With the constant news of shootings, internet hacking, and other crimes, it can sometimes seem like the world is becoming less and less safe. Many people are scared of something serious happening to them and are looking for different ways to protect themselves, their possessions, and their information.
Luckily, we don’t have to live in fear. There are many ways to improve security in any facet of your life. Technology provides new ways to stay safe, and there are things you can do yourself as well.
Work and Business
If you own a business, it’s important to keep it secure for yourself, your customers, and your employees, or try to make your workplace as secure as possible if you’re a worker. You don’t want to be concerned about your safety while trying to get work done, so take some precautions to give yourself and those around you peace of mind.
Any workplace can benefit from having security cameras inside and at any entrance to the building. Not only will the presence of cameras deter people from stealing or attempting to commit any other crime, but they can also provide incriminating evidence for anything that does happen. With live footage, you can identify individuals after they flee or simply provide proof for insurance to compensate you.
Employee training is incredibly important in the security of any business. All workers should know proper policies regarding locking up products, dealing with suspicious customers, and closing the building down at night. For specialized stores that sell high-demand and high-risk products like electronics, alcohol, or marijuana, a proper security protocol should be in place. Good and properly communicated cannabis security SOPs, for example, can prevent break-ins and thefts and greatly reduce any revenue loss from stolen or damaged marijuana products.
If you’re an employee and you feel that your employer isn’t doing enough to assure your personal security as a worker, you have the right to speak up about it and advocate for yourself. Whether you’re concerned with potential harm from irate customers or a lack of privacy or confidentiality among fellow employees, never be afraid to bring your concerns up to your boss or manager. If they refuse to do anything or even punish you for speaking up, you can file a formal complaint with the job board or a worker’s rights organization.
Safe at Home
Your home should be where you feel the most comfortable and secure, so it’s important to set up some preventive measures for some added security. You can never be too careful, and while you don’t want to allow yourself to become paranoid, taking some precautions is always a good idea.
Doorbell cameras have become very popular in recent years. Products such as the Ring doorbell can prevent home break-ins and much like security cameras in businesses, can also record anyone committing or attempting to carry out a crime at or near your home. These doorbell cameras allow you to see and speak with anyone near it, so you don’t have to open your door and risk a potentially dangerous confrontation. Many of these high-tech products can also connect to an app on your smartphone so even if you’re not home you can see who’s at your door.
Another common security option is getting a good guard dog. Now, you should never get a dog if you’re not ready for the responsibility of owning one, but if you’re prepared to take care of a pet or already have dogs, you can consider getting a large and generally intimidating breed. Pitbulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans, just to name a few, are commonly used as guard dogs due to their intimidating appearance, size, and reputation. Often times a loud bark or deep growl will be enough to stop an intruder, but if not many dogs can be very protective of their homes and families and can also be trained to hold off a burglar or assailant.
Privacy Online
In this digital age, it’s very important to stay safe and secure online so our information isn’t stolen or used against us. You’ve probably heard stories of people having their identity stolen or going into debt due to their information leaking on some shady website, and while this can’t always be predicted it can be prevented.
An extremely important tool for internet safety is a VPN. VPN stands for virtual private network and it functions as a sort of privacy screen to protect you from bots or individuals looking to steal your information. VPNs can conceal your location, hide your identity, and encrypt any information you input like your social security number or credit card info so other people online can’t access it. There are many VPN providers out there so be sure to do your research and find a reliable one.
To further protect your information, always choose your passwords for any website very carefully. Passwords can often be easily guessed if they’re too short, simple, or just contain a certain name or date. These can be easy to remember, but they can also be easy for scammers to get ahold of and potentially gain access to your accounts and information. Always make sure to use a password that’s long and includes capitalization, numbers, and special characters. Again, these may be difficult to remember, but you can always keep a written note of all your passwords to refer back to, that way you can access them without having them all written online somewhere.
Security and safety are incredibly important in our everyday lives, especially with the internet and the crime levels in our communities today. It can be scary sometimes, but we will always find new ways to stay safe and secure.