Ebuyer exposes business theft risks

Figures secured with a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Ebuyer have reminded those resellers specialising in security that the threat of break-ins and equipment theft is as real as the cyber challenge customers are wrestling with.

The etailer sent FOI requests to police constabularies across the country and found from the responses that it was able to chart crime hotspots and conclude that since 2015 there had been a 9% increase in the number of reported thefts affecting businesses.

Out of the 23 police constabularies that responded to the data request, 19 (83%) revealed that they had been dealing with rising numbers of business-related thefts between 2015 and 2018.

Given the amount of IT equipment that usually sits around in the average office it is perhaps not a surprise that businesses are a target for criminals and Ebuyer has also noted that the average value of the stolen goods taken has increased by more than £2m since 2015.

Cleveland police have had to cope with the largest increase in business thefts (see box) but in terms of the number of crimes the Metropolitan Police in London have to deal with the most, with firms in that area contacting the police 14 times more than the national average about stolen goods.

Those resellers that provide CCTV systems and holistic security measures clearly have an opportunity to use the FOI findings to strengthen the sales pitch.

“The significant increase in the number of business thefts indicates that the risk to business security is higher and more unpredictable than ever," said Lee Weymouth, commercial director at Ebuyer.

“As concerning as this is for businesses, there are now a number of ways that firms can protect themselves, including CCTV and thermal sensors," he added.

There are a number of vendors providing security solutions, incorporating cyber and physical security products, giving the channel a decent choice of suppliers to work with.

Back in May, CCTV and cyber security player Connectus became the latest to roll out the red carpet for resellers with the firm cutting the ribbon on its partner programme after taking the decision to go indirect.

“We recognise that technology continues to evolve, end users are continuing to uncover new business challenges and as a result partners must work to modernise. Our approach is a simple one that is designed to meet that need," said Connectus CEO Roy Shelton.

“This new program will better enable partners to service their customers supported by a support network and set of tools including a new portal, due to launch in Summer, alongside training and enablement tools," he added.