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Safes are an essential part of home and business security. They help protect your valuables from theft and damage caused by environmental factors. The market is filled with different types of home and business safes catering to a variety of needs.
Like other security measures, security safes need to be evaluated every few years to ensure they provide the maximum level of protection for your valuables. This includes professional maintenance checks as well as periodic inspections carried out by the safe owners.
Safes are considered a long-term investment with high-quality ones easily lasting years. Despite this, you may need to upgrade your safe for a variety of reasons such as wear and tear, evolving security needs, and technological advancements.
Read on to find out all about upgrading your safe, when and why you should make the switch, and some of the best modern safe options to choose from:
WHEN TO UPGRADE YOUR SAFE?
Our homes and businesses often have valuables that need to be kept safe from theft and damage. These include cash, jewellery, important documents, confidential information, and items of sentimental value. Keeping them locked away in drawers and cabinets is a very common way to store these items, but it is certainly not the safest.
These drawers and cabinets are usually the first places burglars search for valuables and, if they are successful at finding them, accessing them is a piece of cake due to their low security. The locks on them are not the most secure and cannot withstand force and tampering with tools.
For this reason, investing in security safes is the best option. Not only do they keep your valuables safe from theft but also protect them from environmental hazards such as fires and floods. In addition to that, they help keep your items organised and easily accessible.
While investing in safes for your home and business is the recommended way to keep your valuables secure, you must have them regularly maintained and inspected for faults and issues.
Safes are built to last a lifetime, but under certain circumstances, you may have to upgrade your current safe to a new one. Here are all the signs your safe needs to be upgraded:
Wear and Tear
Despite the quality of construction and the level of sturdiness, every safe is bound to suffer wear and tear over time. It is very important to look for visible signs of deterioration which would indicate that it is time for an upgrade.
A safe is made up of several components and signs of wear on certain parts such as the hinges can severely affect its ability to protect your valuables. You must actively look for loose hinges, rusting on the safe, a damaged locking system, and any dents or cracks.
Safes that start to show such visible signs of wear and tear may have compromised safety and integrity. Even minor issues may affect the safe’s ability to withstand force, which is why they must never be taken lightly. These issues may even become a safety hazard, such as the safe door falling and hurting someone.
While some issues may simply need repairs, some damages may be too serious that the only solution would be to change and upgrade the safe.
Changing Security and Storage Needs
If it’s been a while since you bought your safe, your security and storage needs have likely changed over the years. If you wish to store different items than what you initially bought the safe for, or you require more space to fit more items, you may upgrade to a new safe that meets your current security and storage requirements.
With time, as your assets and belongings grow and you find it challenging to fit them in your current safe, it is best to go for an upgrade. Instead of cramming everything in the safe and likely damaging your valuables in the process, it is best to consider an upgrade.
Similarly, if you wish to store fewer items in your safe and your current one is big and bulky and just taking up too much space, you may opt for modern safes that are compact and take up much less space.
Outdated Security Features
Safe technology, like other types of technology, is evolving at a fast pace. Every few years there is a breakthrough to make these storage systems more secure than before. Safes have evolved from simple storage boxes to advanced storage systems that offer much more in terms of safety, security, organisation, and control.
With technological advancements, however, criminals are also evolving and finding new ways to bypass security measures. They’re keeping up with the trends and coming up with smarter methods to carry out their crimes.
For this reason, it has become detrimental for homeowners and business owners to be on top of the game and make sure all the security features on their safes are up to date. Older safes may lack many useful security features found in modern safes such as biometric locks and alarm integration which offer a higher level of protection against forced access attempts.
No Fire or Water Protection
While theft prevention remains the primary reason for investing in safes, protection from fire and water damage is also a very useful feature to consider. A safe that protects against theft as well as from fires and floods is a much better investment than one that doesn’t.
All items that you would keep in a safe, such as cash, jewellery, documents, digital devices, and photographs are susceptible to being damaged if exposed to high heat or moisture. Good-quality safes with certified fire ratings can withstand high temperatures up to a certain degree and for a specific period of time. They also protect the safe’s contents from water damage from sprinklers being turned on in case of a fire and from flooding in areas that are prone to it.
Most older safes do not have fire and water resistance, which puts their contents at risk of damage. If you wish to protect your valuables from damage, which you certainly should, upgrading to a safe that protects against such disasters is your best bet.
Insurance Concerns
Insurance companies usually have very specific coverage requirements for home and business safes and the items stored in them. They regularly update these requirements to meet the current safety needs and standards. If your safe does not meet the current requirements, it becomes necessary to upgrade it so that its contents remain covered under insurance in case of theft.
Security safes in the UK have a cash rating which determines the amount of cash that can be stored in them. It also signifies the value of other items in the safe, with valuables being covered ten times the amount of cash. By this calculation, a safe with a cash rating of ÂŁ1,000 will cover valuables up to ÂŁ10,000.
