For the past several years, we’ve used our cellular dialer powered by Alarm.com as our preferred alarm monitoring method. Cellular monitoring allows us to monitor customers’ security systems without the use of traditional phone lines. This allows us to offer unique security benefits. For starters, our Alarm.com customers can cancel their phone service without affecting their monitoring. This is because cell dialers use cellular communication, rather than phone lines, to monitor your alarm. In addition to cutting the cost associated with phone lines, this feature provides additional security as well. Burglars often cut their victims’ phone lines before attempting a break-in. Now, we can offer security against this attack through this cellular dialer. We can use this monitoring service for both residential and commercial customers. In this post, we will show you how we go about using Alarm.com to increase commercial security to help you secure your own business.
First, we’ll review how Alarm.com’s interactive monitoring can add convenience and security to your commercial space. From there, we’ll show you how this monitoring service provides quick and reliable alarm code control and system tracking. Then, we’ll shift our focus to creating useful security alert notifications to keep you connected to your business at all times. Finally, we’ll detail a couple unique Alarm.com security products that we offer above and beyond alarm-related security. Namely, our Alarm.com access control and smart camera equipment will get featured in order to help you create even more effective and integrated security. Now, let’s begin our look at using Alarm.com to increase commercial security!
Added Security Through Interactive Controls
As we pointed out earlier, our dialer uses cellular communication to communicate with our central station. This gives it the ability to send direct messages to our central station upon alarm activation without relying on traditional phone lines. As an added bonus, our cellular dialer can also communicate directly with your smartphone. When we discuss “interactive alarm monitoring,” we are referring to this unique connection between your phone and your alarm. This connection creates several layers of security that we will discuss in this post. First and foremost, this connection between your alarm and phone allows you to control your alarm with an app.
Alarm.com makes it easy for you to add, delete, and manage unique alarm codes for all of your employees.
After creating an account, our customers can use the Alarm.com app to remotely arm and disarm their security system. Therefore, you will never drive home from work and have to wonder if you set your alarm. Now, you can simply pick up your phone and check your alarm’s status! If you did forget to arm your business, you can do so with the press of a button. Additionally, interactive monitoring comes with the ability to add and track employee alarm codes remotely as well. Let’s take a look at how this feature can add both convenience and security.
Easy Employee Code Programming and Tracking
A few years back, we created a post sharing 5 Security System Use Tips. As part of that post, we recommended programming different alarm codes for everyone who might use your alarm system. As part if this process, we also recommend diligently deleting codes that are no longer needed. Doing this can provide extra security. After all, you wouldn’t want ex-employees or contractors who you no longer need to access your building to have a means to turn your security system off.
Unfortunately, keeping track of user codes and maintaining them can prove daunting. Many business owners keep unwieldy spreadsheets that they attempt to keep up to date, but often fall behind doing so. This can lead to security issues down the road. Furthermore, the process for adding and deleting user codes using a regular alarm keypad involves multi-step alarm programming. In fact, many of our customers forget how to complete these steps after time. The time and effort required in manually inputting and deleting codes, mixed with the tedium of tracking which codes “belong” to which employees and contractors, frustrates many alarm customers.
Fortunately, our Alarm.com customers do not experience this frustration. Interactive monitoring allows our customers to add and delete user codes remotely. This takes away all of the time-consuming programming involved with code maintenance. Furthermore, the Alarm.com app keeps track of the names associated with these codes for you when you create them. This allows you to create, delete, and track alarm users all at one time with minimal effort! Now, let’s see how Alarm.com commercial security helps keep you “in the know” regarding alarm activity.
Customizable Alarm Activity Alerts
Business owners often purchase security to provide peace of mind while away from the office. Interactive security can help offer this peace of mind in unique ways. In addition to the ability to control an alarm remotely, interactive monitoring also allows users to create customizable activity alerts. For example, most customers opt in for alerts created by emergency alarm activations. Furthermore, low sensor batteries and system arming and disarming events can also create notifications.
Moreover, you can even create notifications for alarm events that do not happen. For example, you may expect someone to show up, disarm the security system, and open your business every morning by 9am. Alarm.com allows you to receive an alert if your alarm stays armed past the expected opening time. At that point, you can call the employee you expected to show up to inquire about their whereabouts. Likewise, you can receive an alert if the alarm does not get armed after closing time. This allows you to see if someone stayed to work late or if your employees failed to disarm the system. As we mentioned before, in this case you can simply arm the system using your phone. Next, let’s see how adding access control through Alarm.com can help you create truly unique security for your property.
Integrating Alarm.com Access Control
Over the past several years, access control systems have gotten increasingly popular. This security measure involves using advanced lock equipment to control access to your property. Access control systems utilize electronic locking hardware to operate specific doors within a business. Rather than using a key at these doors, users approach a keypad or a reader and present either a code or a physical credential. We’ll get into the specifics regarding these options a little later. Users who present an approved credential will then be able to open the door after the reader interacts with the door’s electronics to unlock it. Business owners can assign each credential to open only certain doors at specific times, giving them tremendous control over who can open which doors, and when.
Alarm.com cameras represent one of the most efficient and effective ways to add surveillance to your small business.
Furthermore, using our Alarm.com-based access control equipment allows for even more control over your property, as well as some unique integration possibilities. For example, you can use the Alarm.com app to remotely unlock doors and grant access to visitors. Additionally, you can also integrate security system commands with access control-related actions. For example, you can program your security system to disarm automatically when someone uses their credentials to unlock the door in the morning. These features add tremendous security and convenience and make Alarm.com access control a very effective commercial security measure! Now, let’s show you why using Alarm.com to increase commercial security often involves installing smart cameras.
Smart Cameras
Surveillance systems have exploded in popularity over the past couple decades, and for good reason. A camera system serves multiple purposes. For one, well-placed cameras will capture and store footage of any crime that occurs on site. This provides security, as well as peace of mind for both employees and customers alike. In addition, connecting a surveillance system to your network also allows you to check in on your business with a computer or smartphone at any time. This provides the type of easy access to your business that small business owners demand.
Traditionally, installing cameras requires purchasing a recorder to store video footage. We then would wire each camera back to the recorder itself to transmit this video. While certainly effective, the equipment involved, combined with the installation labor, can make this a costly endeavor. Smart cameras, such as our preferred models powered by Alarm.com, solve many issues that keep some people from installing cameras in their business.
For starters, these cameras generally come with a very digestible price point. Smart cameras still have a leg up on just about any hardwired camera from a price point perspective. Moreover, these cameras generally store video to the cloud via your Wi-fi. This means that you do not have to purchase a recorder to install smart cameras. The recorder often makes up the most significant chunk of the overall cost of a camera system. Therefore, eliminating it can make installing these cameras quite a bit less expensive than their hardwired counterparts. Installing these affordable, user-friendly cameras can add tremendous security to any business!
Using Alarm.com to Increase Commercial Security
We hope that this post helps your efforts in using Alarm.com to increase commercial security. Additionally, we encourage you to contact us with any questions you may have. We work with businesses on a regular basis to install the latest and greatest in security technology. Our Alarm.com offerings make a great fit for any business security plan. We also offer free site surveys to both new and existing commercial customers. This allows us to visit your business and create a specific plan to create additional security on your property. While on site, we can address any concerns you have and make suggestions based on our own observations. Together, we can create a plan to keep you, your business, and your employees as safe and secure as possible.