Intrusion Alarm

A monitored alarm system is the most important component, and in some cases the last line of defence, of a security solution. Of course, stickers and signs indicating that a building is secured by an intrusion alarm system can be a great deterrent to the potential intruder. If a burglary does occur, the alarm system does its job best. In most cases, the intruder is already fleeing when a siren starts wailing. The alarm is then forwarded to a control centre, which acts accordingly and informs a private security company or the police. In either case, the intruder's window of opportunity is significantly reduced, preventing further losses to the organization from theft or vandalism.

Although the main purpose of an alarm system is to notify relevant personnel or the authorities in the event of an intrusion alarm, these systems can do much more than just monitor an alarm. There are many life safety devices such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, temperature sensors, flood sensors, panic and hold-up alarms that can be connected to an alarm system and monitored. For example, a temperature sensor installed in a data room can protect IT infrastructure such as servers and switches from overheating and avoid potential damage from a possible air conditioning failure, simply by sending an alarm to the control centre, which then calls the person in charge, to take care of the issue. Or in buildings where no fire alarm system is required, smoke or heat detectors connected to an alarm system can prevent major damage by informing the fire department as soon as such an alarm is received by the control centre. These two examples alone can save a business thousands of dollars, and in the smoke alarm example, damage to health and life can be prevented.

Integrated with other systems such as access control or video surveillance, an alarm system can be even more efficient than as a standalone system. For example, when integrated with cameras, an alarm can be visually verified to ensure no action is taken in the event of a false alarm.

Most intrusion alarm systems can be operated from a smartphone or tablet, giving the user ultimate control over the system.