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Make Your Home Office Secure
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Article 3: Secure Your Premises
The first step in protecting your home office is securing your physical premises.
“Starting from the curb or sidewalk, walk around your property and view it as a passerby or burglar would,” says Jeff Zbar, author of “Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home Office Security.”
Concentrate on these areas:
Exterior plants — Lush and thorny plants and thick hedges around exterior windows go a long way toward discouraging break-ins. “Buy plants that grow tall and thick enough to both impede the view into your home office and make it harder to break in through windows,” says Zbar. Lights with motion detectors — Each point of entry should be well lighted with fixtures located above or beside the doorway. “Check the light’s positioning at night regularly to make sure it stays in proper alignment,” says Zbar. Windows — For the most part, keep window shades and blinds closed, especially when you’re not in the office and at night. “You don’t want to advertise that you have a home office,” says Zbar.
Also use keyed or toggle window locks, or place a strip of wood in the window track, to keep windows from being opened from the outside. Fences and gates — “A fence can help deter burglars by creating a physical and psychological barrier to entry,” says Zbar. “A fence with a narrow and locked gate not only helps prevent burglars from entering your property, but it also makes it harder for them to carry away large stolen items from your home office.” Exterior doors — Equip exterior entry doors with strong, solid deadbolts. Ideally, pre-hung doors that include doorframes should have the hinges mounted on the inside so intruders can’t tap out the hinge pins with a simple hammer and screwdriver.
“And don’t neglect the door leading from the house into the garage,” says Zbar. “It should also have a strong deadbolt lock with tumblers and perhaps a barrier bar as well.”
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