particularly retail stores, as it allows any staff member to deposit cash into the Drop Safe, without having access to remove cash from the safe.

Office Safes

Office Safes are similar in nature to home safes, although they generally include extra features like fire resistance. They also feature more advanced locking mechanisms, with most Office Safes utilising electronic lock systems.

Strong Room Doors

A Strong Room Door generally encloses a bank vault, ultimately converting a room into a safe. Strong Rooms generally contain safe deposit boxesand are often located in the basement of a bank for increased security.

Safe Deposit Box

A safe deposit box is a safe that is usually stored within a vault inside a Bank or at a Post Office. Safe Deposit Boxes are rented from the Bank/Post Office and can be accessed via a key or even biometric fingerprint scanning, depending on the institution. Many people opt for Safe Deposit Boxes, as they feel that a bank can provide a more secure environment.

Bank Safe

Bank safes are incredibly strong and are constructed from concrete that is encased with thick steel. Bank Safes are extremely hard to open with internal glass and re-lockers to prevent unauthorised access.

Jewellery Safes

Jewellery Safes are specifically designed to house valuable jewellery, with dedicated drawers for secure storage. Jewellery Safes can be used for commercial businesses as well as in the home.

Our expert locksmiths can help you to choose the best commercial safe for your business. We have locksmiths in Sydney available to assist you or alternatively a locksmith on the Central Coast, will be able to offer expert advice to ensure you make the right purchase.

But please keep in mind, In order to determine which of the above commercial safes is most appropriate for your business, it’s important to consider the following questions:

What will be stored in the safe?

The items that will be stored inside the commercial safe, will help you to determine what level of security is needed; how big the safe should be; how often the safe will need to be accessed; and what type of safe is needed. For e.g. if you own a retail store, then a Drop Safe may be the most suitable safe for your business, so that items can easily be deposited by all staff.

What level of security is needed?

There are various types of commercial safes, offering a range of safe security ratings. The higher the rating, the more time and skill that is required to break into the safe. If the items you wish to store are extremely valuable, it’s best to consider commercial safes with a high rating for the highest level of security.

Also consider whether you need to protect valuables against fire as well as theft. Office Safes are generally fire resistant, however it’s important to note that these safes will only ‘resist’ fire for a certain amount of time and are not necessarily fireproof. The fire rating on the safe specifies how long the safe will be able to ‘resist’ fire for.

Where will the safe be installed?

With floor, wall and free standing safes available, as well as Strong Rooms, the possibilities are endless. When selecting the most appropriate place to install a safe, consider how it will be installed and if there is enough building access to move the safe into place. If you will need to access your safe regularly, it’s best to install the safe in a location that can be easily accessed. Also consider which locksmith will install your safe. Here at Abbott Locksmiths, we have been supplying and installing new safes to businesses for more than 50 years.