If you have a home based business, you know that when it comes to residential and personal safety, things have to be taken seriously. This is, after all your livelihood. With an estimated two million reports of robberies in the United States annually, if you haven’t taken a look at this important aspect of your business, you need to.

While many home based businesses are lucrative, a budget friendly security solution is vital. If the cost of home security looms too large – many people dismiss it as something to ‘do later’. Unfortunately, the chance of becoming a target of asset theft or personal attack increases without visible security. A burglar will more oft than not choose a home without security measures in place over one where these measures have clearly been taken. Add the lure of home business assets, such as extra computers and stocked product and you have a recipe for trouble.

If you’re still not convinced, I encourage you to take stock of what it would cost if your home based business were robbed – or you yourself sustained personal injury. Compiling a list of all furniture, stock, electronics, computer software and downloads, stationary and whatever else is essential to run your home based business is a great place to start. Remember to consider the cost of recovering from a personal injury, whether it be physical or mental if you were to be assaulted – and the cost to cover your absence if it occurred.

Now take a look at some of the simple ways you can effectively secure your residence. If you’re not familiar with the various types of home security devices available to you – there are some extensive stores online where you can compare prices easily.

Some budget savvy home security options you might consider include:

· Driveway Alarms

Designed to monitor your entrance way and alert you when you have a visitor or unexpected guest.

· Alarm Dialers

Use these alarms to protect against acts of nature or intrusions while you’re away.

· Security Cameras

While these may seem a bit extreme for a home based business; there are extremely realistic (and extremely cheap) fake surveillance cameras available on the market that can be a very effective deterrent to would be thieves.

· Door and Window Alarms

Be alerted when a door or window is opened.

· Intercoms

Relatively inexpensive video door intercoms exist on the market today that allows you to see and talk to visitors before opening the door. Many of these also keep an image record of who came to your door when you were out.

Once you calculate the actual figures for what a burglary and/or possible home assault would cost you and then compare it to what a relatively simple but effective residential security system would cost (not to mention that it would be a tax write-off for your business) – the decision to secure your residence against intruders becomes an easy one.