Reliable Security Options for Homes and Businesses

Whether a property is owned personally or it’s under a company’s control, you always want to have reliable security options in place. Whether the problem is vandals, attempted break-ins or potential squatters, if the properly is a rental one that’s not currently occupied, security is a valid concern, whether for a house or an office building.

Here are some good options to enhance security for the exterior and interior of a property.

Upgrading Windows and Doors

Whether for a residential or commercial property, you want to check around the property to see how secure the existing doors and windows are. Are there gaps between the door and doorframe which would allow someone to easily lever the door frame to pop the lock out from its position and release the door?

Are windows broken in some infrequently accessed locations or are they older style ones that aren’t double-glazed, making them more easily breakable to gain entry? Do any of these doors or windows need replacing with better versions to enhance security? Explore what that would cost to do.

Replacing Low-quality Locks

Not all locks are high quality. Some are simple ones that can be pushed back easily using a plastic card between the door and door frame. Deadbolt locks that slide into position and cannot be shoved back in this manner are far better. Not all locks offer the same level of security. A better locking mechanism and less pickable locks are worth investing in.

Get advice from a local locksmith on what door locks would improve overall security. You could try Position Security WA at https://www.positivesecuritywa.com.au/locksmith-joondalup to get their advice based on their decades of experience in the security field.

Adding Fire/Safety Doors

For fire regulations, it may be necessary to add fire/safety doors within an office to prevent a fire from spreading from room to room, and floor to floor. Safety doors are tougher, heavier, and designed to prevent a fire from getting to the other side for about half an hour. It also blocks any new oxygen coming from the other side of the safety door, to choke off what a flame needs to keep going.

The half hour is usually enough time to allow staff to use an alternative exit to leave the building before the fire spreads to adjacent offices. A fire alarm would alert staff early enough to make an orderly exit of the building.

There’s nothing to say that a homeowner shouldn’t consider adding a fire door to their residential home too. If there’s a sensible place to replace an internal door with a fire door where the occupants could escape from two separate parts of the property or an upper floor and a lower floor, then a well-placed fire door could increase protection from a fire that spreads too quickly.

Keypad Locks on Secure Office Areas

If you work in a building with executive offices containing confidential documents or computer equipment with access to business records, it is a good idea to add keypad locks to the office door. This way, only someone with the right combination can access the private office. Getting past a manual or electronic keypad door lock system is harder to do than picking a lock. It provides better protection than leaving the office unattended. A security officer regularly patrolling the floor to check for intruders is also a good idea too.

For people who work from home, putting a keypad lock on a home office isn’t a bad idea. It can keep people visiting your home from getting nosy when they return from a trip to the bathroom. If your kids have a habit of wandering into the office and messing around with the papers there, a door lock can limit their access to the home office. Some models even have backlighting systems to make them easier to use in dark corridors or on landings.

Master Key and Individual Keys

For offices, it’s useful to use locks that offer a master key that opens all the doors and individual keys that open individual locks. This is beneficial to give full access to certain employees but not everyone. For instance, the personnel responsible for security or organising an orderly exit during a fire drill should have a master key to unlock any doors in their path to get out of the building. Key executives could also have access to a master key that covers certain floors and private offices on that floor if they oversee the whole department.

Operating with different keys for various main doors and private offices within an office building gets confusing. It’s too easy to lose important keys or get confused about which keys unlock which doors. The larger the building and the greater number of offices, the more potential confusion. Using a master key and individual key system makes life much easier.

Alarms and Sensors

Both homes and offices benefit from having a modern alarm system fitted. Sensors are situated at key points of entry to monitor access attempts. Most systems are now online and potentially hook into cameras that provide a live feed of entrances and exits. Smart home systems have become popular lately for consumers who want to see what’s happening at home or to remotely unlock their front door to let the kids in if they’re not home yet.

Safes

For busy offices, having a floor or wall safe is an excellent way to protect important valuables and critical physical documents that must be kept in a protected place. It prevents prying eyes and offers considerable protection from intruders looking for easy items to steal. It also avoids needing to use a bank’s safe or lock boxes away from home or the office.

Protecting your home or office is important. It shouldn’t be an afterthought following a break-in. Most would-be thieves look for easy targets first. Hardening the target by using better locks and enhanced security measures often means they’ll skip your property and look elsewhere.