Do You Own A Home-Based Business? Here’s How To Keep It Secure
Reading Time: 4 minutes Of the approximately 400 million people in this country, over 100,000 run a business from their homes. Some sit at the kitchen table, some have a dedicated home office, while others use the basement or an outbuilding for their home business. Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their homes, and home business owners more than most.
Yet how can home business owners secure the premises from intruders? Most homeowners have home security systems with window and door sensors, window stickers, and yard signs. Is there any way to improve upon this security measure? Yes, there is, and we’re happy to share the information with you.
Table of Contents
Secure Your Records
Breaking and entering isn’t the only way someone can rob you. Smart homes work on WiFi. Encrypt your WiFi connections. Homeowners without strong passwords are vulnerable to having their information, business and personal, stolen. Make sure your business and personal banking information is backed up and stored in the cloud. Also, make sure to change your password weekly. It must be random enough that no one can stumble onto it.
Install firewalls. Some are free and easy to install. Malware and antivirus software can also be found free and are likewise simple to install. This will keep hackers out of your home business accounts.
Add A Security System
If you don’t already have one, a security system from a reputable company will keep your home business safe. Home security cameras are only one part of the security system in addition to door and window sensors and monitoring. They can be placed both inside and outside the structure. Many security companies offer surveillance cameras that you can monitor from your home computer, tablet, and/or your smartphone. You can see who is approaching the house and determine if they are a client or someone perhaps up to no good.
Easily Craft Stunning WordPress Websites that Excel in Speed and Design!
Divi AI Empowers You to Effortlessly Create Content and Produce Images Right within The WordPress Builder.
While most security companies offer to monitor for a small fee, home business owners can monitor their home business from their old cell phones and tablets. The software will need to be downloaded, but older phones will have a new lease on life to help family members keep an eye on what’s going on outside the house.
Keep Your Business Offline
There’s a scam on social media whereby you put pictures of your house keys online, someone makes a copy of it, and mails you your house keys. It sounds helpful but thinks about it. Do you really want the public to have a copy of your house keys? It’s the perfect solution for home intruders to gain entrance to your house. If you lose your keys, it’s much safer to have someone in the family give you theirs with which to make a copy.
Secure Your Windows And Doors
Sensors on windows and doors alert you to possible home intruders, so they’ll pass you by in favor of one easier to enter. However, intruders watch your house to see if anyone armed the home security system. Then they jimmy the windows or doors and get in to do their thing. The locks on windows are a joke. Intruders easily jimmy those locks to gain entry. Securing the windows is simple. Insert a nail or screw in the window frame three to four inches up the frame. Bars in the window are easily jimmied, too. Intruders won’t get past a nail or screw in the frame.
Remember to lock upstairs windows. Workmen or cleaners come in the house to “fix” or “clean” a room, leaving the window unlocked for a later entry. You don’t know the windows are unlocked. Go through the house making sure all the windows are locked. It’s a simple matter of a buttress to secure the doors. Big box stores sell door braces. When locked in position, an intruder could use a battering ram on your door, but it won’t budge. They aren’t expensive and will save you trouble. Use them on the outside doors, including the door leading from the garage into the house.
Secure Your Deadbolt
Most homes have deadbolts installed in the outside doors. However, the bolt only goes about a half inch into the door frame. This is easy for a possible intruder to get past. Call a locksmith. Have him drill the hole an inch further for an inch and one-half deadbolt. He’ll probably have to replace the present lock with one containing a longer bolt. This will stop any possible intruder.
Keep The Curtains Closed
The object of the exercise is to keep possible intruders from entering your house and stealing your stuff. If your home business stocks something in your home, then a possible intruder could be interested in it. You want to keep him from seeing what you have on hand. In addition to keeping the windows locked, it’s a good idea to keep possible intruders from looking in.
Film on the windows does double duty in blocking the harmful rays of the sun as well as blocking the view of nosy neighbors and those up to no good. However, just keeping the drapes, blinds, or shutters closed does a good job of keeping a possible intruder from getting ideas.
Taking your home business security up a notch only takes the time to look around to see what can be done and a big box store in most cases. We hope our analysis of the situation helps.
Some of the link on this post may have affiliate links attached. Read the FTC Disclaimer.
