Social media can tell burglars what you own, where you live, and when you’ll be away. Check out the infograph below for more information on how burglars use social media. For more information on protecting yourself with home security, call Boyd & Associates and take the first step to keeping your home and family safe.
Bump. You definitely heard it this time. It’s 2:00 AM and everyone should be asleep. Is your mind playing tricks, is it an intruder or, some of those roaring Santa Ana winds?
It is the season for gusty winds. However, mysterious bumps in the night haunt us year-round. According to research, we experience them four times a year on average. We react in different ways: 44% of us have quietly snuck out of bed to investigate a noise, while 41% have grabbed an object and gone to confront the real or imagined intruder. One in five men have sent their partner to investigate.
Not loving any of these solutions? Neither are we. Try these easy ways to restore your peace of mind instead.
1: Indoor video
If stalking through your shadowy house with a golf club (or a clove of garlic) isn’t your thing, consider Boyd & Associates powered indoor video cameras instead.
When a bump in the night wakes you up, pull up your app’s live video feeds for a room-by-room view of everything downstairs. Our push-to-talk technology lets you broadcast your voice through many of our latest cameras.
2: Smarter outdoor lighting
What about the bump you just heard outside your window. You know it was real because your motion-triggered lights turned on. But is it a prowler, or just a possum?
With Boyd & Associates video analytics, you would know. It is a state-of-the-art home security technology that can spot the difference between people, animals and vehicles, and you can use it to automate your outdoor lights. If it’s a person outside: lights on. If it is an animal, no lights. You would also get custom video alerts telling you what type of visitor you have: human, or animal.
3: Professionally monitored security
A real, human intruder is no joke. This is why professional monitoring is included with every Boyd & Associates powered security system.
In the event of a break-in while your system is armed, Boyd & Associates alerts our 24/7 monitoring station, where security professionals are on hand to dial 911 on your behalf. You can also use your BoydSMS alerts to tell your monitoring station that you need help immediately.
For total protection and peace of mind, there’s nothing smarter—especially at 2.00 AM.
Are bumps in the night giving you the chills?
You’ll rest easier with smart home security powered by Boyd & Associates. Professionally installed and monitored, and customized to your home and needs, it’s the all-in-one way to stay protected, connected and in control. If you have questions about the security of your home, give us a call today to schedule an appointment.
Small business owners might not always think about security on a daily basis. When you’re too busy worried about the day-to-day operations of owning a business – from managing employees, keeping financial records, to the actual customer transactions of providing products or services, it can be easy to forget that entire operations often hinge on proper security. But, maybe now more than ever, small business security is an essential aspect of any entrepreneurial venture.
But it can be overwhelming knowing exactly where to start. Which is why we’ve compiled some quick-hitting tips to small business security. It’s time to start operating your business with complete peace of mind.
BASIC SECURITY TIPS
There are a few basic security measures any business owner should take on their own. Most are probably fairly obvious, but it never hurts to run through the basics!
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Any business should understand the community they are becoming a part of. And that starts with taking stock of the physical places your business is existing. What are the crime statistics like in the area? Are you located in a region that could be affected by natural disasters? Are there any safety or security concerns with the business structure itself that could pose risks?
Don’t forget – your business space should have a smoke alarm and CO detector in every room!
LOCKS AND LIGHTS
This is another pretty simple, obvious point, but the end of every business day should come with security checks. Is your workspace clean and organized? Are products and any cash from transactions locked away in a safe, secure location?
Always be sure to lock every entry point. Shutting off lights is a great way to let people know your business is closed. But it can also be an indication for burglars, especially if there are dark areas to hide. Keep lighting balanced to save on energy, but also ward off intruders.
HAVE A BASIC CYBERSECURITY PLAN
These days it’s not enough to just have physical security in place. As more and more businesses operate online, the greater the risk for cyberattacks like malware, phishing, hacks and scams. Get ahead with a basic cybersecurity plan to protect your business:
Secondly, remember to educate yourself – every business is going to have unique risks inherent to individual business structure and industry that must be considered.
While these basic measures are a good start, overall they limit security options for small businesses. It is important to understand when it’s the right time to upgrade to a full small business security system.
FEATURES OF A SECURITY SYSTEM
Small business security systems come with many of the same perks and advantages that are present in home security systems. And in most cases, security solutions can be customized to fit the unique needs of any business in any industry.
INTRUSION MONITORING
Just like your home security, you can (and should!) install sensors on all doors and windows. This will allow you to know when people are coming and going on a daily basis during normal operation hours. Additionally, with 24 hour monitoring, you can trust that when you arm your system that first responders will quickly dispatch in the event of an intrusion.
