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Category: Home Security

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Emergency Plans Make Important Security Measures for your Home and Business

There are very few people in the world or the United States who are not vulnerable in their homes or businesses to one type of disaster or another. Disaster strikes generally when least expected and not at all prepared for and can have devastating consequences in the toll of human lives, property damage, and the ruin of businesses. Prepare a disaster plan for your home and business in order to maintain as much control of things in this situation as possible.

Home or business invasions should first focus on everyone getting out of the house. Whether or not the invader is in the house when this is discovered or not the first order of business needs to be to insure the safety of everyone in the home or business. For both homes and businesses it is best to establish a rendezvous point for this specific situation. Make sure every family member or employee knows where he or she should meet everyone else in the case of a break in. For families with small children it should be something as simple as a neighbor’s house for businesses it can be wherever you feel there is a large enough space to accommodate everyone that will need to meet. Businesses should also have a phone call protocol established of those who should be able to call those who do not need to be present initially in order to avoid overwhelming the situation and location with too many people asking questions and wanting answers all at once.

For fires and weather related disasters home and businesses need to have an emergency plan in place (this should be different in hurricane regions according to the long range predictions and uncertainty of not only the routes of hurricanes but the amount of damage that can lie in their wake). If emergencies such as fires or tornadoes occur during regular office hours every employee should know where to go for protection and/or escape. The same holds true for homes. Families with small children should practice disaster drills at various times during the night and day in order to make sure children know innately what to do in case of emergency and do not panic and forget when and if the crucial time should ever prevent itself. Knowledge saves lives in situations such as this and having a clearly defined and understood avenue for escape can be critical in a situation such as this.

More than giving workers and family members a clearly defined route to take when disaster strikes having a designated and specific plan for emergencies also gives them a sense of purpose that will often override the traditional sense of panic. This is a good plan for families and work places across the country to practice.

It was mentioned above that hurricane plans are slightly different and this is true. Hurricanes present a fairly unique dilemma as we have discovered in recent years because they can literally devastate entire regions with the totality of their destruction. In these instances, information is needed to get out quickly to employees and family members that not only allows them to know who is safe but also the status of work, coworkers, and home and hearth. Establish an email list in order to contact those that may be displaced and to allow all who have an interest to know what the situation at home, work, etc. may be. If a home or business is fortunate enough to be in place once these ‘once in a lifetime’ storms pass then family members and employees will take great comfort of getting back into the normalcy of a workweek as quickly as possible. Use the opportunity to let them know the situation and give them the option of returning (if they are ready and prepared) or taking the time off necessary in order to get their homes and lives in order. All in all having a plan is the best way to go.

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Exterior Lighting Provides Security for Homes and Businesses

We all want to keep our homes and businesses safe and well protected. There are many ways in which this can be accomplished. One, rather simple, method for assisting in this goal is often overlooked by the multitudes but is one of the most effective measures that can be taken in order to protect not only the property from intruders but also to protect those on the property from unnecessary injury due to an inability to see what is going on in the exterior after hours.

Seriously, poor lighting can make a home or business a much more attractive target than the house next door which has adequate exterior lighting. Home intruders may on occasion not be the sharpest tools in the shed but those who are successful in this line of work are only successful because they do understand the laws of opportunity. A dark shady area that is concealed from the view of others presents a far more attractive target to would be intruders than a well-lit and revealing access point into a home.

When designing the security plan for your home and business you really need to try and think like a criminal. If you were going to break into your home or business where would you try to gain entry? Those are the areas that need to be well lit and offer little in the way of concealment opportunities for those that would attempt to make an uninvited entrance. Do not build storage sheds near windows and doors. Instead, keep them away from these areas. Storage units provide concealment and shadow in areas where this should not be desired.

