One of your primary duties as a parent, business owner, and adult is to keep your loved ones, business, and valuables safe. Unfortunately, this isn’t always easy to do as there are a plethora of forces working against you.
In America, thousands of home burglaries occur every day, and businesses get targeted in their thousands across the country. We created this piece to help businesses and homeowners alike protect their property and loved ones. It doesn’t matter if you live in a suburban home or city apartment; the tips we’re sharing are relevant to everyone.
KEEPING YOUR HOME SAFE
– Secure your entrances
The last thing you want is to make it easier for thieves to steal from you; unfortunately, we have to say this but always keep your doors locked, especially when you’re not home. Around a third of all homes, burglaries involve an unlocked or improperly locked door.
If you’re planning on changing residences, one of the first things you should do is change all locks and keys. Even if you’re the first occupant of your new place, you can never know who has access to your keys. Previous owners, contractors, and neighbors are all examples of people that could have access to your home without your knowledge.
Additionally, you can contact a locksmith to help reinforce your home’s security by installing a deadbolt, adding a strike plate, upgrading your locks. to smart, and maybe even a video doorbell.
– Lock your Windows
This is another mistake we’ve seen a lot of people make absent-mindedly; at times, we fail to lock alternative entrances like windows due to a false sense of security, and it must stop. Thieves are aware that a lot of people might not worry about locking their windows when going to work or going on vacation, and they’ve been taking advantage of this for quite some time now.
Look around your home now, are all your windows closed? Additionally, you can reinforce your window glass with “window security film” or glass break sensors that alert you in the case of a break-in or attempted break-in. Another way to secure your windows is by adding window bars for that extra line of security.
After all, is said and done; one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways for you to keep your home safe is by locking your windows.
– Landscaping
This tip is for those of us residing in houses with a considerable amount of greenery. Trees and shrubs around your doors and windows can serve as perfect camouflage for thieves giving them an unfair advantage. You may want to consider trimming shrubs and bushes regularly, especially around ground-floor windows and doors, to give you a better view and minimize coverage for thieves. In the process, you’ll also be beautifying your yard- it’s a win-win situation.
Furthermore, criminals, burglars, and vandals love operating at odd hours because nighttime offers them more protection. Surprise miscreants by installing sufficient outdoor lighting; strategically place lights around your entrances, along pathways, garage door, and the likes. By doing this, you’ll not only be keeping unwanted individuals at bay, but you’ll also make it easier for you and your loved ones not to trip and fall thanks to proper illumination.
– Keep Valuables out of Sight
The last thing you want is to give burglars more of a reason to target your home, thieves enjoy window shopping and may “window shop” around several homes before choosing the one that seems the most lucrative to them. Sometimes all it takes is a shiny T.V., laptop, or even cutlery to convince them that a house is worth robbing.
We advise you to step outside your home for a few minutes, walk around the perimeter, and ascertain how many valuables you can identify by peeking through your windows. You may want to consider keeping valuables out of sight or better still, keep curtains closed, especially in the evening. We unwittingly invite thieves to our homes by enticing them with boxes, and you can inform thieves about your new T.V., laptop, phone, and the likes by leaving boxes outside with other garbage. Consider keeping the packaging for new purchases indoors until trash day.
KEEPING YOUR BUSINESS PROTECTED
– Physical Risks
One of the most common risks to a business is physical hazards such as fire, dangerous chemicals, explosions, and the likes. It would be in your best interest to periodically carry out physical inspections and ensure that your landlord provides you with all the safety equipment they are legally required to provide.
Be more aware of your realities; is there a factory close to your business that makes use of dangerous or potentially dangerous chemicals? Are you situated close to a major highway where tankers pass with chemicals and the likes? Is there a business around you that makes use of fire a lot like restaurants? You need to know all these and more to ensure that you’re prepared for whatever may happen. One of the keys to staying in business is being vigilant.
– Train Staff Members and Colleagues
We spoke to locksmiths at Speedy Locksmith LLC in Virginia Beach, VA for some professional input, and they advise that “If your business has staff, it’s important to get them on board because everything else you do will be a waste until you can get colleagues up to speed.” These locksmiths Virginia Beach experts had loads more to say than we can write in one article.
Security training is important for everyone in an organization, ensuring that everyone in your organization knows when to do it in the case of a security threat. Staff members should be able to identify suspicious behavior among themselves and visitors to your establishment.
Keep as little cash as possible on your premises and deposit extra money at the bank frequently; additionally, restrict access to sensitive areas to just staff or certain members of staff. If you work for an organization, you may want to consider speaking to your supervisor/boss about creating a visitor management policy if you currently do not have one.
Introduce clear and concise policies against employee physical and digital theft, installing digital locks with individual security codes or access keys will help you identify when and how each person gains access to each area of an establishment.
Digital Security
Nowadays, there’s more to protecting a business than just the physical aspect; you’re at risk of malicious attacks both online and offline. According to the U.S. Congressional Small Business Committee, an astounding 71% of cyber-attacks occurred at businesses with less than a hundred employees; consequently, the 2016 State of SMB Cybersecurity Report by Ponemon and Keeper, states that about half of all SMBs in the U.S. had a security breach during that year.
Here are a few steps to protect the digital security of your SME, they include;
– Use a firewall
A firewall is one of the primary lines of defense against cyberattacks, and in addition to standard external firewalls, you may want to consider installing internal firewalls to provide extra protection.
– Document your cybersecurity guidelines
– Plan for mobile devices
– Educate Employees
– Enforce safe password practices
– Regularly back up all data
– Install anti-malware software
– Use multifactor identification for when people in your organization eventually make a mistake that can lead to sensitive data being compromised.
GENERAL PURPOSE PROTECTION
After all, is said and done, the most effective action you can take to protect your home and business is to contract the services of a local locksmith near you. A locksmith will go a long way in keeping you, your loved ones, and businesses safe. When you consider the fact that the locksmith’s job evolves around protecting lives and valuables, they become indispensable to personal and corporate security. The services of a locksmith include but isn’t limited to the following;
– Interpreting master keying guides
– Installing and maintaining several types of security devices and locks
– Fitting locks to doors and windows
– Installing digital/electronic locks
– Key cutting
– CCTV installation
– Security Consulting
– Lock Replacement
– Rekeying
– Master keying and more.
The job of a locksmith goes beyond those listed here, and a certified locksmith will go above and beyond when keeping you and your loved ones safe. Locksmiths can help you install security systems, CCTV systems, improve or introduce digital locksmithing to your home and business, respond to you in the case of an emergency, and in the case of emergency 24/7 protection, offer you 24-hour protection.
In Conclusion
After all, is said and done, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to keeping your home and business safe, everybody has different needs depending on their reality. When you decide to improve your home’s security, one of your first steps should include contacting a safety professional such as a locksmith to help you path a course towards optimum protection.
Even if you’re confident in the current state of your residential or commercial protection, it’s important not to feel overconfident and rest on your laurels as negative individuals are always improving and evolving their techniques, and so should you too.