OPEN/CLOSE REPORTING
Business sizes vary, and maybe you can’t always be onsite. With open/close reporting, you can keep an eye on your business operations from afar. Know which employees open and close, track shifts, and keep detailed daily log records.
VIDEO SECURITY
Security cameras are a popular small business security measure. And they can be taken to the next level. While there is certainly a market for business owners to purchase and install video systems themselves, they lack the nuance and technical advancement of a system installed by a professional company.
And with Video Verification, in the event of an alarm, live operators will monitor your surveillance footage and can notify police the moment any suspicious activity is verified, increasing first responder intel, and expediting response times. Plus, real-time analytics help provide advanced metrics, secure video data via Cloud storage, and allow you to view footage with searchable timelines.
SMART BUSINESS AUTOMATION
Just like Smart Home Automation solutions, adding automation to your business can take those basic security measures to new heights. Plus it’ll add major improvements to how an installed system functions.
Smart business automation allows you to access your business security through any computer, smartphone or tablet. That means you can remotely arm your system and monitor those daily security reports from your couch at the end of a long day. Plus you can pull up your surveillance feeds at a moment’s notice to check in.
AUTOMATION SAVES TIME AND MONEY
As a business owner, every penny counts. And smart business automation can help you save more money in the long run on your energy bills. Smart thermostats and lights allow you to set schedules and routines, and change on the fly based on real-time analytics.
And with automated lights and locks, you will never second guess whether you closed up shop or not. Want to make sure the back door is locked? Worried about your front light being left on? Not a problem. You can remotely arm your system, check locks, and even turn lights on and off, long after you have left your business.
BOYD & ASSOCIATES UNDERSTANDS YOUR BUSINESS SECURITY NEEDS
While most fundamental security needs are pretty standard across the board, at the end of the day, every business is unique. The security needs of a small neighborhood coffee shop might vary greatly from that of an auto-body repair business. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions for business security.
At Boyd & Associates, we understand that every business is different. Which is why we offer custom security solutions for your business. That way, you choose the combination of services that best suits the needs of your business.
If you’re looking for more ways to keep yourself and your family safe, check out our home security and automation services at Boyd & Associates. We offer a wide range of home security options to protect you and your family. If you’re ready to discuss our custom solutions, contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you prepare for what’s next.
The holiday season is upon us, which means your neighborhood might be undergoing its annual winter wonderland transformation. But before you go full Clark Griswold with your seasonal lights and home decorations, consider a few of our home security holiday tips. When it comes to seasonal decorations, some simple smart home automation tweaks can play a huge role in taking your festive scenery to the next level, while keeping friends and loved ones safe in the process!
These days holiday decorations rarely include just lights. From big inflatable lawn decorations, holiday-themed spotlights and kaleidoscope filters, it’s not uncommon to have a handful of separate wired connections running across your lawn. Simplify things a bit with outdoor smart plugs. Not only will you better protect any exposed wiring (most outdoor smart plugs offer waterproof protection), but you’ll add all of your electronic decorations to your smart home grid.
With smart plugs, you can turn any device into a smart device. They plug directly into your outlets, almost like a power strip, which you’ll then plug any appliances directly to as well. From there, almost any appliance or device can be added to your automation network. And you’ll be able to power on and off remotely using commands via your automation app. Now you can safely and quickly power up your entire holiday scene all at once with a simple tap on your smart device.
Can’t decide on specific colors for your holiday light scene? No problem! Simply swap all of your old, traditional lights for smart bulbs (odds are you have plenty of burn-outs anyways!). Smart bulbs sync up with your home automation network. Which allows you to control brightness and in most cases, select between thousands of colors. Plus with LED smart lights, you’ll use much less energy than traditional halogen and incandescent light bulbs.
Your home holiday scene can look a little different every night with smart string lighting. Capture the classic holiday feel with traditional colors like red and green. Or set the stage with soft white lighting to reflect the first snowfall of the year. No matter what you’re feeling in the moment, you can always add a new layer of flare to your light decorations with smart bulbs.
Home automation during the holidays goes far beyond the fun and convenience of syncing your lights and decorations. While this year may look slightly different in terms of travel plans and hosting guests, the holidays are usually a time for large gatherings under the same roof. And with so many people potentially going in and out of your home, it’s important for safety and security to remain a top priority.
