Category: Security

When it comes to home security, it’s important to take all the steps necessary to ensure that you, your family, and your belongings are safe. One of those steps is a home security audit. This type of audit is a comprehensive home security check and is just as important as the walkthrough you perform as a buyer when checking out your new home.

Home Security Audits

A home security audit leads you through a checklist of items to improve the security of your home. As you go through the checklist, you make a note of the problem areas and can schedule professional services to remedy them. The audit may take a few hours to a few days to complete, depending on the size of your home and how long it’s been since your most recent audit was performed. 

Some of the items covered in the audit include checking the locks on your home’s exterior doors, windows, and other access points to ensure that your locks are secure and functioning properly; testing for any weak points in your security system, such as faulty hinges, loose door handles, and other potential vulnerabilities; and considering every possible entrance in your home to find ways to improve their resistance to unwanted entry. 

New Home Walkthroughs

A new home walkthrough, on the other hand, is done when you’re moving into a new home. This walkthrough helps you become familiar with the layout of the home and all the potential security risks. It also helps you become aware of any potential issues like faulty locks or weak points in the security system. A new home walkthrough contains many of the same steps as a home security audit, but includes additional items such as making a log of existing damage to the home or checking to make sure that all the lights and appliances are in good working order.

What You Check During an Audit

Although the full audit checklist is extensive, some of the things you can expect to consider include:

• Testing all doors and windows for proper operation and secure locks
• Checking and upgrading the materials used to construct your windows and doors
• Setting up and/or maintaining a security system, including cameras, lights, and alarms, in and around your home
• Installing a peephole on all entry doors
• Investing in a security fence or wall around your property
• Adding outdoor lighting to illuminate dark areas
• Trimming shrubs and trees away from windows and around the perimeter of your home
• Keeping ladders and other tools inside a garage or shed at all times

Each checklist item ticked off or improved upon adds an additional level of security to your home. Keeping your family and your possessions safe is essential, and an audit can help you identify weak points in your home security system.

After the audit is complete, it’s time to take the steps necessary to improve the weak points you identified. This could include installing additional locks, upgrading your security system, or other measures. It’s important to carefully consider all of the weaknesses you found and implement the fixes as soon as possible.

The Importance of Home Security Audits

Home security audits are important because they help you identify and resolve any potential security risks and vulnerabilities before they become a major problem, as well as provide peace of mind that your home is secure. They also help you take the appropriate steps to make sure your home is as secure as possible by leading you through every step of the process. New home walkthroughs are an essential part of security as well, but completing an audit at least once a year is a critical component toward keeping your home safe.

Pop-A-Lock offers a readymade home security audit checklist to help get you on your way to total home security. If you haven’t completed a home security audit in a while, or if this will be your first one, check out the list and let Pop-A-Lock be your guide!

There’s no doubt that technology has made it increasingly easier to stay connected with people both in our neighborhoods and across the country. Social media features like stories and live streaming make it possible to access real-time information about your friends’ and family’s whereabouts. Though this can be fun for people you trust, it can also come with a huge downfall if you’re not careful.

In fact, over 78% of burglars use social media to find their targets. With constant updates, photos, and information in your bio, it’s not difficult for a burglar to pick up on where you work, where you live, and when you’re out of town.

How Do Burglars Use Social Media?

When burglars browse social media, they’re looking for insight about who you are. Information in your bio, like your workplace or the area you live in, can easily be converted into clues for a burglar. If you post frequent stories or live streams, a burglar can also take note of where you typically are during a certain time of the day. 

You may be wondering how a potential thief could even find your home through social media, right? If your home is in the background of any of your photos, and the burglar can find the general area you live in through your profile, they’ll be able to put two and two together fairly easily.  

Why You Shouldn’t Post While on Vacation

Though it may be tempting to brag about your vacation before or while it is happening, this can quickly get you into trouble. A potential burglar who has already stalked your social media accounts will quickly jump on the opportunity to burglarize your home if they know that you are out of town. In fact, posting about your vacation before you even leave could be very dangerous as it gives a potential thief time to plan a robbery.

What Should You Do Instead?

