More people now keep laptops, tools and paperwork in a room or outbuilding that was never designed to be locked. Here is what actually matters when you secure one.
Interior doors and shed doors are usually hollow or thin. A good deadbolt on a hollow-core door is mostly for show, because the door panel gives way before the bolt does. For a room that holds anything of value, a solid-core door is the first upgrade. For a shed, check that the door frame is fixed to the structure with more than a few short nails.
A keyed entry lever is fine for keeping a home office private from visitors. If the room holds equipment or records you would hate to lose, add a single-cylinder deadbolt and a strike plate fixed with long screws into the stud behind the frame. Keep the room on its own key rather than keying it alike with the front door, so a spare house key does not open it.
Outbuildings are often entered through a window, not the door. A simple window lock, or screws that stop the sash from opening more than a few inches, closes that gap. A motion light over the door costs little and discourages anyone from spending time on the lock.
Decide who needs a key and write it down. If a key goes missing or a tenant, contractor or former roommate still has one, rekey the lock rather than hoping it turns up. Rekeying resets the pins so old keys stop working while the hardware stays where it is.
If you are in northern Colorado and would rather have the fitting or rekeying done for you, Choice City Locksmith works on site around Fort Collins.