Not all security is simply from invasion. You should also be concerned about the health and welfare of those who live and work in your home or business. Having the area surrounding your home and business will not only reveal intruders but also obstacles, holes, and etc. that could pose risks of injury in addition to potential intruders. You should also keep in mind that not all intruders have only possessions in mind when they make their grand entrance. Making your home or business uninviting as a ‘pit stop’ for these criminal elements also makes it safer for your family, friends, coworkers, and employees.

You do not need to light up your home or business like a military installation in order to achieve the very security you seek. Motion sensor lights that only light up the area in which motion is detected can prove basic enough protection in many cases without inviting the neighbors to complain about the never-ending daylight you manage to create.

Rope lights provide low level and decorative lights but they also invite passersby to take a look at your property. This in itself makes your property unattractive to intruders if there is any kind of regular traffic in your neighborhood or an active number of neighbors that walk dogs, star gaze, or engage in any other nocturnal activities.

If rope lights aren’t appealing, many homes make judicious use of solar powered decorative lights, as part of their landscaping in addition to a hopeful deterrent to would be intruders. Combining two or more of the forms of exterior lighting discussed above could net even greater results. Prevention is always the best course of action when it comes to things such as home or business security as well as the protection of those who live and work in your home or business from potential harm due to inadequate exterior lighting.

These are all things that should be considered when creating a security plan for your home or business. Lighting is important for many reasons. Despite the fact that many people have top of the line security equipment and can’t find their way across their lawns after lights are out far too few people bother to take the need for adequate exterior lighting seriously. Hopefully those who read this will have a new attitude when it comes to lighting up the night skies and keeping your home and business safe.

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Nanny Cams for Home and Business Security

The term “nanny cam” has become synonymous with hidden cameras. These cameras provide very little real preventative security for homes and businesses but can provide a very credible tool for identifying perpetrators of harm within the home when used properly. These cameras are appropriately named however for their function as a method of keeping an eye on those who are keeping their eyes on your children.

For home use, the ability to watch over nannies and caretakers is one of the best reasons to make this sort of investment. One thing you should remember when selecting your camera is that in some states it isn’t legal to record speech without the knowledge of the person in question. You should consult with the laws in your state before making the purchase (the retailer where you purchase your nanny cam should be able to inform you of this legality).

These cameras do have a security purpose that is often overlooked by the rather secretive nature of them and that purpose would be to keep a watchful eye on your children even when you cannot be in the room with them. This allows mom or dad to prepare dinner, pay a few bills, or even take a much-needed coffee break without feeling as though she or he should be in the room with baby. Children can be monitored from a distance allowing them to build important problem solving and self-entertaining skills while allowing you the peace of mind that comes with knowing what is going on.
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Paper Trails Lead to Security Nightmares

While it isn’t all about the paper these days there is much security that is lost on a regular basis through the use of paper. Even utility bills in this day and age can leave identity thefts with plenty of information necessary in order to acquire the documentation necessary to pretend to be you or one of your employees in some cases. The paper that is innocently thrown away each and every year provides those who would steal your identify from you the ammunition with which to do just that.

Unfortunately, identity theft doesn’t begin to cover the nightmares that can be accomplished by allowing slips of paper to fall into the wrong hands. There is a reason that Enron has become almost synonymous with paper shredding. They were at the very least well aware of the risks that documentation posed to their efforts of covering up the crimes they had committed against their company, their employees, and the faith many Americans have in their employers. Those documents were the equivalent of a ’smoking gun’ and the best solution they had available to them was a paper shredder.

While this is by no means meant to condone paper shredding to cover up crimes and misdeeds it does go to show the power that paper truly has, particularly in the ‘Information Age’ in which we live. Paper remains one of the most effective and convenient ways of exchanging information with large numbers of the population. Books continue to be printed on paper, as do magazines, and quarterly reports.

