Home Office Security: Supplies to Help Safeguard Your Business

Whether you’re setting up your home office for the first time or have been running your business from home for a while, the security of your home office should always be a top priority. You may not have the luxury of IT staff and operations managers which larger businesses can hire, but with the right office supplies, you can take precautions to safeguard your home office in a reasonable manner.

Let’s look at some of the items that people working from home can use to enhance their home office security.

Surge Protectors for Electrical Equipment

Equipping your home office with computers, monitors, and printers can be an expensive endeavor, the last thing you want is for this equipment to be damaged in a power surge. Electronics are highly sensitive to sudden increases in voltage, which may be caused by electrical overload, the restoration of power after a blackout, lightning storms, or faulty wiring.

Using a surge protector can help to shield your office electronics from a sudden spike in power. Additionally, power strips that have sufficient outlets for all your electronic devices as well as surge protection capabilities can be a great investment for your home office. You never know when you might need surge protection most – it could be one of the office supplies that saves you thousands of dollars in damage and helps protect your digitally stored documents.

Protected Storage

A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind and an orderly home office space can be key to productivity and a positive mood. It’s also crucial that you know where all your important documents are kept and that they are not misplaced in a big pile of papers – or worse, end up in the paper shredder!

Plastic storage bins and file cabinets are two office supplies that can be helpful for any home office. Clear plastic storage bins are a great option if you want to be able to see which documents are stored inside the bin. However, if you are working with sensitive information, a lockable file cabinet may be a better option for you.

Protecting Sensitive Information

Using secure file cabinets can be one important way of protecting confidential information that you have printed for hard-copy use. However, once you’ve finished working with these documents, what do you do with them? Throwing them out in the trash is risky. If a confidential document ends up in the wrong hands, the consequences for your business could be disastrous.

For sensitive personal and business documents – whether they belong to you or your clients – using a paper shredder can be a safer way to dispose of them. When purchasing a shredder, consider the volume of documents you’re likely to be shredding, and how close the cut of the paper shredder is.

Cross-cut and micro-shredders can help provide additional protection, however, using a paper shredding service is a good choice if you’ll be processing high volumes of paper. An office supply store with a wide range of paper shredders should have a suitable option for your everyday business needs.

Safer Web Browsing for Peace of Mind

It is difficult to overstate the importance of having strong antivirus software installed on your home office computer. Antivirus software can help be a vital line of defense against hackers, viruses, and other cybersecurity threats. McAfee® antivirus software is a particularly good choice if your home office computer holds sensitive business data and client information.

Installing effective antivirus software will flag potentially dangerous websites so you can browse with peace of mind. McAfee® antivirus also scans downloads and files on your computer to check for malware, ransomware, and ‘Trojans’, all of which work in different ways to access your computer files with potentially devastating consequences.

Protect Your Home Office with The Right Office Supplies

Insufficient home office security can leave your business exposed to all kinds of risks. Office Depot® OfficeMax® offers home office security supplies that will help you find peace of mind. A small investment in the safety and security of your home office now can make a big difference in the moments that matter, so don’t put it off.

All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is,” and neither the author nor Office Depot warrants the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.