Having had two visits from "nighttime entrepreneurs" and losing a few thousand dollars worth of stuff I know the worth of a good alarm system. A few other security points are:
Keep the area around doors and windows unobscured by trees or bushes and well lit; the bad guys don't like to be easily visible while they are tearing the locks off or breaking windows.
Conversely; if possible conceal light switches inside or have a central control using X10 or something that cannot be overridden by local switches. One of the first things the bad guys do is turn on all the lights inside so they can see what there is to grab. Not being able to see and falling over things in the dark is a distinct handicap.
Keylock intermediate doors and any doors to the outside. After the lights the second thing they do is unlock any doors at the far end of the building so if someone comes in where they entered they can get out the back.
Oh, if your alarm does go off and you go to the building remember the advice I was given by a police person one time; "Sir I think you should stay out here while I go in; I am the one with the gun."  |