The best way to protect yourself, your family, and your home is to delay your posts until you’ve returned from your vacation. We get it – it may be hard to resist posting that perfect beach photo of you in the clear blue water, but we promise it’s worth it. You’ll also want to avoid captions and comments that say anything along the lines of, “Getting on the plane! I’m so excited for my vacation!”

In the same way that posting about your vacation can be dangerous, posting too much about your everyday life can also put you and your family at risk. Posting about your kids’ school events, for example, can give burglars, or even kidnappers, too much information. If they find out what school your children attend, they can likely also find out the times when you’re not home. They may even be able to figure out what car you drive and, from there, find out where you live.

General Safety Tips for Using Social Media

Though the danger of posting too much private information on social media is very real, you don’t have to completely shut down your social media accounts. In addition to being cautious of what you post, it is also important to be cautious about who is able to see your posts. Keeping your account private will prevent anyone you don’t know or trust from seeing what you post. Don’t accept friend requests or follow requests from people you’re not familiar with.

Privacy on social media shouldn’t just end there – turning off location settings and geotagging options can keep your location secure. Avoid adding geotags to your posts, especially if it is a location you visit frequently. Geotagging your vacation posts is safe so long as you only post about your vacation once you’ve returned home.

Lastly, you should avoid including personal information in the bio of your social media accounts. Don’t list your birthday, hometown, or place of work.

For Ultimate Safety, Check the Locks

At the end of the day, staying safe from theft is all about being mindful of your decisions. This includes the decisions you make about what, when, and how you post on social media accounts. By using these tips, you’ll be able to keep yourself and your family safe. However, if you feel like you need an additional layer of security, rekeying or installing new locks is a great way to ensure that your home is safe from mishaps. Your local Pop-A-Lock is always happy to help with any of your locksmithing needs.

We provide expert lock rekeying and new lock installation to keep your home secure, so you can rest easy at night. Afterall, there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep in your own bed after getting home from vacation.

For most of us, moving into a new home comes with a feeling of optimism and opportunity. Unfortunately, moving also invites stress. Between the extensive packing and unpacking process, and the worry of feeling unsafe in your new environment, moving can quickly turn from exciting to overwhelming.

With these tips, you won’t have to stress about securing your property. You can enjoy your new space while feeling confidently that it will keep you safe.

Pack Wisely

As you pack up your belongings, we recommend using colored sticky notes, tape, or markers to coordinate which room a box belongs in. This saves a shocking amount of time, as it takes the guesswork out of unloading​​ your belongings into your new home. 

It’s important to take inventory of your things as you pack them up. Whether you are moving alone or you’ve hired a moving company, this will prevent your belongings from getting lost or stolen. Additionally, if you color coordinate your boxes, it will be easy to count the number of boxes you have for each room in the house.

Valuable items, like jewelry and sensitive documents, should always be stored in a security safe or somewhere out of sight. This can be pretty challenging to maintain during the move, so we recommend storing valuable items with a friend or family member until you’ve settled into your new home.

Rekey the Locks

As soon as you have the keys to your new home, you should consider rekeying the locks or installing new ones. 

We typically recommend lock rekeying because it does not require changing the locks themselves. Instead, the pinning inside the locks is changed – it’s a win-win! You get to keep the same lock mechanism and spend less money on fixes, and have the peace of mind that the old keys no longer work.

This way, you’ll know exactly who has access to your home. Plus, keys wear down over time. By rekeying your locks, you won’t have to worry about your keys getting sticky for years to come.

Make sure there are enough keys for each member in the home. You may also want to make an additional copy to share with a trusted friend, or family member not residing in the home.

Check the Windows

Similar to checking the locks on your doors, you should also check the windows. Be sure the window and window locks both shut completely. You’ll also want to make sure your windows have protective screens, especially for second floor windows.

As you arrange your items in your new home, be mindful of which belongings are in view of the window. You should always leave valuable items out of sight. 

Prepare Your Home For Emergencies

A fire extinguisher should be stored on each floor of your home. It’s best to keep one in the kitchen as appliances like the oven and stove can increase the risk of residential fire.

You also want to check that your smoke detector is working and that the batteries are fully charged. Modern smoke detectors typically come equipped with a carbon monoxide detector. If yours doesn’t, consider purchasing one. 

