How to Choose the Right Commercial Safe for Your Small Business
As a small business owner, protecting your assets is paramount. From safeguarding cash and valuables to preserving important documents, commercial safes can offer the extra protection you need for peace of mind. However, if you’ve never owned a safe, deciphering which features your business needs can be confusing at first. This article will discuss the types of businesses where safes are commonplace and the features that you may want to look for in a safe of your own.
Which Businesses Use Commercial Safes?
Commercial safes are utilized in a wide variety of industries including retail, automotive, tech, government agencies, legal offices, and more. Let’s take a look at the benefits of a commercial safe in office, retail, and automotive environments.
Using a Commercial Safe in Your Office
An office safe can protect a business’s assets from natural disasters and internal/external theft. The types of assets you may find in an office setting include confidential documents, company credit cards, insurance documents, deeds, security cards, and keys. Safes that have the highest security rating are fireproof and drill-proof.
Using a Commercial Safe in Your Retail Establishment
Retail safes can protect your business’s assets from theft and natural disasters. In addition, they can provide your employees with peace of mind by having a secure and designated place to store cash. Retail safes are often equipped with drop boxes that allow your employee to ‘drop’ the cash without having to open the safe. Retailers store cash, valuable merchandise, and important documents in commercial retail safes.
Using a Commercial Safe in the Automotive Industry
Whether you run a car dealership or auto repair shop, a commercial safe is essential to keep your business’s valuables safe from fire, floods, and theft. Automotive businesses often keep keys, confidential documents, cash, company credit cards, security cards, and other valuables in their commercial safes.
How to Determine the Size and Location of Your Commercial Safe
Before you purchase your business’s commercial safe, it’s essential to think about what size you’ll need and where you’ll store your safe. Let’s look at some factors to consider when making these important decisions.
Determining the Size of Your Commercial Safe
The size of your safe depends on what you’ll be storing inside it and where your safe will be located. Experts advise that your safe should not be so small that someone could easily pick it up and walk away with it.
Determining the Location of Your Commercial Safe
Commercial safes are generally designed to be kept on the floor, under a desk, or in a wall. Wall safes and floor safes can offer the most protection against theft. Wall safes can be bolted into a wall and hidden from view, while floor safes can be concreted into your floor and obscured by rugs or furniture.
Types of Safes
| Fire-Resistant Safes | Water-Resistant Safes | Deposit-Drop Safes |
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| Fire-resistant safes protect contents from fire for a specified amount of time. There are no safes that are truly fireproof. | Water-resistant safes protect contents from water damage. There are no safes that are truly waterproof. | Ideal for retail settings, these safes allow employees to insert cash without having access to the unit's contents. |
| Hotel Safes | Portable Safes | Key Safes | Cash Boxes |
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| Hotel safes allow hotel guests to secure small valuables and documents such as jewelry and passports. | Portable safes provide on-the-go security for cash, jewelry, confidential documents, and more. | Installed into brick or concrete, key safes are used in building management, realty, and automotive settings. | Cash boxes provide organized, temporary storage for cash. |
Types of Locks on Commercial Safes
Commercial safes have a variety of locking mechanisms, ranging from lock-and-key to high-tech designs. Choose which type of lock you prefer from the following options.
Combination Locks
Combination locks require a multi-number combination and do not require batteries.
Electronic Keypad Locks
These digital locking systems require a multi-digit password and can be configured for multiple users.
Keyed Locks
These traditional safes require a standard lock and key for entry and don’t require users to remember a password.
Biometric Locks
These technologically advanced locks incorporate fingerprint recognition for access to the unit.
Are you ready to start shopping for your business’s commercial safe? Zoro has all kinds of high-security safes for you to choose from. Give yourself and your employees peace of mind by securing your business’s assets with a commercial safe from Zoro.com.
Product Compliance and Suitability
The product statements contained in this guide are intended for general informational purposes only. Such product statements do not constitute a product recommendation or representation as to the appropriateness, accuracy, completeness, correctness, or currentness of the information provided. Information provided in this guide does not replace the use by you of any manufacturer instructions, technical product manual, or other professional resource or adviser available to you. Always read, understand, and follow all manufacturer instructions.
