Understanding SME Vulnerability

As a Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) owner, you know that your cash handling security is always at risk. Approximately 1100 criminal incidents occur annually at South African petrol stations – that includes everything from ATM bombings to cash safe thefts.

With uncertainty around outages, regulatory crises and shortages, business owners have every reason to fear for SME cash security. Businesses dealing in cash are particularly vulnerable to robberies and cash-in-transit theft, putting staff at risk. Every transaction, every end-of-day reconciliation, and every cash-in-transit handover represents a moment of exposure that can threaten your profits and your people. For most SME owners, security is the backbone of their business’s sustainability.

Despite this, South African entrepreneurs know that risk comes with the territory. According to a survey, they remain some of the most optimistic in the world, powering through all the odds to contribute the lion's share of employment and economic growth in the country. 

The Daily Risk Reality

Crime is evolving faster than the safeguards against it, with syndicates exploiting vulnerable gaps in your armour – open and close-of-business, shift changes, cash-in-transit operations, and more. Cash handling risk is especially apparent for 24-hour businesses and businesses open until late, which are targeted due to low visibility and slower response times.

Between January and June 2024, 26,318 business burglaries were reported nationwide – meaning that, every day, 146 businesses are affected by South Africa’s ongoing cash security crisis. 

Depending on your business's location, police may take over an hour to respond. Priority is given to crimes that have already occurred rather than crimes in progress. That means the best way to protect your business is through cash theft prevention, eliminating opportunities for criminals to take advantage of.

While there is a concerted effort to make South Africa less reliant on cash and reduce the risks associated with cash handling, the demand for cash remains on a steady upward trend.

Why Traditional Safeguards Fall Short

Moving cash around in operator-facing spaces creates opportunities for threats that put your money and staff at risk, while manual safes and locks leave a gap for human error. This leaves weak spots for smarter criminals to exploit, leaving your staff nervous and distracted on the job.

On top of all that, the longer cash is handled by hand, the more chances there are for internal theft. In the face of skimming and pilfering, vigilance without action is a chink in the armour of your existing cash handling systems. 

These blind spots don't just leave your business, staff, and cash at risk. They carry a hidden cost to your mental well-being, draining your energy and stealing your attention away from the things that matter.

Sensible caution becomes paranoia and anxiety that follow you home, and you end up more concerned about protecting the cash that you already have than about innovating and expanding your business.

Protecting People, Not Just Cash

Introducing the Protector 360, designed to add another level of resilience to your cash-counting smart safe. Engineered for high-risk environments, this device provides a seamless way to strengthen your security infrastructure without disrupting your daily operations.

The Protector 360 features an external shroud that provides through-the-wall functionality with a barrel that rotates your Protector machine into a designated strong room. This fortifies your business security systems by separating operator-facing transactions from cash-in-transit operations.

With the option for manual or motorised clockwise rotation from 90° to 180°, you can limit access when your cash safe is not in use. This device can be easily turned into the closed position during dangerous situations by defending your cash acceptance machine against robbery-related attacks and keeping your staff safe from opportunistic threats.

Being able to shift between the open and closed position easily also means protecting your cash during shift changes, breaks, after business hours and when closed for prolonged periods – so you can sleep easier and enjoy your time on holiday without worrying about what's happening on-site.

The Protector 360 is an innovative, first-of-its-kind device that gives you ultimate control over your cash management systems so you can enjoy absolute peace of mind.

You Don't Need A Holiday, You Need Peace Of Mind

Being resilient doesn't mean carrying it all alone; it means having intelligent systems that help you shoulder the weight, so you can focus on confidently running your business. Deposita's Protector 360 ensures peace of mind for SME owners by safeguarding cash, streamlining operations and reducing risk.

If you're looking to upgrade your existing Protector cash safe or need a tailored cash handling solution that provides end-to-end, reliable security, then this is the perfect place to start. Contact our sales team to book a demo of the Protector 360 or discuss flexible payment options that suit your business.