Personal Security at Home

Personal Security 

In our two previous articles, we looked at setting up a risk management approach to ensure home security for both your physical property and assets and your computer security in a home-based business or home office. Now we take a serious look at your personal security role in this process. 

How do customers access you?

Look at the points of entry and access that outsiders have to you and your business and home base. In an internet-connected home security context these are called your vulnerability points. They include your landline, cell phone, email address/es, fax, website, and the front and back doors and windows in your home. Having personal security and being easily accessible in your home based business is a juggling act. In a high-tech home office what constitutes accessibility?

Controlling that access 

The answer in today’s world is simply to be accessible by more than one means, not by creating vulnerability. So, have an email, phone, fax, website, and postal or street address. Yet, for security reasons, you don’t want the world you connect to, sell to, landing on your doorstep, unless that’s part of how your business runs. Let’s look at how you can manage these options with reduced vulnerability.

Email
Many websites can have an online Contact Form that provides customers with access to you without giving the whole world your email address. This helps cut down on spam, which can destroy that address forcing you to set up another one. Once a customer or prospect has made their initial contact, and you have screened them and their purpose, any further liaison can be via your business email address.

Alternatively, or additionally, you can include a portion of your physical address, perhaps the city and state is enough. This depends on the type and level of security you are after. It can help visitors and customers picture where you are, without learning the location of your family home.

Telephone
Keeping business phone numbers separate from your personal phone can be helpful, especially if the personal phone is used and answered by family members. Protecting your family from being accessed by the outside world is important, as is having that all-important professional look. For your business it is possible to have a second landline, a cell phone, even something like skype.  

Doors and Windows
Home security isn’t possible without both front and back doors in your home having security locks. If your front door is not transparent, a door viewer or deadlocked security screen is essential. Some people make the mistake of unlocking and opening the wood or screen door once they’ve seen a pleasant-looking person on their doorstep.

Psychologically it can be difficult to stick to your security plan and not open that door when it becomes obvious that holding a business discussion through it appears rude. But, bad guys can look and sound pleasant. Think of all those crime shows and novels you’ve seen; how easy it can be to connive your way into someone’s house. You need to be as smart as the bad guy. Prepare your home security plan and avoid this happening to you and weakening your resolve.

Window alarms and door alarms can take the stress out of wanting security on the one hand yet also wanting fresh air during the day while working. Remember, one or two simple security products at budget-savvy prices help to ensure you can afford some of these basics and instead of adding to that stress, they can reduce it knowing you have an easy form of personal security in your home security plan. 

External Meetings
For the ultimate in home security, meeting customers and clients at some acceptable outside location. This is much more preferable to opening your home to them. Options can include:

• meet clients at a local café or library;
• rent a serviced office; or
• hire a small, local meeting room on a regular or periodic basis.

Both professionalism and security can be catered for here.

Sometimes for business purposes, sole operators see the benefit in giving the appearance of having a team behind the scenes. Women can benefit from this approach. Use the royal “we” in information given out about the business. Refer to “support staff, sales staff and/or the contact officer” to boost the number of people working in your business, even if it is simply you wearing different hats.

There are two cardinal rules. Don’t meet customers in locations that put you at a physical disadvantage if something were to go wrong. Think worse-case scenario. Do meet customers in professional settings and ipso facto, you thereby tend to overcome rule number one.

Remember, you wouldn’t open the front door to a virus, hacker or load of spam, and they all come from pretend customers and clients. So why let them in the front door of your property just because they come in person and smile at you?

------------------------------

The author, R.T. Hág, is a qualified, certified private investigator and is Director of Big SihS, the Self Install Home Security online store.

For home alarms, fake surveillance cameras and more at budget savvy prices: http://selfinstallhomesecurity.biz 

For a free ebook, by 25 year expert, on managing spam, viruses and hackers: http://www.SelfInstallHomeSecurity.biz/securityupdate

Copyright © R.T. Hàg 2008 All rights reserved worldwide.