The Top 10 Ways Protect Your Home Office

With more people working from home, the need for business home security is becoming more and more important. Here’s what you need to know to keep your home office safe and secure.

1. Protect your home office with a security alarm as well as locks on all doors and windows.
2. Lock important documents such as payroll information and confidential business documents in a secure file cabinet.
3. Avoid giving keys to colleagues and employees. If you have to give a key, you really want to be sure you can trust them.
4. Meet with work-related people in public places such as restaurants. This prevents people you don’t know well from entering your home.
5. Create a password for your Wi-Fi Internet. Protecting your wireless Internet with a password prevents hacking and other criminal activities.
6. Have passwords for computers and email. This prevents against someone gaining access to important documents and email conversations.
7. Close binds and shades when you’re not working. Offices have valuable equipment in them. Don’t let people see what you have.
8. Separate your office from the rest of your home with a locked door. Don’t let visitors, such as neighbors and repairmen, into your home office.
9. Back up computer data with an off-site back-up service. This helps to protect your files if your computer breaks or there is a fire.
10. Install a smoke detector to alert you of fires. Many people neglect fire safety in their home office. There are a lot of things that can catch fire.

Finally, natural surveillance is helpful for deterring would-be thieves. By keeping your home office well lit and clearing away shrubs or areas where someone can hide, you will significantly decrease your risk of a home office burglary.

Following these tips will help protect your office as well as your home. Be sure to keep your home life and office life separate. You’ll be more productive in the long run.

Business Security For Your Home Office

As more and more people work from home – either through telecommuting or because they run their own small business – the concept of business home security is becoming more and more important.

After all, if you’re at home, but also at your business, which type of protection do you really need?

The answer is you need a little of both. Since you are in a private residence, you’ll technically need a home security system rather than business security solutions. However, since you are also in a place of business, you’ll want to take some additional security measures that most homes do not need.

You’ll want to make sure that in addition to a well-maintained security alarm, you have deadbolts on all doors and also that you keep windows and other possible entry points locked. Also be careful to not leave the spare key under the doormat or in a vase where anyone can find it.

Pay extra attention to whom you give a key to. Providing keys to multiple employees can be potentially dangerous, and so you will want to be sure you can really trust someone before they get a key.

Finally, natural surveillance is helpful for deterring would-be thieves. By keeping your home office well lit, clearing away shrubs or areas where someone can hide, and taking steps to show that it will be difficult to break-in without being seen, you significantly decrease your risk of break-ins.

Be sure to mention your home office to a security professional for additional ways to stay protected.