Keyless smart locks enable anyone to easily come and go securely. You can even enable temporary codes for family members. That way you can allow access to your home for a short time, without sacrificing your long term security. And if you’re leaving the house for the holidays and you have pets or are expecting holiday packages to arrive, temporary smart lock codes make it possible for a trusted friend or family to stop by your home for a quick check-in (and ensure they lock up behind them.)
It might be tempting to dismiss a lot of smart home features as unnecessary upgrades. Especially since light timers, particularly around the holidays, aren’t exactly a new innovation. But home automation adds much more than simple convenience – it completely upgrades every aspect of your home living and decorations.
Smart home automation can add completely new layers of integration to your holiday decoration set-ups. Don’t be afraid to explore your options and experiment a bit. If done correctly, home automation should take a bulk of the stress out of your holiday experience!
If you’re looking for more ways to keep your family safe, check out our home automation services at Boyd & Associates. We offer a wide range of home security options to protect you and your family. If you’re ready to discuss our custom solutions, contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you prepare for what’s next.
Did you know that the number of fire alarms Boyd & Associates monitoring center receives skyrockets on Thanksgiving Day, largely because of home cooking fires?
Cooking is the number one way house fires start, and the NFPA agrees, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. Luckily, many of the alarm signals received by our monitoring center on Thanksgiving are accidental alarms, not full-fledged fires. But with a house full of guests and a belly full of carbs, revelers often aren’t prepared to respond to their monitoring center’s outreach.
Even if Turkey Day is just a small, intimate group this year, you won’t want your holiday interrupted by a home cooking fire or even a smoke alarm.
Many Boyd & Associates customers experience this frustration around the holidays, and the people who know first-hand are the Protection Specialists in our 24-hour monitoring centers. They’ve provided tips on how to help prevent cooking fires and accidental alarms on Thanksgiving, and what to do if your smoke alarm goes off.
It only takes a few simple steps and a little mindfulness to prepare.
Just in case your monitored smoke alarms are triggered, Boyd & Associates customers should have these two pieces of information memorized or accessible:
If possible, give several people you trust access as well. If you’re pulling a 12-lb turkey out of your blazing hot oven, you’ll appreciate the extra hands.
Additional prep should include:
The number one factor in home cooking fires is leaving your cooking food unattended. While everyone wants to spend time with guests on Thanksgiving, it’s important not to abandon an active kitchen. If possible, bring some of the socializing into the kitchen with you. Here are more tips to help prevent unintentional home cooking fires.
First things first: If your smoke alarm goes off, start by determining whether there is a fire. This may sound obvious, but even if you’re pretty sure, play it safe and double-check. Your top priority is always getting yourself and your guests out of the house safely.
Next, know the drill. There is always a chance you’ll accidentally trigger your smoke alarm while cooking a big meal, no matter how careful you are. Smoke detectors sounding off when there’s no emergency can be frustrating but knowing what comes next will make it much easier to respond.
If there is an accidental alarm, you can temporarily silence your Boyd & Associates smoke detector by entering your numeric passcode and disarming your system. Remember, if there is still too much smoke, it may sound again. To lessen the chance of a false alarm while cooking large meals, try the following:
If you do experience a fire or medical emergency on Thanksgiving, remember: Boyd & Associates is here for you 24/7, and that includes holidays! In an emergency, you can always activate the fire or medical panic on your control panel, and Boyd & Associates monitoring center will respond quickly.
Don’t have a Boyd & Associates professionally monitored fire alarm system? Call us today to speak with one of our security experts.
With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to bring you a few safety tips on keeping your home safe while displaying holiday lights and decorations. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), there were about 24,000 electricity-caused residential fires reported each year between 2014 and 2016. And electrical malfunctions accounted for 6.8% of all residential fires in 2018. Compared to fires caused by cooking and heating equipment, this seems like a small number.
However, electrical home fires cause, on average, over twice the monetary damage ($27,500 vs. $12,510 per fire) of non-electrical fires. They also cause more injuries (26.6 vs. 22.8 per 1,000 fires) and deaths (6.3 vs. 3.4 per 1,000 fires) than non-electrical fires.
It’s important to learn how to prevent electrical fires and how to react if one happens. In this article, we discuss:
Don’t forget that working smoke detectors or smoke and heat sensors save lives. When these devices are present and properly maintained, they give you and yours precious time to react and escape in the event of a fire, whatever the cause.
