Business Security Systems Introduction
Business Security Systems Basics
Business Security Systems Features
Choosing a Vendor and the Central Monitoring Station
Business Security Systems Cost
Business Security Systems Tips

The Central Monitoring Station

The most important factor to business security systems is the central monitoring station. You should consider how well your central monitoring station will provide for your needs when looking at security system companies.

When the alarm goes off, the central monitoring station is the first to be notified. Many times the alarm goes off due to a false alarm. There are a couple of ways the central monitoring station can help you in these circumstances and authorities don’t have to send unneeded patrols.

An audible delay is one way to do this (the alarm usually waits 45-60 seconds before it goes off). In doing this, the authorized employee will have enough time to provide their passcode or verify they indeed are authorized to be there.

Another way the central monitoring station can help against false alarms is when the phone line at your company is having problems. If the phone line is down, they can call your point of contact’s cell phone to alert them of the situation and make the necessary changes before alerting authorities.

No matter which way you choose, the central monitoring station will be able to alert you of an intruder because the control will be pre-programmed with your business information and is connected to your business phone lines. When the alarm is set off, the control panel will automatically send the information to the central monitoring station. Once alerted, they will put into action whatever strategy you agreed upon.

Choosing a Vendor

With any major purchase, it is worth the extra time to ask as many questions as you can. You want to make sure you are getting as much information as possible to make the right decision for your company. One thing to consider is the size of the vendor. You want to make sure the vendor is large and stable enough to provide timely customer support when you need it, but small enough to be responsive to your needs.

When choosing a vendor it is important to get quotes from multiple vendors, this will ensure you are getting a reasonable price in access control systems or whatever you are choosing. Make it a point to get all of the quotes in writing, and remember to ask the vendor to include prices for the setup, equipment, the monthly monitoring fees, and warranties.

After looking over all the quotes you have collected and you have narrowed down your search, make sure and get references from each provider. Good sources to talk to are previous clients who gave permission to be contacted about that dealer’s service. Find out why these previous clients of that video surveillance company, for example, chose that particular provider and ask specific questions about their quality of service such as:

* Were they accessible to questions if you had any problems?
* Did they provide sufficient training for all the equipment to you and your employees?
* How quickly did they install, and was it in the timeframe they guaranteed?
* If you ever experienced an intrusion, did the central monitoring station quickly alert authorities?

Review the contract carefully, and pay close attention to all fees and make sure they are legitimate. A common hidden fee is charging to connect to the central monitoring station, but most of the time this is a charge already built into the pricing.

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