If you have recently bought high-value items that you wish to keep in the safe or want to keep more cash in it, make sure the current cash rating is able to cover it. If not, it is best to upgrade to one that can.
Other than the cash rating, many insurance companies also require the safe to be of a certain quality and have the necessary certifications to ensure that it will be able to protect its contents from theft and damage. If your current safe does not meet these requirements, it is best to invest in one that is approved by your insurance company.
After a Security Breach
If an unauthorised person tries to break into your safe and tampers with or uses force to make their way in, it becomes necessary to change and upgrade your safe, even if their attempt was unsuccessful.
Entering the incorrect credentials is one thing and would simply lead to you updating the credentials and enhancing the safe’s security, but using tools and brute force on a safe could compromise its safety and integrity. There might be damages to the structure which may not be visible but may make the safe vulnerable to similar attacks in the future.
If you are unsure about when to upgrade your safe, you may speak to a safe engineer to help determine whether it needs to be upgraded or a simple repair and servicing would do the trick. It is also recommended to speak to your insurance provider to make sure all your valuables are still covered in case of theft or fire.
WHY SHOULD YOU UPGRADE YOUR SAFE?
Upgrading your safe becomes necessary under certain circumstances, such as the ones listed above. The main purpose of a safe is to provide protection, and if it is unable to do so or is compromised in any way, there’s no point in using it at all.
Investing in a safe is a long-term investment that can benefit you in several ways. Here are all the reasons you should upgrade your safe:
Better Security:
A newer, better, and more modern safe will offer a high level of security compared to one that is old and outdated. Modern safes are more feature-rich and have advanced locking mechanisms, sturdier construction, and better burglary and fire protection.
More Convenience:
New technology is all about convenience, and security safes are no different. Features such as keyless access and remote monitoring make it much easier to access the safe and its contents and give the users more control over who can and cannot access it.
Compliance With Security Standards:
Upgrading your safe to a more secure one ensures compliance with the latest security standards. It also sits well with insurance providers as they see that the necessary steps have been taken to mitigate risk. Some insurance companies also offer discounts on their premiums or better coverage for high-value safes.
Increase in Property Value:
The presence of high-value, secure safes with advanced features can add value to your property if you wish to sell it. They are seen as an investment for keeping your valuables secure and are a sought-after commodity.
Peace of Mind:
Above all, upgrading your safe to a more secure and convenient one offers peace of mind knowing that your valuables and important documents are safe from theft and damage. Owning high-value items can often be stress-inducing for fear of them getting stolen or damaged. Having a secure place to store them can relieve this stress and provide a sense of security.
UPGRADING TO SMART SAFES
If you have decided to upgrade your safe to a better model with more security, convenience, and control, smart safes are worth considering. These safes offer a high level of protection from theft and damage and have advanced features that make them a great option for homes as well as businesses.
With advanced features such as remote monitoring, biometric access, and real-time alerts and notifications, these safes offer more than just secure storage. They can also be connected to the internet and integrated with other smart devices including burglar alarms, CCTV cameras, smart locks, smart lighting, and voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri.
Smart safes can integrate with burglar alarms to trigger a sounder, often accompanied by flashing lights when movement is detected near the safe using motion sensors. Smart CCTV cameras placed near the safe can be used to monitor the area and provide live footage and recordings of any access attempts.
Smart locks installed on the main door of the property can be connected to the smart safe so that if the lock is breached and an intruder makes their way into your property, the smart safe can secure its contents by activating its locks and sending an alert to inform the owners of the intrusion. At the same time, the smart lights installed near the safe can be automatically turned on to bring attention to the intruder.
WHY CHOOSE CALDER SECURITY?
We, at Calder Security, are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA) and are familiar with a wide range of safes, cash boxes, and strong boxes. Our SSAIB-approved contractors can help you assess your security needs and recommend a suitable safe perfect for your requirements.
We offer professional safe installation services to not only prevent theft and fire damage but also ensure that the safe is secured in place properly, cannot be removed, and is not in danger of falling or damaging anything.
We also offer safe opening services since misplacing the keys, forgetting the code, or failure of the safe itself can all lead to the contents of the safe being inaccessible. By design, of course, safes are very difficult to access in these circumstances and you need a professional safe engineer to do it for you. Our Calder specialists can open most safes and restore them to full working order afterward.
When you need to relocate or remove your safe entirely, you can count on us to carry out the job with ease. In addition to that, our professional safe repair and maintenance services ensure that your safes are always in optimal health providing you with the best security.
Contact us here or call us at 0800 612 9799 to talk to our security professionals for more information on upgrading your safe and when and how to make the switch.
Photo by David Valentine on Unsplash