Despite the fact that many of us live and die by our computers, we still enjoy the ability to take this information away from the computer and enjoy it over coffee and toast for breakfast or while swinging in a hammock out back. The thing to remember is that even though we can print off delicate and often confidential material from our computers and take them along with us, it is imperative that this information is not merely tossed in the garbage but destroyed in the process. The price we must pay for having sensitive and personal information floating around on paper documents is the necessity to shred those papers and remove the information that could be used and abused by others for more sinister purposes. Read more »

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Pros and Cons of Hidden Surveillance Cameras

Hidden surveillance cameras are more common around the world than most of us realize. They can be found in bus stops, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, homes, and ATM machines on almost every continent. These cameras are often fed into video recording devices though on occasion they are monitored by real life security personnel in order to deter crimes and rapidly identify offenders. Chances are fairly certain that if you’ve been in any casino in the modern world that you have been carefully scrutinized on camera. Actually, chances are that if you’ve been almost anywhere in America your image has been captured by a hidden surveillance camera somewhere along the way.

Among the reasons for the extreme popularity and wide use of these cameras for both home and business security purposes are the facts that they are small, they do not take up a lot of real estate, they are not obvious, and they are quite affordable when compared to other security methods. However monitored surveillance methods are more costly, for those who would require this type of monitoring it is well worth the price. These cameras are as effective in small ‘mom and pop’ type stores and restaurants around the country as they are in identifying those who break into homes that have these cameras.

There are however, a few drawbacks that should be addressed when considering a small, hidden, surveillance camera as part of a home or business security plan. One of the drawbacks to these types of cameras is that they offer a very narrow or limited view. If these cameras are being used to identify perpetrators in a court of law reasonable doubt could easily be established unless the perpetrator in question happens to be well within the field of vision for the camera. Another drawback is that these devices are very small and do not necessarily offer the best quality and highest resolution when it comes to photographs. Read more »

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Security Measures for Small Businesses

Small businesses are often overlooked in the grand scheme of things when it comes to implementing security measures. These businesses are not on the scale of larger businesses and have more specialized security needs than the average home will need. This means that security for small businesses has often in the past been either insufficient (more along the lines of what is appropriate for home security) or overpriced along the lines of what is appropriate for larger businesses.

The good news is that many of the leading names when it comes to security are beginning to understand the specialized needs of smaller businesses and design security measures that address those specific needs rather than adjusting larger or smaller scaled measures in order to fit into the very targeted needs for security in smaller businesses. The good news is that smaller businesses often do not experience quite the high volume of staff turnover that larger businesses experience. This means the risks of theft by the hands of employees is significantly slimmer than in larger businesses or those with high volume turnover (such as fast food restaurants and mid-sized retail establishments). It does not however eliminate the risks all together.

Small businesses do have the typical security needs that all homes and businesses have. You need to eliminate blind spots on the exterior of the building in order to avoid giving intruders a safe place to hide while breaking in. You also need to leave some lights on inside the building so that police and passersby may notice anything out of the ordinary as far as movement within the building or pay special attention on nights when the lights aren’t on when no one should be ‘home’ so to speak.

You should also trim back any bushes, shrubs, or small trees near possible entry points as they also provide the cover of darkness for those who have bad intentions. Enabling coded entry methods that are individual to each employee is another way in which employees can be easily identified as the one entering or exiting the building after hours should anything go wrong with no witnesses. This doesn’t imply that these cards will eliminate employees as suspects or even identify an employee as a suspect but it may identify who was in the building that may have witnessed something that he or she isn’t even aware is important.

Exterior lighting is another important safety and security feature for small businesses. Not only do you want to protect employees that may be leaving after hours but you should also do so for the protection of customers or patrons who may be on the business property after hours. They can create their own unique liability issue that also happens to threaten the security of your company on a financial level. Insurance is another protection in this instance as well as the right policy can help insure that you are not personally targeted if someone is injured on your business property.

Have an assessment of your businesses security needs performed by a professional security expert in order to discover specific needs that you may encounter in light of your special small business security needs. There is rarely a thing called too much security though there are often instances where security can be more than you can reasonably afford-of course there are some forms of security you simply cannot afford to be without. An expert will help you identify your specific needs and create a plan that works within the limits of your budget.