Next, check the dryer vent to be sure it is not clogged with lint. This may sound unnecessary, but if the dryer vent is clogged, hot air from the dryer will be trapped in your laundry room, increasing the risk of fire. In fact, laundry rooms are a leading cause of fire and water damage in residential homes.

As you fill the drawers and cabinets of your home, make sure you have flashlights and extra batteries stored throughout. Ideally, you should keep a flashlight in each room in case of an emergency.

Lastly, be sure to check that your security system is working properly. Your security system is there to keep you safe, but it only works if you work with it. Once you’ve tested that it’s working properly, set up a routine to check it regularly.

 

You should be able to enjoy your new home without being worried about your safety. By following these simple steps, you can alleviate some of the moving stress. If you need to rekey your locks or install new ones, your local Pop-A-Lock is here to help. 

It is all too common for a business to heavily assess their data security, while neglecting the physical security of their building.

In terms of data, businesses should use a protected network that’s not easy to hack into. The network logins should not be shared with anyone unrelated to the business.

Building security is similar. It is important that doors remain locked, and that only employees have access to the building. Office security will help you build a better relationship with your employees – and your customers. We’ll walk you through some of our top security tips for the workplace.

How a Security Plan Will Benefit Your Business

First and foremost, it’s important to understand why you need to protect your office building. Having a secure work environment comes with many benefits:

A thorough security plan means happier employees.  Some of the top factors that affect employee happiness are interpersonal relationships, culture, and work environment. Working in a secure environment helps promote a more relaxed atmosphere and employees feel more comfortable knowing their employer is equipped to handle safety issues. Studies show that happier employees are also more productive. 

Happier, safer employees will result in a lower turnover rate. Safety climate affects employee morale, engagement, and job satisfaction. Employees who feel like the company cares only about productivity will quickly become discouraged and disengaged. On the other hand, employees who feel like the company values their safety will be much more motivated at work, resulting in a lower turnover rate.

Similarly to retaining employees, security measures have the potential to increase client retention. Customers like doing business with knowledgeable companies that they have already established a relationship with. Typically, your employees interact directly with those customers. When your employees feel motivated to stay at your company, they’re able to create and maintain long-lasting relationships with customers.

A security plan will reduce business costs and disruption. A company is less likely to experience financial loss if there is a quality security plan in place. They will be further protected from break-ins and data loss and will avoid setbacks on projects.

Part of a well-designed security plan also includes your response to incidents. If you have a security system in your building, you won’t have to do this alone. Both your employees and customers will appreciate your improved incident response.

Safety Measures to Consider

Now that you understand the importance of workplace security, here are some of the things you should consider in your safety audit.

Make sure your external doors are secure. Employees may enter the building using traditional locks, ID cards, or biometrics. Traditional locks may be more common on older buildings, but provide the least amount of security. Keys used for traditional locks are easier to lose, and don’t provide any unique form of employee identification.

ID cards, on the other hand, can only be used by employees. Biometrics are the most advanced and protective form of lock. We’ll touch more on that later. Whichever entry system your company uses, make sure only your employees have access to the building.

In some situations, it may not be necessary to have locks on internal doors. However, if any of the rooms inside the building contain sensitive documents or expensive equipment, you’ll want to be sure these doors follow proper security measures. Whether it’s physical locks, ID checkpoints, or biometrics, these rooms should be secured in some way. In addition to proper locks, the areas surrounding these spaces should have a security alarm or security cameras.

Security systems like alarms and cameras will alert you of unwanted activity, whether you’re in the building or not. Not only do you need to find a security system that works for your business, but you also need to learn how to use it. There’s no point in installing a security system if it’s not a consistent part of your safety routine.

Fingerprints, retina scans, and hand geometry are all things biometric locks may scan for. Biometrics have become a common part of office security systems and are by far the most secure lock system. If you want to learn more about biometrics, check out this resource on our website.

Increased Business Security with Pop-A-Lock

When you take care of your employees first, the whole business will run more smoothly. Make sure you are using a security system, your buildings locks are secure, and that sensitive information and expensive equipment are locked up. In addition to keeping yourself, your data, and your employees safe, a thorough safety plan will also help you earn more money in the long run. You’ll be able to reduce employee turnover, increase client retention, and avoid the financial risks of a break-in and data theft.

Your safety is Pop-A-Locks number one priority. Visit our website for any of your commercial locksmithing needs.