Business Alarm Monitoring: A Guide for Brisbane Business Owners

With break ins on the rise in 2021, the Brisbane Police suggests that business owners get adequate security surveillance coverage for their buildings. 

A business alarm provides the most utilitarian benefit of all. It can deter thieves and criminals from stealing your goods.   By installing an alarm system on your premises, and activating a professional alarm monitoring service, authorities will be notified promptly when a break in occurs.

With most businesses premises being vacant at night and over the weekend,  Business alarm monitoring is essential for an owner's security and peace of mind.

This Brisbane guide will help businesses learn the basics, benefits, and costs of business alarm monitoring services.

Types of Security Systems Available

Commercial security monitoring offers various capabilities and levels of protection. What a jewelry store needs may be different than what a barbershop needs. To select a suitable system, you first need to know what each provides.

Burglar and Theft Systems

Burglar and theft protection use alarm sensors  to detect people who break in. The system may also have an alarm  siren that is loud enough to scare intruders off.  This system alerts you and or an Alarm Monitoring Centre  if there is a break-in and asks for verification before calling the police.

These systems can be hard-wired or wireless. They often include backup protocols in case there’s a complication, like a power outage.

Video Surveillance Systems

These systems have cameras and a digital video recorder used for observation. The cameras can include dome, bullet, or hidden cameras. These systems record footage locally but can also be linked to a control room and cloud server for the remote viewing of many areas at once.

If you opt for PTZ cameras,  you can adjust the position of cameras at any time. This is handy if you suspect that there is a blind spot or if you need the security camera to zoom in.   After setting up the viewing zones, you'll get instant push notifications about unwanted activity in these areas.  As you can see the alerts in real time this give you the best opportunity to take care of the problem.

Access Control Systems

Access control systems let people in and out of your facility. Cards or badges allow you to assign levels of access to employees. Each card has a programmed code with card readers that permit or deny access.

Proximity readers let people use their cards to open a door. The cards can be passive or active (built-in power). You can then view a map of the facility and see where employees congregate.

Access control systems keep logs of cardholder activities in certain sectors for weeks. This interface has the ability to lock down the whole building if an emergency happens. This can be useful if there is a crisis inside of your facility and you want to keep people out.

Environmental and Fire Alarm Systems

Fire alarm systems for businesses consist of a control panel, sensors, and annunciators. Annunciators trigger a notification to everyone in the building and the fire department. LED screens can show each zone and the location of the fire.

Environmental monitoring is when you have lots of detectors. These are for things like water, gas, smoke, carbon monoxide, and temperature. If something dangerous happens, sensors will notify operators, who contact the right people.

For instance, if there’s smoke or carbon monoxide present, they’ll call the appropriate team or the fire department.

Integrated System

A security system can be either standalone or integrated. Standalone security systems have one capability, like access control or video surveillance. An integrated security system combines different capabilities, like access control and video surveillance.

When you combine all the parts of a security system, you can keep an eye on the safety conditions of your business.

Business Security Benefits

There is a higher chance of apprehending criminals.  Proper security measures increase your chances of catching criminals. In addition to that, there is a reduction in property damage. The risk of property damage drops the faster authorities arrive on site.

Most insurance companies discount insurance costs based on reliable alarm monitoring services.

A business alarm monitoring service ensures a certain level of protection for employees as well.

Lastly, just knowing help is a single call away is important, especially if you're not present at the time.

You can put your business alarm monitoring on a 24-hour basis or you can do it according to your hours of business.   Your choices determine the types of benefits you can take advantage of.

Common business alarm monitoring services include:

• Alarm monitoring for break-ins or unauthorized access
• Out of Hours Access (Supervised Monitoring)  to detect staff movements.
• Smoke and Fire monitoring to ensure prompt action is taken limiting potential damage.
• Medical alarm monitoring ensures that immediate medical care is actioned when required

How much does Alarm Monitoring cost?

The standard price for alarm monitoring is $44.00 per month.  This includes the GPRS communication device and a Telstra SIM card for the transmission of alarm events.

Business alarm monitoring services do vary in price. Some of the factors that influence the costs are:

• Number of monitored locations
• Services required, such as fire or medical alarms
• Specific demands on response time, alarm notification method, and frequency

Brisbane Alarm Monitoring Solutions

There are specific business alarm monitoring services in Brisbane.  Some will reduce your insurance premium. The packages can include anything from fires to break-ins, to environmental sensors.

You get to determine what works best for your business.

It's time to look into how you can protect your business while saving money. Contact Security Queensland for a free quote today. Also, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have with alarm monitoring in Brisbane via email.