Are you REALLY ready for the Holidays?

Written by in Building Security, Electronic Security, Latest Scams, Locks, Physical Security, Protect Yourself, Safes, Surveillance

What a great time of year – all the excitement in children’s faces, parties to attend, time spent helping those less fortunate, great food, and lots of running around shopping for food and presents.  It’s a time of year that requires just a little more thought about what you are doing when it comes to security.  So go enjoy your family, friends, and colleagues, but ask yourself a few questions from time to time and when you leave your house or office…

Here is a “Holiday Top Ten Checklist” from a security perspective that might just make your holiday season a bit brighter if you keep these in mind as you enjoy this wonderful time of year.

  1. Check the doors – both when you are leaving AND when you are home.  This is a season of high theft so don’t encourage or make it easy for someone to enter your house, with or without you in it – keep ALL your doors locked.
  2. Get extra keys made.  If you have guests from out of town or the kids home from college, rather than leaving the door open for them when they come home, just spend a few dollars and make another half-dozen keys to hand out – just get them back when everyone leaves and your house will be much safer.
  3. When in doubt, lock it in the safe.  If you have a safe and you are buying some expensive jewelry for Christmas, just throw it in the safe until the big day, out of sight is always a great idea for not “tempting” would-be robbers.
  4. If it’s big, ask the merchant to hold it at their location as long as you can get away with – maybe up until Christmas Eve.  Stores have restarted “layaway” programs, so let them keep the risk and pick it up at the last minute to avoid worry.  Thieves usually stake out a property before they hit and they are looking to see if it is worthwhile based on what they see.
  5. Be extra cautious if you are using any of the social media tools.  It might be fun to post on your facebook wall that you are heading out to your company party, but it would be far better to tell them about it after the fact.  This is an announcement to thieves.  Same with twitter or other tools, tell them after the fact, not before to avoid any risk of the word spreading in a bad circle.
  6. Be careful when you answer the door.  If you are home alone, don’t answer it unless you know who it is before you answer the door. If someone is going to stop by, then ask them when so you don’t answer the door before they get there.  Also, most people have text messaging today – simply ask them to text you when they arrive so you can answer the door when they arrive and not for a stranger.
  7. Not everyone is who they say they are.  This time of year lots of people hire “stalkers” to go around neighborhoods and businesses to offer so called “free holiday services” because you are a good customer.  You don’t get the free service right away, they schedule it.  But what they are really doing is asking you to let them in to check out your house for possible items, find out when you are going to be around, and get a variety of other information to help them rob your house.  Always check with the company if you have any questions, usually before you let them in the door is a good idea.
  8. Don’t leave packages in your car overnight if you leave your car out overnight.  Besides the possibility of increased car theft, it is easy to break, grab, and run before anyone is the wiser…especially at 3am.
  9. Add a monitored security system and monitor it through this time of year at a minimum.  There might be times you don’t need to have it monitored but this is a great time to have someone ready to dispatch the police or fire units.
  10. If you are a helpful citizen and collect presents for others less fortunate, don’t tell everyone the date and time when you will be delivering these “truckloads” of presents.  Generally, the less information you put out in the market the safer you will become.

We have lots more to give you but these 10 should at least get you thinking in the right direction.  If you would like to hear more, feel free to give us a call and we’ll give you even more that might be helpful to your particular situation.  He hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday…

0 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , , , , ,

Are you “running with scissors” with your security?

Written by in Alarm Systems, Building Security, Electronic Security, Locks, Physical Security

Security can be likened to “running with scissors” if you aren’t putting the right measures in place to protect you and your business.  There was a great article in Bankers Online that talked about the steps necessary to be more secure.  They talked about two types of criminals, the “terrorists” and the “copycats”.

Their article, “Are You Running With Scissors? Physical Security: What You Should Be Doing Now!” talks about the difference between the two.  I loved their definition of the “copycats”, where they said, “Terrorists are simply thugs with a fancy name. And a thug is a person who wants to steal from you or to hurt you. Copycats are just thugs who don’t even have an original thought.”  Even though they might just be thugs we still have to protect ourselves and businesses from these criminals.

The article gives some great examples around the elements necessary to create a safe and secure environment.  It includes such factors as Risk Security and Assessment and having a Crisis Management Plan.  In essence, the key is to have a well designed security plan that starts with the perimeter and moves inside the organization.  It also gives a great description of how the organization should incorporate the employees as well as outside vendors and partners.  The goal is to build a team that can help provide the guidance and support throughout the organization.

0 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , , ,

Fire rated safes ARE different…

Written by in Locks, Physical Security, Safes

We are constantly being asked questions about safes, all kinds of questions.  Many are focused on on one key question, “Is it worth it to spend more money on the higher rated safes for such things as fire protection or is it a waste of money?”  Good question and one that we thought might be good to both talk about and show you the difference.

First it is important to get a safe based on what you want to protect and how valuable it is to protect it from theft.  If you put your most valued possessions in a safe that can easily be removed or broken into, this is just wasting money.  Match the value of the goods with the value of protection the safe offers is the easiest rule of thumb.  Besides the size of the safe, there are major differences in how easy they are to open – and not just from professionals like ourselves.  Many safes are not that hard to open if they are cheap and their locking mechanisms are very basic.

The more a safe generally costs, the more protection it gives you against break in and fire.  Those are two key determinants as to the cost of a safe.  So ask yourself how valuable the goods are and that will help direct you to the right safe.  We are trained to ask those types of questions so please feel free to ask away and we will give you the answers based on our experience of seeing how “durable” the safes really are in the real world.  Our recommendations are based on the experiences we have seen first hand and to us, that is the only way to get the straight scoop.