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Safes Add Another Layer of Security to Homes and Businesses

We live in a day and age, sadly, when information is probably one of the most precious commodities on the planet. More specifically, personal information, such as social security numbers and tax identification numbers are worth their weights in gold in some instances and should be highly guarded, prized, and valued. This information in the wrong hands can lead to financial and personal nightmares the likes of which few are every truly prepared to experience.

There are many businesses, particularly those that experience high and brief employee turnover rates that are often targeted specifically for the employee information more than the money that may be hidden away in the companies cash drawers or the merchandise that may be contained inside. The information in the right hands is worth far more than the merchandise and much more difficult to trace when all is said and done.

Many companies that keep this information on their computer systems are also targeted. However, the targeting of this specific information is what is prompting many companies to closely safeguard this information, for the protection of present and past employees including current management. One way in which they are doing this is by purchasing large safes in which to store the information. Many businesses are going one step further however and purchasing hidden safes that aren’t immediately recognizable for what they are. This adds yet another layer of protection and security to employees that may otherwise feel vulnerable to identity theft.

When it comes to security for homes rather than businesses safes provide a great way to protect not only important documents but also jewelry, letters, gold, virtually anything of value that will fit into the safe. Another great thing about safes in order to protect valuables in the home is that most safes are also virtually fire proof. This means that the valuables held in the safe are likely to survive in the event that a fire ravages your home. Not only will a safe offer the security of “safe guarding” your possessions but also your piece of mind by allowing you to know that the important documents and information (including insurance papers) are kept safe from prying eyes and those with evil intentions.

There are many companies that specialize in making safes inconspicuous so that the casual observer wouldn’t even realize it was in your home. In fact, a dedicated professional can make them almost completely undetectable when combined with the efforts of a skilled carpenter and they can fit in amazing spaces if secrecy is of utmost importance for the safe keeping of your documents and information. Even those who live and work along side you every day can be oblivious to the existence of the safe if that is your wish and you are willing to pay the price of having a hidden safe installed.

Other safes that offer security to your home and/or business (depending on what kind of business you are in, of course) are gun safes. Quite frankly, in the world in which we live the idea of having guns out in the open and freely available to anyone who walks in the door is not only irresponsible but in some cases criminal. It is wise, for those who own guns to have a gun safe in which to store those weapons, keep it locked, and store ammunition elsewhere. Guns do not provide adequate defense for homes or business and this should be kept in mind when it comes to security. In many cases each year those who attempt to use their guns for home security only manage to provide another weapon to the intruder rather than managing to secure their belongings or protect their families.

Safes can provide great protection and security for homes and businesses when properly used and guarded. Safes offer little protection however if everyone and their brother knows the location and/or the combination to the safe. You should keep that information closely guarded in order to receive the maximum security that owning a safe can provide.

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Technology Adds Security to Home and Business Door Locks

There are many technological wonders in the world today. Not the least among these wonders is the new technologies that exist in order to allow families and employees to feel a little bit safer within the confines of their homes and workplaces. One way this is accomplished is through a new technology that allows people to unlock a door by entering a key. Well, this is not exactly new technology though it is newly implemented in the average market. For perhaps the first time, this is an affordable option for use as another home or business security measure even for the smallest of businesses.

More than offering another layer of security for keeping intruders out, there is an added layer of security for allowing family members and/or employees in quickly even when keys are not easily found. Parents will never need to worry about teens forgetting their keys and being locked out. More importantly, families will no longer need to implement a hiding place for keys in this unfortunate event. Cold weather, rain, and panic (because of noises in the night) will no longer mitigate the ability to find keys in the bottoms of purses, handbags, and backpacks-a simple key code is all that will be needed in order to gain entry.

In addition to this benefit however is the added benefit that many of these interesting door locks also have the technology to read a card in order to unlock as well as a device attached to key fobs. You can also avoid fumbling around in the dark trying to force the key to actually fit into the lock. This will be taken care of automatically. No more lost time, broken nails, or dropped groceries in an effort to gain entry into the home. This home and/or business security feature can eliminate these issues all together.