According to the USFA, home electrical fires usually start in occupied parts of a house, with 15.4% igniting in the bedroom, 7.4% in the cooking area, and 6.7% in the living area. This makes sense; we use our electronics in these places. However, many electrical fires also start in inaccessible or rarely-visited locations—8.7% start inside wall spaces, and 13% start in the attic. This data matches up with the materials that ignite first in home electrical fires, which are:
But what causes these fires to ignite? The USFA reports that heat from powered equipment ignited 87.8% of electrical fires between 2014 and 2016. Within that category, electrical arcing ignited the most fires (74%). The most common (87.8%) factor contributing to the ignition of home electrical fires was general electrical failure or malfunction. Excluding non-specified malfunctions, the most common type of malfunction leading to ignition was, again, electrical arcing from a short circuit (34%).
Bad practices also result in fires. “Misuse of material or product” caused 5.5% of fires, “design, manufacture, installation deficiency” caused 1.2%, and “operational deficiency” caused 4.5%.
To prevent home electrical fires, prevent your electronics from generating sparks or too much heat. In practice, this means caring for your electronics so that you don’t overload your circuits, and the electricity stays where it should. To do this, it helps to understand a bit about how your home’s electrical system works.
Multiple branch circuits distribute electricity throughout your house. For instance, you likely have one circuit for your kitchen and others for your bedrooms. The power to each of these circuits, as well as to the entire house, is controlled by the breaker box. The breaker box, likely located in the garage, closet, or outside, has switches called circuit breakers that control the power to each branch circuit, plus a main breaker that controls power to all of the circuits.
Besides enabling electricians to cut off the power before they work, breaker boxes help prevent electrical fires. The breakers have mechanisms that “trip” and break the circuit when it is carrying more electricity than it can safely handle. Circuit overloads can generate enough heat to ignite fires.
Circuit overloads happen for two main reasons. The first is that too many devices are using too many amperes (amps) at once. An amp is a measure of how much electricity is flowing through a circuit. Think of it like the volume of water flowing through a pipe. Most branch circuits are rated for 15 or 20 amps; the number will be printed on or next to the breaker switch.
It’s essential to know what to do if an electrical fire does happen. As with all fires, don’t try to be a hero. That’s what firefighters are for. If a blaze gets too big, don’t try to fight it; just escape safely and call 911. If you decide that you can tackle a small fire in its early stages, remember these tips:
All homes should also have smoke detectors or smoke and heat sensors, which buy you precious seconds to escape in the event of a fire. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends installing smoke detectors in each bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every floor of your home.
We hope these tips are great reminders for you during the holiday season!
Halloween is right around the corner. For some, this holiday signifies a day greater than Christmas. The elaborate face painting and collaborative costumes make it a fun way to commemorate this spooky holiday. What isn’t so fun is having to make an insurance claim or clean up the damage from some Halloween vandalism or pranks gone awry. Here are some harrowing Halloween stats:
Insurance companies see an uptick in claims the day after Halloween. As is evidenced by the numbers, there is a spike in crimes related to vandalism, property crime, and mischief. While these are vague categories, one trend emerges: Your property is typically the target.
To avoid becoming part of these statistics, you can take a few extra precautionary measures to get your home ready for trick-or-treaters, and to prepare for the less desirable tricksters. Here are some Halloween home safety tips for this coming Fright night.
The trick: 5% increase in car theft, two times more likely to fall victim to car vandalism
The treat: Preventing vandalism and costly insurance claims for vehicle damage
According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HDLI), your vehicle is almost twice as likely to get vandalized on Halloween night. And we aren’t talking about a simple egging or a smattering of toilet paper. The same study cites “The average cost per claim was $1,528…” Needless to say, most damage requires more than a light cleaning.
A report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) illustrates that vandalism is not the only damage you are likely to see on Halloween. There is also a 5 percent increase in car theft on the last day of October.
To help avoid a massive mess or a missing car on the first brisk day of November, try out our Halloween tips:
The trick: Theft inside the home goes up by 60%
The treat: Keeping your loved ones and valuables protected from pranksters
According to an article posted by USA Today, there is a significant increase in burglaries and theft from homes on Halloween. The articles states that “Insurance claims due to theft inside the home go up by a whopping 60%.” Normally, a largely populated area is your friend when it comes to burglary prevention. But with such a large influx of children carting pumpkin buckets, it can be easy to drop your guard.
Whether your neighborhood is booming with costumed characters or relatively quiet, there are a few precautions you can take to help protect your home. Try out these Halloween safety tips:
The trick: Malicious mischief (and other types of vandalism) jump 19% on Halloween
The treat: Ensuring your kids have a spooky, but safe, Halloween experience
If you are leading the charge of carting the kiddos around for candy, you’ll want to prepare for personal safety. These Halloween tips can help you hone your protective parent skills:
Staying safe means you can gather more goodies. Practice our smart Halloween tips to help protect those things that matter the most.