Now for some comparisons.  There are two videos shown below, both are the same building after a fire.  The first video is one of a lower fire rating on a safe and you can see what actually happens to the contents after the fire.  The second one is next to it and had a higher fire rating.  I think you will enjoy seeing the differences.

0 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , ,

Apartment Security – what to include

Written by in Building Security, Common Problems, Electronic Security, Physical Security

Apartment or multi-family buildings are a key target for criminals.  Why?  Because it is like “one-stop shopping” for them.  Why go all over town looking for buildings and houses to break into, no knowing what each one has to deter you when you can hit an entire building that most likely has the exact same security for every apartment?  Now, while most criminals don’t take the time to do the analysis, they soon figure it out.  If they can get into one apartment easily, they can certainly hit a few more while on the premises.

We do a lot of work with Property Managers and Complex Managers for apartments and condominiums.  Our goal is to not only be readily available and accessible on a moments notice but to help them understand some of the best security options available to them at a reasonable cost.  There is no question it is a differentiator for the apartment complex if their renters feel they offer more security than another similar complex.  So many are using this as a key component, especially with crime rates on the rise due to the economy and other factors.

There was a good article published online by The Crime Doctor, “Apartment Security – Technology Promotes Safety“.  The author, Chris McGoey, talks about some areas to consider that we thought were a good overview of the areas apartment owners should consider.  There are several that are certainly common sense and some that we would encourage you to consider further – especially the ones around Security Technology and Access Control.  These are the two primary areas we help our Apartment building customers get the best protection for their needs.

If you would like to know more about some of the latest technology advances in this area, give us a call or click on the Contact Us” button at the top and we would be happy to answer any of your questions or direct you to the best resource.  Be safe…

4 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , , , , ,

What really is a Locksmith?

Written by in Locks, Physical Security

OK, so this might be basic for some of you but you would be surprised how many times we get asked the question, “What exactly is a locksmith?”  So here is a bit more detail about what they are and what they’re all about.  If you have a different definition or some more great examples or analogies, leave us a comment…

According to Wikipedia, here is their description of a Locksmith:

Locksmithing began as the science and art of making and defeating locks. A lock is a mechanism that secures buildings, rooms, cabinets, objects, or other storage facilities. A key is often used to open a lock. Means of opening a lock may include a security token or two-factor authentication for greater security, such as requiring both something you know (a combination) and something you have (a key or keycard).

I loved the phrase “defeating” the lock – how appropriate.  Based on our experience, our locksmith have a pretty high percentage for getting a lock open.  There are certainly those out there that can stump you for a bit but generally speaking, there isn’t a lock that can’t be opened, it just might take some serious time and equipment.  The other key part is that Locksmithing “is the assembly and designing of locks and their respective keys.”

So the basic concept is pretty straight forward, but as with most things, it is all about the execution.  For example, if a locksmith shows up with a large pair of pliers in one hand and a new lock to sell you in the other hand, be wary.  Most of the time our locksmiths can open a lock without destroying it and making you spend the money for a new one.  Sometimes they can’t, but this shouldn’t be the first solution.  Also, many times the lock is “marked up” significantly over what you could buy it for from a store – so again, know who you are dealing with and how they make their money.

There are also big differences in locksmith in regard to quality.  Of course they should be with a company that is bonded and insured, but how do you know about their reputation.  If all they have is a number listed in the Yellow Pages, you might be getting what you pay for – someone operating out of their truck waiting for their cell phone to ring.  Our recommendation is to check them out – get the names of some of their customers and their backgrounds.  In the end, it will cost you a lot less to work with a well-trained, experienced, and reliable locksmith than the ones that appear to be “inexpensive” on the front end.  I hope this helps – it is always nice to learn what others say what you do…

2 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , ,

Grand Opening of Lockworks – Rob talks Watson

Written by in Uncategorized

A few months back Rob Watson, CEO of Watson Security, had the opportunity to give the “elevator speech” to the Redmond Chamber of Commerce and other guests during the Grand Opening of Lockworks in Redmond.  It was a great event, kicking off with the ceremonial “ribbon cutting” by Rob and the Mayor of Redmond, John Marcione.  We thought you might enjoy learning more about Watson and our family of companies straight from the head guy.

0 Comments - Read or leave a comment!

Don’t forget the OBVIOUS…

Written by in Common Problems, Did you Know?, Physical Security, Protect Yourself

Security is one of those areas where people can go to great lengths to make sure they are “secure” in their offices or homes.  We should know, people hire us every day to help them “lock down” their premises with all kinds of security from a simple lock to a safe to sophisticated electronic surveillance…

Read the full story »

0 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , , ,

Go all the way or don’t go at all…

Written by in Common Problems, Did you Know?, Physical Security, Surveillance

When it comes to security, just having the “hardware” isn’t being secure.  Sure, having a great lock system and safes and a host of other physical security solutions helps deter the bad guys – but there is more to making sure you are completely secure – monitoring. There was an interesting story out of San…

Read the full story »

0 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: ,

Lock Bumping and IT Department…the weakest link

Written by in Common Problems, Did you Know?, Physical Security, Protect Yourself

There was a great blog post that had such a unique perspective we just had to share it with our customers and audience. It was titled, “Lock Bumping” and was written on the IT Generalist blog. Many people have now heard of a technique that is out there called “Lock Bumping” as a way of…

Read the full story »

1 Comment - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , , , ,

Is your SAFE, Safe?

Written by in Safes

If there is one piece of equipment that people associate with security it is the SAFE.  Maybe its because it was one of the original devices used to secure money and valuables.  Whatever the reason, it is still one of the most common and sought after pieces of equipment we sell and service.  You can…

Read the full story »

0 Comments - Read or leave a comment! Tags: , , ,
« Older Posts