Commercial Buyer's Guide

The purpose of a commercial security system is to ensure the protection of your business, and/or property, as well as the security of your employees. An effective security system can deter burglars or other intruders from your business; and can adequately alert the necessary authorities in the case of a break in, vandalism, or any other possible criminal activity. Having a proper security system installed at your place of business can also provide necessary evidence in the case any and all crime that may potentially occur at the location of your business.

In addition to security alarms, AlarmQuotes.net also provides you with vendors with the latest equipment in fire alarm technology. A fire alarm serves as protection in the case of a fire or any other event that would require evacuation of your business. AlarmQuotes.net is a new way for you to locate qualified commercial security and fire alarm providers in your area.

Having an alarm system tailored to your office or business is as easy and painless as filling out a few simple questions about your business site on our website. Some systems are designed to protection against burglary and intrusion while other are meant to deal with fire, access control, or video monitoring. Answering less than 10 questions describing your work area and the type of system that you'd like helps us send your application to the 4 most qualified vendors.

This guide is specifically designed to help you choose what system is right for your commercial business. In this guide you will find analysis of all the different systems offered to you from AlarmQuotes.net. By having quotes from several providers you can be assured that you will get the system that is best suited to your needs and your budget.

Burglar Alarms

Burglar alarms are meant to deter unwanted intruders from your business. In addition, a burglar alarm can alert the attention of all those around and the proper authorities that an unauthorized person is in a restricted area, that a break in has occurred or other criminal activity. The mere site of a security system can act as a deterrent for any thief looking for a susceptible commercial business. Security alarms can alert a monitoring company that an intruder has been detected and they will contact and dispatch the police to your location if necessary.

There are various types of equipment that are common with today's burglar alarms.

Control Panel:
The control panel of a burglar alarm is where the detection devices of the alarm system as well as the main wiring of the system are located. These devices may include sirens, motion detectors, door and window detectors, glass sensors, etc.

Motion Detectors:
Motion detectors are used to detect motion and set off a burglar alarm if motion is present.

Door and Window Detectors:
Door and window detectors can detect the change of state of doors or windows from closed to opened.

Glass sensors:
Glass sensors can detect the frequency that is emitted from the breaking of glass.

Sirens or Alarms:
Devices used to indicate an intrusion, fire, or other events that could signal a need to evacuate the premises.

Hard Wired Vs. Wireless:
Depending on the vendor, you can select between a hard wired and a wireless system. If you already have a pre-existing security system it may be easier to stay hard wired. However, if this is the first alarm security system that you are installing in your office or business then wireless may be more practical if you vendor provides it.

Backup Systems:
In the case of a power loss a backup system can keep your fire and security systems up and running. A backup system can also send a radio or cellular signal to a monitoring site in the event of any damage to your phone lines. We recommend speaking with your qualified vendor about the choices available for installing a backup system to ensure your business' security in the case of a power loss or the any damage to your phone lines. If your business uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as your principle phone system a backup system may be a necessary and unavoidable part of your security system package. Most alarm systems are not considered reliable with VoIP and a backup system is considered must have.

Two-Way Monitoring:
Two-way monitoring allows you to speak with a monitoring station operator from different points of your business without the use of a telephone. Through a two-way speaker system you can alert a security technician of criminal activity or any other emergency that would require assistance. Your two-way alarm system is only activated by you or an employee, or when an alarm is set off. Usually in the case of an alarm a monitoring station technician will ask for your password and if the event is a false alarm, with a two-way monitoring system you can also tell the technician a preplanned emergency codeword instead of your usual false alarm codeword to signify that someone unauthorized has gained access into your business and you need help. Two-way monitoring can also aid people with medical problem that may need assistance in the case of a medical emergency. For instance, two-way monitoring is an optimal system if you have any employees that are elderly or have diabetes in the case of a medical emergency. There are many advantages of having two-way monitoring as a part of your commercial security system. Having it can ultimately result in faster, more efficient security service for your business.

Open and close schedule monitoring:
You can choose to monitor your system one of two ways. The first way is a closely managed system that can tell you who enabled or disabled your security system, at what entry point, and exactly at what time it happen. If there is something about your system that doesn't seem normal, such as an area being unsecured for a substantial amount of time, then the monitoring station can call and notify you of this. The alternative option is a non-monitored system that is only notified when an alarmed is enabled or disabled. If you wish to know the status you would need to call the monitoring station to ask.