From all of us at Boyd & Associates, have a safe and happy Halloween!
Those of us who have pets know they are a part of our families. We love our pets and some of us even think of them as our own furry children. We buy them special food so they can live a full and healthy life, we spoil them with treats and toys, and we adjust our routines to ensure they get the exercise and love they deserve. If anything were to happen to one of our beloved pets, we would be completely devastated.
For individuals who may be single or who have not yet started a family, security may not be something pressing on their minds. They go to work, come home, and don’t need to think about if their little children are lying in their beds safely. However, most people—whether single, married, or with children—have pets. The number of pictures and stories we all tend to share at the office among co-workers, or with friends and family at get-togethers, reveal how much we think about and adore our furry family members.
While we all know that the love of our pets is something we cherish, you may be wondering why you should go the extra step to look into home security options. One reason is when you install a home alarm, smoke detectors and/or security cameras, it removes some of the anxiety associated with worrying about your pets. Amazingly, there are smart security systems that virtually remove the weight of worry. By simply looking at your phone, you can see any suspicious activity going on around or in your home.
Caring for your pets goes beyond merely feeding them and providing them with a place to sleep at night. Caring for your pets entails so much more. They need love, attention, regular exercise, and a safe environment to live in. Keeping them secure should be one of our top priorities when we think about the essentials of raising happy and healthy fur babies.
In addition to having a surveillance camera installed, a trusted neighbor will also be immensely helpful if something were to go wrong. If your system sends you an alert, you can ask your neighbor to run over and check to see if everything is fine. They will be able to see if your pets need any immediate assistance.
When you leave for work every morning make sure you set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature. This will enable your pets to be able to rest and play in comfort.
Installing a pet door can be a great idea. It is an easy way for your pets to escape in case of a fire. However, you will need to make sure the sensors installed are pet smart. Meaning, they can distinguish between a pet wandering around the house and a burglar breaking into your home.
All homes are required to have smoke detectors, however, if a fire were to occur someone in the house would need to call 911 and make sure everyone gets out safely. If your pet is home alone and your carbon monoxide or smoke detectors go off, your pets will not be able to get the help they need. Have equipment installed that will send you a notification and call emergency services for you.
Most pets either tend to hide or run when they are scared. If your pet has a difficult time being home alone, purchasing a small GPS device that latches onto his or her collar could be a great option. You will be able to see where they are and if they are safe at any time of the day just by checking your phone.
If you are on the fence or just curious to know your options, you can always call and speak to one of our representatives to go over what is currently on the market and what everything will cost. If you want to gather some more information before physically picking up the phone to inquire about a security system, we encourage you to consider some of the additional options we have provided for you in this post.
Most small businesses work with a tight budget and profit margin. This makes it even more important for small businesses to protect their company. Here is a quick checklist to make sure your small business is protected and to help prevent unnecessary losses.
It is not always obvious what you can do to improve building security. That is why a building security checklist should be part of every small business, to make sure your store is protected from all angles.
Here are a few things you should consider as part of your security checklist. Depending on your store’s location and layout, you should add more to this list:
EXTERIOR DOORS AND WINDOWS
OUTDOOR SECURITY
INTERIOR SECURITY
SECURITY MONITORING
Your physical security checklist keeps your office or storefront safe, but if you are like most companies, the most valuable things you have are stored on your computers and shared networks. Customer’s personal information, billing details, and private information are just as important to protect as your physical store, and they deserve their own cyber security checklist:
MULTI-LEVEL SECURITY
NETWORK OPERATIONS
MOBILE DEVICES
PASSWORDS
Small business security does not need to be complicated. At Boyd & Associates, we offer automation options to make securing your business a breeze. We even offer services such as video verification with live operators standing by to notify police the moment any suspicious activity occurs and, smart business automation that sends notifications right to your phone.
Tackling small business security by yourself should not have to feel overwhelming. Secure your business with Boyd & Associates and find out how we can help your business be safe from both physical and cyber threats.
Boyd & Associates is a premier full-service security firm with more than 600 associates serving homeowners, businesses, and gated communities throughout Southern California.
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2191 E Thompson Blvd
Ventura, CA 93001
(805) 650-3267
(805) 643-4438
Licenses: ACO 225 • PPO 05966