For employers who own businesses, this adds another layer of security, as it can be a requirement for entry into the building. Pass out cards to all employees with a unique identifying number and at any given time there should be a clear record of who was in the building after hours or who gained early entry into the building. If anything is amiss there is a record of who came and went when (of course this isn’t infallible but it will help if ever there is a need for this information). Read more »

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The Advantages of Monitored Home and Business Security

There is an old saying that you can never have too much protection. While a few years ago few Americans realized just how true this sentiment was, times are changing. As a result Americans who once thought the need for added home or business security was something that should be reserved for the fabulously wealthy are beginning to discover that the wealthy are no longer the only ones needing protection in this country.

Sadly enough, the middle class is becoming the more widely targeted group by those who would bring harm to property or possessions. For this reason, it is now more important than ever before to insure that your home and business has adequate security measures in place in the event that the unthinkable happens. There are few better ways in which to secure your business and home better than having a monitored security service that is available to the average middle income family. Some small companies can absorb the expense of security personnel though in many cases it is not as cost effective as obtaining a simple monitoring service for their security needs would be in the first place.

In fact, the number one advantage to having a monitored security service for your home and/or business is the fact that it is often more security than is currently present in the average household. This means that some security is far better than no security in the big picture. Even if you opt to install a security system for your home, how effective will it really be without being monitored?

The monitoring service fee is the one setback that most people feel when it comes securing their homes and businesses and yet the monitoring service is what makes this work to the advantage of home and business owners. One thing you may want to consider in order to offset the monitoring fees each month is checking with your home or business insurance policy and seeing if you can get a reduction in fees for taking extra security measures. Some insurance companies will reward this proactive stance when it comes to security and at times it can almost completely offset the fees.

Another advantage to monitored home and business security is the fact that there is someone to assist with security needs 24/7. This means days, nights, and holidays, your home is being watched and guarded by someone with your best interests at heart. Seriously if there are a rash of break ins in properties that are protected by your service it would definitely be bad for business. They have a vested interest in keeping your home safe from invasion or at the very least ending the situation as quickly as possible should the unthinkable occur.

For those who need a very distinct advantage, the costs incurred by monitoring services are significantly less than those that would be required in order to hire security personnel in order to secure your home or business twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. Don’t forget the additional expenses of overtime and holidays. These things add up rather quickly and are far greater, expense wise, than the average household or small business could or should absorb. Check your budget and decide for yourself if a monitored security service for your home and business might be exactly what is needed in order to get the security your family and employees deserve.

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Panic Alarms for Added Security in Homes and Businesses

Silent alarms are often thought of as something that is only suitable for banks. The truth is that almost any home or business would do well to have a panic button alarm system in the event of an intrusion, fire, or weather related emergency. Panic alarms come in many shapes and sizes as well as styles. Consider carefully the type of business you operate or the situation within your home before deciding whether or not to incorporate a panic alarm into the security plans for your home or business.

Some are simply a means of emitting a powerful and ear piercing alarm. While these are not what this article is recommending to protect a home or business, they can be vital protection devices for personal security while walking, hiking, or biking. They deter criminals if noticed because most criminals do not want to draw attention to themselves and often frighten them away when committing a crime because they do make a spectacle of everyone involved. This is a situation that is bad for business for most purse-snatchers or people snatchers and will often frighten them away.

Silent panic alarms as a security protocol for business are especially helpful for businesses that do a heavy amount of work with cash or businesses that sell to those who may become unruly on a regular basis. They are also considered quite valuable in businesses that sell firearms. In truth however, in this day and age, any business would do well to have a silent panic button that goes straight to a monitored service. The reason for this is quite simply-you just never know. We live in a world where we simply do not know from one day to the next who the next person will be to do the unthinkable. While we do not want to admit to ourselves that he or she could be in the next cubicle the chances are just as good as any that they may be. Read more »

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