Instant Alarm vs. Audible Delay Security Systems:
In the event of an alarm, an instant alarm security system will automatically blast sirens and horns to scare off perpetrators and signal the monitoring station that the alarm has been tripped. While this type of alarm system is meant to alert those around that a crime or break in is occurring a business may not have much incentive to have this kind of system. An audible delay security system can signal to the monitoring station that an alarm has been tripped without setting off any sirens or other audible devices. This type of system is intended so that the intruder or perpetrator is caught by the authorities while in the act of committing a crime. If you are interested in the criminal being caught then this may be a more suitable system for your business. Both systems have their merits and which one you and your vendor decide upon will ultimately depend on your specific needs.

Fire Alarms

Businesses must meet strict fire codes to maintain the safety of their workplace environment as well as the safety of their employees. A fire alarm system is a necessary precaution in the case of a fire or other emergency. In addition to actively protecting your business from fire, your fire alarm can also warn your employees of other conditions which require immediate evacuation.

Most fire alarms are triggered manually or by a smoke, heat or carbon monoxide detector. A standard fire alarm should include a device for initiating the alarm, visual and audible mechanisms to signal the event of a fire or other emergency, and a fire control panel. A fire control panel is responsible for responding in the event of a fire or emergency. When an alarm is activated the fire panel can execute numerous different programmed responses included notifying the fire department and police.

It's plain and simple, fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. A fire alarm can detect a fire even if you can't see or smell any danger. This advanced warning can give you and your workers valuable seconds to insure that they get out of your building or office safely.

AlarmQuotes.net will supply you with 4 licensed companies who specialize in active fire protection. These companies will then contact you and provide you with a detailed description of their costs and services. By having 4 different companies each giving you their independent offer you can select which one is most satisfactory to your needs. If you are not satisfied with any of their proposals and would care to get more proposals from other qualified vendors you are free to fill out another application and get 4 new vendors. All you have to do is ask.

Access Control

Access control can be a crucial part in sustaining a secure business environment. The main goal of access control is to keep unwanted persons from getting into restricted areas. This can be highly useful for many businesses that have important customer information, or vital business materials that they want protected from unauthorized personnel. Access control is a computerized process that either does or does not allow a person access to certain areas based upon their predefined level of authorization.

The types of access control range from keycards and keypad entry to fingerprint and retinal technologies. While some companies may only need a main entrance or small specific area that requires access control, others may need an entire building outfitted with multiple levels of authorization.

Once you've decided on getting access control for your business you need to discuss with your vendor the size of your project, the amount of entry points that you wish to have secured, and other specifics. You also must decide whether you want your system to have free or controlled exit. Controlled exit requires the same authorization to leave as they did to enter; while in a free exit system there is no authorization to leave the system.

After discussing these issues with your vendor as well as you're vision of how you're optimal access control system would look like, they should be able to give you a cost estimate as well as a schedule for implementing your new state of the art access control security system.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

A closed circuit television system uses televisions and cameras for surveillance and security purposes. There is a large need for this type of security in places such as military and governmental buildings, airports, banks, casinos, large department stores, and even offices or small businesses. A convenience store or other small business may use CCTV, but may only require as little as one or two stationary black and white cameras to monitor daily activity; while larger businesses may need hundreds of color cameras capable of panning and tilting motions and a staff to monitor and operate the closed circuit system.

CCTV cameras can be extremely important tools in recording illegal actions that occur within the premises of a business and can also serve as vital evidence in the case of a trial.

Images from CCTV can be digitally recorded to be reviewed at a later time, viewed on a monitor by a technician/employee, or even viewed over the internet giving you remote access from wherever you are.

A closed circuit television system provides a business with security against criminals and can also allow employers to monitor their employees. If you are worried about employee harassment, or would like to monitor your employee's performance, CCTV can record what goes on inside your business. If you think that your work environment seems safe and that it may not need CCTV, consider these statistics.

  • An average of 1.7 million people were victims of violent crime while working in the U.S. each year from 1993 to 1999. (Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics)
  • For the same period, over 800 workplace homicides occurred per year. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries)
  • One out of four full-time workers has harassed, threatened or attacked on the job. (Source: Northwestern Life Insurance Company study)

However, keep in mind that employees must be notified if you intend to implement CCTV technology in your place of business. Be sure to discuss this with you vender and review the federal privacy laws to make sure your monitoring complies with said laws.

We encourage you to be specific about your needs so our vendors can give you accurate quotes, saving time. Our quote service is free of charge, and your information is 100% confidential and will never be sold. There's no obligation to receive quotes from our vendors, so you're not committed to anything; so no worries if you change your mind. We'll give you up to 4 qualified vendor leads targeted to your specific needs.