Do-it-yourself business security systems

Fortunately, you don't have to sink a large sum of money into equipment every month making the system work. There are plenty of technologies out there right now that you can use in your business that will help reduce theft and keep potential burglars at bay.

Here are some do-it-yourself business security system technologies you can consider implementing:

• Motion-sensitive lighting. Let's face it, most business break-ins happen at night because it's dark. Burglars don't like to be seen. Yet, you don't want to have to leave your store's lighting glowing all night long. Motion-sensitive lighting, both inside and outside of your business, can be a great deterrent to theft.

• Cameras. A common TV trope is the small business with the security camera that (of course) doesn't actually work. The implication is that these cameras are too expensive to maintain, and just the presence of a camera can be a deterrent to some criminals. The fact of the matter is, however, that wireless security cameras aren't terribly expensive these days. You can get an entire system with a DVR recorder for less than US$500, or you can get individual cameras that will record their data to your computer (and that can be viewed remotely via a web interface) for about US$500 each

• Door and window sensors. These can be a bit tricky. Depending on where your business is located, these alarms might do little more than annoy the neighbours while your business is being robbed. You've got a couple of options here: choose loud sensors, or choose high-tech wireless sensors. Loud sensors will create a siren noise, which can sometimes frighten a burglar. However, they don't really do anything to deter the burglar; that's up to whoever happens to hear the sirens. The other option is monitored wireless sensors. These sensors communicate with a computer at your place of business. When an alarm is tripped, your computer than sends an SMS message to your mobile device, letting you know that the door or window has been opened

• Motion sensors. You can also install motion-sensitive alarms that will go off if they detect motion. Today's sensors are highly sophisticated and are able to tell the difference between a cat, for example, and a person trying to break into your business

• Glass-break sensors. These sensors are designed to be able to trigger when they pick up the sound of glass breaking. They're set to a specific frequency range and won't be set off by lightning outside, pets, or other kinds of noises. Here again, the key is what type of notification it uses. If it's a siren, as with your door and window sensors, you still need to be able to have someone respond

• Gas-leak, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors. These devices fall more into the "safety" side of things rather than the "security" side; that said, most of the time you'll want to integrate these into your overall security plan. These three things - gas leaks, smoke from fire, and carbon monoxide - are some of the leading causes of damage and health problems for a business

• Deadbolt locks. While these aren't exactly high-tech and they don't use embedded processors, they are highly effective at deterring theft. Don't make the mistake of thinking that deadbolt locks can't be picked; they most certainly can; however, they present a much bigger challenge (and a larger time commitment) in order to pick. In many cases, the presence of a deadbolt lock is enough to deter an attempted theft.

These are just some of the options available to help you protect your business.

There's another important decision that you need to make along the way, however: Do you want a series of standalone products, or do you want to install a fully integrated do-it-yourself system? If you do it piecemeal you can go with the best of breed, but it also means a higher learning curve and more thought that you have to put into design. Integrated systems may be easier to install and use, but they may not have all of the options you'd like to have.

Keep in mind, as well, that every component that you add to your security system increases your overall security, bit by bit. Even if you start with locks and move up the list through some of the more complex components, you're mitigating your risk of loss.